Packing Thoughts

They provide hand towels, bath towels, and sometimes a wash cloth but don't count on it. If having a small wash cloth is important, bring your own.

Toilets are generally half a pound, maybe a pound so just have a couple of pounds work of coins and you will be fine,

You will lot of discussion about clothing. Some say, wear what you want. On the other hand we tend to dress a bit nicer when we travel. If you would not wear it in downtown Philly then you do not what ti wear it in London. You can get into a discussion about blending in but our concern is not to stand out. There is a difference.

Toilets can charge just about anything. I've seen 10p, 15p, 20p, 30p, 50p. (Never seen a pound, though.) That makes it hard, because those all require different combinations of coins. Fortunately, there are many, many places where you can use the restroom for free, so you might never need to use a pay toilet.

Of the millions of people in London on any given day, there are surely some who are wearing just about anything. I know I've seen people in London wearing legging-type pants. I confess I wasn't paying enough attention to get a sense of how common this was.

The reason people mention to bring your own washcloth is because they aren't generally provided. They don't discuss towels, because they ARE generally provided.

Thank you Frank and KHBuzzard for your replies!! I appreciate your advice!

I brought a washcloth for the three of us to use. Instead of a standard terrycloth type, I brought one of those "rougher" open-weave-types you find in the aisle that sells bath products at Wal-Mart ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Paris-Presents-Woven-Washcloth-07276/16935746 ). It dried incredibly fast (I did put it in a ziploc bag when in the suitcase) and felt great on tired feet at the end of the day!

As for leggings/yoga pants (I'll probably be flamed for this, go ahead), I don't think they should be worn outside the home or gym on anyone over age 18. If you are wearing a tunic that is long enough to be fingertip-length, it is an improvement. A skirt over them, fine. But, other than those fashion abbreviations, I think they are right up there on the tacky scale along with offensive graphics t-shirts, hats worn backwards and clothes that are sizes too small.

Leave them at home and be a better-dressed representative of your country.

Public toilets are anywhere from 30p to a £1. Most large department stores have restrooms.

LOL Leslie. Thank you and Kim for your advice!!

I wear leggings on the plane only because 10 hours is a long time and I like to be super comfy. With that being said, I DO visit the restroom before I leave the terminal and change into something else because I don't feel comfortable in leggings for street wear. When I look at travel blogs (love doing this) and their pictures I use that as a cue on what to wear and I rarely see people in Leggings, if anything they look really put together and their outfits are comfortable and well thought out. If you are comfortable in them and you feel it is appropriate then wear them, just remember you will not be having your typical day at home, you may be on multiple modes of public transport, walking up and down tons of stairs, visit well established places that require a certain decorum and churches that have dress codes etc.

Wash cloth, known in the UK as a face flannel:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/face-flannel

Wash cloths or face flannels tend to be considered a personal item like toothbrushes so they're not routinely supplied in UK hotels.

You will see leggings, yoga pants, very skinny jeans (jeggings), trackie bottoms, jeans and almost every other comfortable item of clothing in London.

I see a lot of women of all ages wearing leggings with longish tunics, almost dress-length. This kind of thing.
http://thelincolnite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/White-Stuff-Lincolnite-EN.jpg

A lot of women wear this kind of outfit as workwear. Leggings are very common. Wear what you like.

Thank Harleydonski for the link regarding a face flannel. LOL

Thanks Jane for the link!!! That was most helpful. Visuals are really tell me what's what.

About leggings...I just made a post to your other thread.

All the hotels we stayed in furnished washcloths and bath towels.

About bathrooms. The pay-type are mainly found in large train stations.
There is a turnstyle, you put coins in a slot, turnstyle turns and lets you go through to the rest room door.
The only place I have used this was in Victoria Station.

Make a point to always use the rest room when you are in a museum, attraction (such as Tower of London), church, pub or restaurant. These are free.

Dressing for the tourist sights. No one cares what you wear as long as you don't look sloppy, i.e., no old T-shirts with ratty shorts.
Yoga pants or leggings with a nice (tunic) top--yes.
There are some photo examples of this in my posting I did on your other thread.

I have seen people in London wearing all types of clothing.
Most tourists are dressed very casually.
At the Tower of London, I saw tourists wearing everything; shorts, jeans, sweat pants, yoga pants.

It's a different matter if you are going out to a nice restaurant in the evening, the theatre, or to a posh department store like Harrod's.
Dressy casual as you would at home for an office party or function.
Black or khaki slacks with a decent top. Or nice jeans with a decent top.
Proper dress is required for afternoon tea, if you are doing that.

My standard "outfit" is jeans and a polo shirt. I would wear that almost anywhere except perhaps a posh restaurant or a place the required more formal clothes.

I wore my jeans and polo shirt to Harrods and only one person working there gave me a second look.

Remember, London is a very visited city full or tourists. They are used to just about anything.

If you would wear it in dowtown Philly, you can wear it in London.

If you don't want to carry a damp washcloth throughout your travels, consider the one-use cleansing cloths (I like Olay) which you use and toss. They're dry, so no 3-1-1 bag, and light.

If you're staying in larger, US chain hotels then washcloths are provided. Smaller, British chains and independent hotels will not provide them. Bring your own, it's small and light enough not to be an issue.

I've never seen a toilet that costs a pound to use. Never heard of the phrase half a pound either! It's 50p. Most toilets are between 10p and 20p but these are usually in places such as train stations. I have never been in London and not been able to find a toilet that doesn't cost me anything to use.

As for clothing, wear what you want. You're in London and you'll see everything and anything. No-one is going to take a second look at you simply for wearing leggings/yoga pants although you might want to reconsider if you intend on visiting somewhere high end.

The hotels I stayed at had wash clothes and bath towels. You might want change for a public restroom if you are walking about large parks, or went for afternoon tea and are dying on the way back to a hotel. They aren't expensive, about $2.00 should cover you and 4 other people (I think they are about .25 cents us equivalent). Its a stall with a turnstyle. I only encountered one- in St.James park- they seemed to be located midway in the park.

Leggings? Yogapants- I'd really avoid. That would look super odd. Jeans are probably more appropriate. Londoners dress fancy compared to here. They have a lot of business people walking about, and even non-business people dress relatively smart, much more smart than people in LA or Philly. My friend and I noticed it when we were just walking about. The people who looked odd were the tourists- not the British.

Public toilets at most of the big railway stations are 30p and you'll need the exact money in 10 or 20p coins. I think Victoria might be 50p now, while St Pancras are free. There are change machines near the loos so you can get the right change from a £1 coin.

Toilets in major museums and attractions will be free. There are decent public toilets in the network of subways under Trafalgar Square. From memory these are free, too. Also next to the church at Covent Garden.