FIRST TRIP 2 EUROPE!

Thanks for all the info..about the money belt..i have one but i have some mates who have suggested i take a cheap wallet aswell and put in it only the cash im going to use for the day and keep all cards etc in the belt..does anyone agree with this? I've also been told to take a normal looking bag to use instead of a daypack so i dont look so much like a backpacker...but this sounds a bit silly to me..what do people think?

OK. My two cents for fun.

1) Forget the normal looking bag idea, that's ridiculous. Use a daypack. It's sensible, and it zips up, so it's harder to nick from, plus it's comfortable for walking long distances/standing on tubes etc. People can always dip their hand into your carrier bag, it's easy on a packed tube. Don't bother with it.
2) I always find London taxis incredibly reliable but even more incredibly expensive. The cost of them is unbelievable to me. Don't do that either.
3) I always keep a credit card with a high limit seperate to the rest of my stuff. If I go out for the day, it's secured back in my accom. Therefore if I lose my wallet, it gets nicked, falls down a drain or spontaneously combusts into ashes, I have a backup to survive on until I get replacements.
4) See the FAQ on the UK branch, what you're asking gets asked a lot, the original post (OP) covers most of it, anything it doesn't is covered by someone else further down the post.
5) The UK does not require you to have ID on yourself, so don't have ID on you, it's another thing that can get nicked, fall down drains or be "permanently borrowed" and start causing you credit problems at home due to ID fraud. Get a photocopy of it though, store it with the seperate credit card.

#13--I agree with all of your points except for the first one.

I entirely disagree with the daypack idea. I grew up in a big tourist area, and let me tell you one thing--you tourists have no idea just how ridiculous you look or just how much you stand out when you go wandering around with daypacks. Plus, since you're wearing it on your back, it's way to easily zipped open or cut open. You're making yourself a sitting duck for crime when you stand out that much like a tourist. I know this isn't the most popular of opinions on TT, but for a lot of you all, your only experience in tourist areas is as a tourist, an outsider, and you have no way of looking at the situation through the eyes of a local. That's not your fault, you can't help where you're from or whether it's a tourist trap, but I would strongly suggest that folks consider what those of us who are from tourist towns have to say about tourism.

Messenger bags are a lot more common than daypacks and are less conspicuous, they're also easy and convenient, and there are a lot of options that offer both a flap and an interior zipper so that it's harder for people to rifle through the bag. They also have the benefit that when you're carrying it with the strap across your body, you can easily put it in front of you in crowed situations like trains but it won't look like you're deliberately trying to hide or protect anything.

12.
I think day pack spells laptop, to the bandits. I carry other stuff in my daypack doesn't shape like my ragged Mac.

Spaniards and more travellers are using over head and shoulder bags. Cross the chest strap.

My raggedy 5 year old Rick Steves day pack is holy. But like me its still truckin'.
PRESS ON, REGARDLESS!

Take partial rolls of tp, with the cardboard tube taken out, in your pack. Take 2 in daypack. Multipurpose.

And tail ends of soap bars, in a baggy. 1, maybe 2, in daypack every day.

london is very easy to get around, when you know how! first i would say familiarise yourself with the tube map.. very extensive.
there are lots of london tours, but i would sggest that doing the vists yourself will let you learn your way around, save money and even have a better time. london uses a travelcard called London oyster card, which is a prepaid electronic card that you swipe and it lets you through the gates. These are very cost effective, costing about 90 pence a single journey, compared with a couple of pounds on the normal paper tickets.

london travel jetpack has all oyster cards and stuff in.

walking tours in london

there are lots of lovely parks, museums and gallaries which you can visit for free!
spend time just walking around, drinking coffee in the major tourist areas, and relax..very interesting.
there is something called a duck boat tour i think but not sure what exactly it is.

check out the lp for more info about what to do in london.