Getting separated from kids in London

Easy with boys your ages .

Give them a hotle card and 30 gbp and tell them to get a taxi back to hotel if truly lost .

Otherwise , at big sights ( large museums etc) choose a big landmark ( ie the statue in the main courtyard or this entrance etc ) and say " if separated meet back here " .

Londons easy since there will be no language issue . Done this with my kids aged 11-13 for their first trips to Europe .

In metro we told kids if someone separated on tube and we get off and they don't make it , just get off next stop and we'll meet them on platform . This actually happened to my hubby and 13 yr old son in Paris . Son got on trian hubby didn't make it , saw son wave from window as it left station . Son however remembered to get off at next station and hubby got in next trian ( they are like less than 3 minutes apart usually sometimes less ) so they were rumoured in less than 6-7 minutes .

You can also tell them to talk to a police officer( show them a photo of one or point one out so they recognize uniform )

I travelled with two of my kids solo ( my dd when she was 11 and son was 13 ) about 10 yes ago and we didn't have phones . Millions of people have before phones . Pick rendezvous spots .

The most logical thing would be for them to (each) have your cell phone number memorized (in case they're separated from each other as well as you). Advise them to go into the nearest local business. When the chaos settled down, they can call or have somebody call you for them. Another thing to do would be to make sure they each have your hotel business card in their pockets (so they have hotel name/address/phone number and sometimes a mini map) along with enough money for a cab. They could then wait out any chaos at a local business, and if they couldn't reach you by phone, they could potentially catch a cab to your hotel. Of course they should also be able to recognize a law enforcement officer and know they can approach them for help.
Prepare for the worst- expect the best! (My travel motto)
Lisa

what would you do if an incident happened in Tuscon? Adapt that to London.

Agreed with the poster above who asks what are your contingency plans if separated in Tucson. While I realize that the kids may not have working phones in a foreign country, if you're truly worried about security it might be worth it to look into phone plans that work abroad as well as at home.

Otherwise, I'd say go with the advice above. Pick a designated meeting spot if separated. In a foreign country, make sure the kids each have the address of the hotel with them + the funds to reach it via taxi.

They don't have to 'carry' cash for a black cab (only use a black cab even though not the cheapest, confusingly they are not always black), just hide some in your hotel room, the cabbie will wait while your boy/you gets it.

It's more likely you will simply lose sight of each other than all out Armageddon, so agreeing to meet at the 'main entance' is good for museums, etc. Places with multiple points of entry, like shopping centres (malls)... Pick a shop like Starbucks, they are in every mall, and each make your way there, just pop into any other shop and ask them where Starbucks is.

As others have said, for the Tube... Get off at next stop, sit and wait... Trains are every few minutes so wont take long.

the important thing is the hotel address. If you can't get cards write it down and include your own cell phone number if they don't have their own cell phones. And this is true of any big city/ theme park/ department store. Kids have been getting lost for years, the only thing that changes is the method!!

Money for a taxi is not that important (what if you gave it to one and lost the other?). All a lost 10 year old in London has to do is find someone in uniform, any uniform really, and say they are lost and ask the person to call you using the cell phone number whch you wrote down. Biggest problem is that in some service sectors in London the person may not speak very good english, or more likely, will have a strong accent. And if all else fails, all they need to know is to find any phone, calls to 999 are free and they ask for the police and say they are 10+13 and have lost their parents. Payphones usually have the address posted to speed things up but the British Telecom operator will trace the call from any land line.

Also, every tube station I have been in has staff with a name badge. Good to know if there are no police around.

Lots of good suggestions. We lived overseas when our kids were young and never allowed them out of our presence. However, stuff happens and you should prepare for an emergency.

One more suggestion would be if you are in a museum, tell your boys to contact a museum guard to help or have a place to meet if separated. I do like giving the kids some cash and written information on it with cell phone number and hotel.

I always put a note in my kid's pocket with my name and phone number. I also always tell my kids to ask for help from another mommy with kids. We also always discuss the plan for how to behave if we get separated on the subway - the kid stays where they are and the parents come back to them.

This actually happened to guests at my hotel last month. They got separated at the Changing of the Guard. They made sure the kid had the hotel's business card. They told him that if he got separated, he was 13, to go back to the hotel.

The parents called the hotel and told them what happened. They left their cell phone number while they searched. About an hour later, the kid showed up. He had an Oyster card and figured out how to get back to the hotel. The hotel called the parents to let them know the kid was safe.

So, make sure each of your kids has information about the hotel. And on the card, if you have one, put down your cell phone number. Tell them to get back to the hotel if they get separated or just look for a police officer. If the latter, and he has your phone number, he will probably just call and arrange a place to meet.

In the meantime, you call your hotel. They can work as a communications conduit between you and the kids.

For tube, museums, etc, you've gotten good advice in previous posts.

Thanks everyone! You all have not only reassured me, but reinforced my gut feelings on the whole thing. Excited to head off with a good plan in place!

Assuming you and your boys have a phone I recommend the Glympse app. We used it to track our son when he walked home from our downtown school to our home about a mile away. Either party can send a "glympse" and the other will be able to see/follow the other's location. I'm sure there are other apps that will work similarly. We've used it when traveling when you get separate in a large museum or park. You have to use data but it's obviously worth it in such a situation.