Travel

Travel Note

Essential Paperwork for International Travellers

For those who are not UK residents or British/Irish passport holders travelling to the UK, you now require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This costs £16/$22 and allows you to visit the UK for up to 6 months for Tourism, visiting family etc. The ETA will last for 2 years, allowing you to come back if you wish. Please note: if your passport expires before your ETA does, then your ETA also becomes invalid. You also need a valid passport that expires after your return to travel to the UK.

Flight

London Heathrow

For all travellers, we recommend flying into London Heathrow as it has strong connections to Ealing and central London (where our church and reception venues are located) alongside having the largest capacity and infrastructure for flights. The Elizabeth Line will bring you from Heathrow into central London via Ealing.

Flight

Virgin Atlantic/Delta

For international travellers, we would highly recommend flying Delta or Virgin Atlantic. Having done the US-UK trip many times, we believe either of these airlines is the best to go with. They also operate an extensive code share so if you book with Delta you may end up flying Virgin and vice versa.

House Or Rental

AirBnb

As we know many of you will be travelling in groups, we recommend booking an AirBnB. This will allow you the flexibility of having a kitchen if you don't fancy eating out everyday, the ability to avoid expensive hotels, and having the flexibility of an entire property to yourself.

Train

Getting Around London (Tips for Public Transit)

Getting around London is super easy. You can use your contactless credit/debit card to use the bus, tube, or tfl rail. Just remember if using trains/tubes to tap in and out at the barriers using the SAME card (this includes digital phone cards: if you tap in with Google/Apple pay, also tap out with it). You can also pick up an Oyster Card from a convenience store which costs £7 and use the TFL machines to add balance/travelcards. Once you've added a balance, you can proceed to use the Oyster the same way you would use your contactless. Please be aware, some stations you visit may not have barriers/open barriers - YOU MUST still tap in and out using your card/oyster, otherwise you will be fined. We recommend using Google Maps (or City Mapper and TFL Go) for directions while you are here. These apps are well integrated with public transit and will give specific walking directions, as well as next bus/train information, which will help you plan trips and during your journey.

Rental Car

UBER/Black Cabs

If you don't fancy using a bus or tube, particularly on the 23rd, we recommend booking an Uber or a Black Cab. Black Cabs may be more expensive but will highly likely give a better experience. You can book Ubers through the app, or hail a black cab as they are commonly available in central London.

Hotel

The Drayton Court Hotel

This is the hotel where we are holding our reception. We will be able to offer a discount code for 15% off your stay, which we will make available here.

Hotel

Travelodge London Ealing

Travel Note

International Phone Plans for US Travelers

London is great as many places often have free wifi throughout the city, including our reception venue (but not our church). However, if you would like to be extra connected and don't have international additions to your existing phone plan, we recommend getting either a pay-as-you-go physical SIM card on arrival or purchasing an eSIM before you travel. We recommend using Saily due to it's affordability, ease of use and security features. This recommendation is based on research and not prior use. You can use the discount code HAVEAWORD for 15% off.