London Museum Late Nights

You can maximize your museum experience if you plan ahead to visit the London Museums open late at night on certain days, saving your valuable Mon-Fri business hours for museums not open weekends or with limited hours.  

For example, at the time of writing this, the British Museum opened until 8:30 PM on Friday nights, and the Victoria and Albert Museum opened until 10 PM one night a week.

London Transit

Oyster cards are good on the Underground, Overground, and DLR.  The cards can be purchased from the automated machines in most terminals.  You need to tap your card when boarding non-Underground trains since they tend not to have gates like the Underground.  Instead, they have a designated area on the platform or near the ticket purchasing machine at which you should tap your card.

It is usually best to pay as you go instead of buying i.e. a 7 day pass because the Oyster card fee is capped such that you won't be charged more than the cost of a daily pass.

You will usually need to tag on and off since transit is charged by distance.

Beware of confusing "way out" signs.  I found some pointing in opposite directions.  Also, beware of service reroutes due to engineering work.  Not only could there be delays, but you might need to follow signs telling you where to walk (further along a different platform, etc.) to reach the alternative departure point.

Fake Police, Pickpocketing, and other Scams

A gypsy woman throws a baby which a tourist instinctively catches or tries to rescue, and in so doing, the tourist exposes his or her pockets to pickpockets.

An elderly woman asks you to hold onto her bags.  Suddenly, fake cops appear out of nowhere to arrest you or to solicit a fine for holding onto contraband in her bag.

A fake tourist insists on striking up conversation with you, asking for directions or other small talk to elicit where you are from in order to confirm your foreign status.  Often, the fake tourist speaks halting English (or fakes doing so).  This is all to delay you while his associate(s), fake police officers, come to demand to search the fake tourist and you on pretext of some crime prevention initiative.  After they pawn through your ID and wallet, if you are lucky they do not take all of it, they will pilfer a few of the large bills unbeknownst to you before returning the rest to you.  These fake police may have counterfeit IDs or may be in plainclothes.  If you call or threaten to call the real police, I wonder how they would react.

Watch Bob Arno, master pickpocket performer, video in You Tube where he supposedly confronts some Italian pickpockets.  They work in teams and either distract you by wiping something off you after they purposely spilled it on you, asking for directions, or bumping you in a crowded train or bus.

I have encountered a couple of these schemes in my multiple trips to Europe thus far.  I suggest tourists keep abreadst of these schemes and do not hesitate to call the police (if you have a phone), yell for help, etc. if you feel endangered.  Travel in groups, do not carry a lot of cash, avoid empty or dark streeets.

One pickpocket in France was brazen enough to put his hand in the pocket in which already had my hand, so of course I felt it!  I did not have anything of value in either pocket, but I yelled and he (a teenage Middle Eastern kid) retreated.  Sometimes upon reflection I would've liked to exhibit my martial arts skills on him; however, do keep in mind the laws of the various countries and that excessive force on your part, when there is no threat to merit such self defense, may land you in trouble depending on the local laws.

British Pound Notes- Old Ones Obsolete

If you are a foreign currency hoarder, saving your money for your next trip, beware of rules for GBP (Great Britain Pound) notes which may decrease the utility of your old paper money.  Unlike in the US, when there is a change of paper currency design, the British merchants and commercial banks will no longer accept the old notes after a certain deadline which is announced several months in advance.  Only if you go to the Bank of England can you exchange your notes for new ones after the deadline.  I.e. specifically the Bank of England and not just any commercial bank in England.

I was informed of this rule by a British post office worker.  I verified the information online.  Thankfully I had enough advance notice to plan my spending accordingly to use up my old notes which my US bank had given me when I had exchanged USD for GBP.