Do London taxis take payment in towels?

For what it's worth, I'm an obsessive worrier too, a terrible traveler, and have had more fun in London than anywhere. You don't need a visa for a week-long stay. If you need a form, they'll pass it out on the plane, and it will tell you what you need to declare. I don't remember if I got them coming into London or just into the U.S., but the airline hands them out when you need them. My memory of Heathrow is that there's a very clear place where all incoming non-resident travelers end up. I managed 10 weeks in London without a phone. Your friend should be able to check your flight arrival time and meet you without you having to call. Just put your debit card into the ATM at Heathrow. You're probably best off with 2 debit cards, or a debit card and a credit card, just in case you have trouble using one, but banks in the U.S. charge a lot for exchanging money, if they even do it anymore. Other stuff - know what your credit/debit card is going to charge you for foreign currency fees - it's anywhere from 0 to 3%, which makes a difference if you're spending a lot. Get an Oyster card (lots of info online about it, but your friends there can undoubtedly tell you about it too) and take the Underground everywhere. Have fun!

Take a credit card. It's a first-world country. You can purchase your way out of any minor errors like forgetting toothpaste. (This is my travel-abroad anti-stress mantra: It's a first-world country. They take credit cards. There are very few travel problems that can't be solved with a credit card.)

Two things I can contribute: If your credit card has a chip but you aren't used to using the PIN, make sure you know the PIN before going. They won't be able to tell you over the phone, and the bank machines there won't be able to change it for you. Make sure you know your friend's address, even if he is meeting you. You'll need it for the forms you'll have to fill out on the plane.

Visa: Am I correct in thinking that, as an American, for a one-week stay, I don't need to acquire a visa or anything, and can more or less just arrive in the country, get my passport stamped, and go? Pretty much, yeah. You're doing what's called a "visa waiver", which means that because the US and Britain have certain diplomatic agreements in place, you don't require a visa to visit the country for purposes of tourism for short periods of time. You will have to fill out a few forms for UK customs and immigration, as well. In my experience these are simple forms just asking who you are, where you're traveling from, how long you'll be staying, etc. as well as what sorts of things you're bringing into the country with you. If you're nominally literate in English and packed your own bags, you should be fine. Customs & Immigration: Are there any forms or questionnaires I need to have prepared or filled out to submit to UK Immigration when I arrive? Will I have to make a customs declaration? If so, what needs to be declared? See above. A guidebook can tell you the specifics of what needs to be declared, but unless you're going for business or carrying very large sums of cash or luxury items, this is most likely something you won't have to deal with. Heathrow: Where should I tell/expect my friend to meet me when I arrive at Heathrow? Is there a clear "here come the disembarking passengers" area where we will be able to find each other without too much trouble, especially if I haven't got a working phone at the time? Don't remember about Heathrow, but every international airport I've ever been in has had this, yes. Cell phone service It's a week and you're on vacation. Don't bother with this. I just got back from a trip to visit friends in Rome and it was no problem. We just pretended like it was the Before Time and planned meeting points in advance, used pay phones as necessary, etc. There was a complicated moment where I had to learn to use an Italian pay phone, but honestly it was no big deal. If you absolutely must, bring your phone from home and send a couple of texts. It's not that astronomically expensive. Money: I have a US debit card. My usual tactic is to use my US debit card to withdraw largeish amounts of cash upon arrival at my destination, from local ATMs in local currency. "Largeish" so as to minimize the number of ATM fees I have to pay. Every airport I have ever been in has had a conveniently located ATM in the arrivals area. Once you're out of the airport you can use ATMs as needed, just as locals do. My only bits of advice here are to let your bank's fraud department know you'll be traveling and make sure you have a 4-digit PIN. Relax and have fun! Traveling in Europe, especially in Britain, is not nearly as stressful or foreign as one would think. They have everything there that we have here. And it's only for a week!

If you want to be super-careful, carefully hide $100 in $20s around your wallet, toiletry bag, etc. Don't forget where you put them. I usually do this when I travel to developing countries, but I'm not sure how worthwhile it is for the UK. $100 is what, maybe 50 quid? Is that even a day's worth of money for the average tourist? If something happens, you're still going to be up shit creek. Though I suppose it's something.

And a final update, now that I'm back from my trip. Lots of stuff went wrong. Lots. I ended up learning the tube on my own the first day when my friend didn't make it to the airport to pick me up. But you know, with the help of my local phone and some judicious questioning of locals, I figured it out. I figured it out repeatedly, actually, since my friend turned out to be, well, kind of a flake when it came to escorting me anywhere. Couldn't have done it without that GSM phone for travel emergencies, though. Like when it's 7pm on a Friday and you need to get from Pinner to Tooting with a heavy suitcase, and have no idea where your friend's house in Tooting is... I'm...proud of myself. I survived London, and I did it largely on my own power!

I'm a planner, and fairly similar in approach, but I've also learned that adventure can only start when shit goes wrong. People like me don't have adventures because everything always goes smoothly. So my new approach is that truly high-stakes stuff (like visa issues) gets the usual full-on treatment, but other things... I encourage myself to wing it. Then when shit goes wrong, and instead of enjoying myself in an easy vacation, plans fall apart and I have to figure out half-assed ways to rapidly adjust with limited resources on the fly, but I remind myself that this is the thing that they call an "adventure", and note that it's already half a good anecdote, and... for some reason, that makes the misery kind of... fun? Consider that the worst that can happen is... adventure!

What do you suggest instead of the suitcase on wheels? Don't want to put words in Desjardin's mouth, but I switched to a backpack a few years ago and won't go back until I'm too feeble to lift it anymore. They're so much better in almost every way. Easy to carry, takes up almost no room, walking up stairs is no problem, cobblestones or sidewalks in bad condition are no problem. I think the main problem with rolling suitcases, though, are that they take up a lot of room as you drag them along. Which makes crowded sidewalks and train platforms and airport security areas really annoying for other people. At the very least, you should have a suitcase that you can pick up and carry (or hold closer to your body) as needed. Which may only mean packing lighter. Also, if you're taking a suitcase on public transit, you stand and hold your suitcase as close to your body as possible, taking up the least possible amount of personal space. It's rude to take a seat and then have your suitcase either extending out in front of you in others' way, or worse, taking up another seat next to you. (Or worse still, just sort of in a pile two feet away from you for no reason because you're a thoughtless asshole.) Be considerate of other people and make room.

If you can get away with packing light, I'd suggest doing so, especially if you plan on taking the tube from Heathrow. I don't think I've ever noticed the people standing too close--it's the *ahem* extra exercise of lugging a suitcase UP SEVERAL FLIGHTS OF STAIRS that sticks in my mind. Invest in an Oyster card, as others have said. You'll also want a http://www.a-zmaps.co.uk/, which is a real lifesaver when you're trying to figure out why the street you thought you were on has suddenly disappeared.