When you go to cross the street, you'll naturally first look in the direction of traffic closest to you. That means that, in London, you're going to first look the wrong way — and that could easily result in you getting hit by a car. In fact, they actually have "look right" or "look left" in huge block letters on the street exactly for this reason. Use them! It's hard to adjust to the difference.

Taking cabs instead of the tube

Navigating a big city you've never been to can definitely be scary, so many tourists will stick to taxis when it comes to getting around. This is especially true in London, where the old-fashioned-looking cabs are very charming and adorable. Unfortunately, they're also overpriced.

London has an incredible public transportation system that you should be taking advantage of, and there's no reason to be intimidated by it. The Underground (or the "tube," as it's called) is actually very simple to figure out, much faster, and a lot cheaper than taxis.

Not buying an Oyster card

The best piece of advice I got before going to London was from a friend who had lived there during college. She told me to buy an Oyster card to use for public transportation. Many tourists will make the mistake of buying individual transportation tickets for the underground or the bus, but this costs a lot more than an Oyster card.

You load an Oyster card with a certain amount of money, and they last for a surprisingly long time. You can buy a visitor card online ahead of time, and you can reload them at any tube station. I spent almost nothing on transportation while I was there thanks to that card, and it was wonderful.

Only eating fish and chips

When you think of London food, you probably first think about fish and chips. Sure, this is typical London fare, but it's certainly not the only food you should be eating to get a taste of the city.

Many of my friends who had lived there raved about the Indian food scene in London, which is definitely worth trying. Local pubs are another great way to get a taste of British cuisine.

Assuming there won't be a language barrier

If you're coming from the US, London can seem like a much more accessible trip than other parts of Europe because of the language. It's obviously a lot easier to understand a British accent than, say, the Italian language.

While it's true that it's easier to understand London locals, that doesn't mean there's no language barrier at all. Many tourists will assume all Londoners will sound posh and sophisticated, but British accents can sometimes be very heavy and hard to understand. There is also a lot of slang that tourists aren't going to understand.

Skipping the free attractions

You might assume that the free attractions in London will be lame and boring, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Save some money by heading to the tourist sites that are free. For example, the National Gallery, the British Museum, and the Tate Modern are all free and there's a lot to see in all of them. London can be expensive, but it doesn't need to be a trip that breaks the bank.

By Jessica Booth https://www.thisisinsider.com/mistakes-tourists-make-in-london-2018-4

Discussion questions:

• 1. What do you find interesting about this article?

  2. Describe a major city that you've visited and give some tips for traveling to that city.

  3. What is a city or destination that you would like to visit in the future and why?