Friday 7 March 2014

My London Essentials

To mark my '6 months since moving to London' anniversary, I thought I'd do a post on my London Essentials. Since moving, I have come across a number of things to help make my day a little easier and I now find myself wondering how I'd ever live without them!
1. Citymapper 
This is a absolutely essential app and it totally trumps google maps! The app is 'live' which means it can tell you a number of ways to get to your destination, including which tube or bus to take. What I really love about it, is that it tells you when your next bus/tube is due! Gone are the days of waiting at the bus stop for 25 minutes :) When I hear tourists in work struggling over a London map, I take great pride in telling them to download this little gem of an app!

2. A Backpack
Luckily for us fashionista's, backpacks are currently on trend. I used to struggle around the underground with my tote bags and handbags, but after receiving a backpack for christmas, my life has been changed! I no longer get 'hand bag induced' back ache and my daily journeys are truly a lot easier!

3. Trainers/ Sneakers
Another item that is luckily on trend at the moment! Now, before I moved to London, I wouldn't be seen dead in a pair of trainers anywhere other than the gym! But with Nike releasing their 'neon' collection, I couldn't resist. I am now four pairs in and honestly haven't looked back. Although there is vast transport links around London, for most, a great deal of walking is involved in our day-to-day routines. Having a good quality, comfortable pair of trainers is not only good for your feet, but makes getting around London easier and faster too!

4. A Portable Phone Charger
Most days, I am out of the house for at least 11 hours, and as we all know, were lucky if an iPhone battery lasts 11 minutes! This is where I would highly recommend purchasing a portable charger- you don't want to be stuck in the middle of London at 11pm without access to your city mapper app now do you??!

5. Kindle/ Book/ iPad
Those 16 minutes on the tube without phone service can be torturous, so this is where you need to channel your inner book worm and purchase something to read! I love reading and it really passes the time during commutes! If you're interested in what books I'd recommend, comment below and I'll do a post on it :)

6. Oyster Card Holder
There it nothing worse than being stuck behind a tourist, blocking the gate, fumbling through their bag for their ticket. So please, don't be that person and purchase yourself a cute and convenient oyster card holder :) I actually keep my card in the back of my phone case, because my phone is always in my hand, so I just put my phone up to the Oyster card reader.

Until next time, xo