- Flight
- about 9 hours eastbound
- Departs
- Miami International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 5 hours ahead
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Nine hours overnight and five hours of difference. The flight is unremarkable. What sets the Miami route apart is that most people on it are coming for longer than three nights.
A longer stay changes the planning
On a two night business trip the first evening is the only evening, so it gets booked under pressure. From Miami people tend to be in London for the better part of a week, which means you can give the first night to sleep and plan properly for the second or third.
It also means you are not tied to the area around a conference hotel. If you are staying a week you will likely move around the city, and it is worth looking at who is near where you will actually be on the night rather than where you dropped your bags.
Five hours is the easy difference
Late morning in Miami is late afternoon in London. Arrange everything before you fly and you will be dealing with people during their working hours without being awake at anything strange yourself.
The weather difference is not trivial
It sounds like a small thing and it is not. Leaving Miami and landing in a London October is a shock, and plenty of visitors spend the first day underdressed and miserable. Pack for a city that is fifteen degrees colder and wetter than the one you left.
Worth reading first
The rates guide covers what things cost and why longer bookings are better value, which matters more on a longer trip. The visitor guide covers the etiquette.
When to get in touch
London runs 5 hours ahead of you. Messages sent between about 6am and 6pm your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Common questions
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
What time should I message from the United States?
London is five to eight hours ahead of most of North America. Aim for mid morning on the east coast or mid morning on the west coast, which lands in London in the afternoon or early evening, when people are answering.
Will my hotel mind?
Central London hotels see guests receive visitors constantly. Pass your room number by message and the evening is unremarkable.
What currency do I need?
Cash in pounds sterling, agreed beforehand. Draw it before you need it rather than looking for a cash machine late at night.
Is prostitution legal in England for tourists?
The law applies to everyone in the country equally, visitors included. Selling or buying sex between consenting adults is legal in England and Wales, but soliciting in public and using brothels are not.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.