Your Theatre Breaks issues dealt with one by one. This is one of a series of articles for Theatre Breaks Magazine FAQ which each deal with a specific question about planning, booking and enjoying theatre breaks. Today, What to pack for theatre breaks Packing for your theatre break photo credit Dwight Sipler via flickr

Theatre Breaks Suitcase Panic First time I went on a theatre break I  hauled out the suitcases and stared at them for a long time. I was thrilled  we were off to London for a romantic weekend to see a show. I’d been looking forward to it for ages but then I started to worry. ” What do people wear to the theatre in London these days? Do we need to dress up? What do I need to take? Oh dear, what if I pack the wrong stuff and end up looking silly?” If you’re feeling like I did then let’s see if I can help sort out those nasty ‘what ifs?’ about what to wear on your theatre breaks. Do we need to dress up? Not unless you want to! There is no strict dress code for any of the theatres in London. If you like to dress up and make it more of an occasion, that’s fine. Most people wear ’smart/casual’, some people may even be wearing jeans, few will be in full evening dress. Do wear something comfortable, that won’t crease and is not too hot. The theatres are warm places even in winter. If you do want to dress up

For women a day dress is fine. If you do want to wear an evening dress think cocktail dress rather than gown. It’s hard to beat a *LBD, ideally in something that doesn’t crease too badly. A shawl, pashmina, or short embroidered cardi is usually enough to keep you warm outside. Shoes should be comfortable enough to allow for a stroll round theatreland after the show. Heels should not be too high unless you are used to them. Take a small handbag and don’t feel you always need a raincoat and umbrella. (It took me about 18 months after moving here to realise that I rarely needed my umbrella!) On a cold night add a warmish coat but leave it at the cloakroom. It’s a real pain for you, and those around you, when you have to juggle it inside the theatre. For gents a suit or smart jacket and trousers will be perfect. Ties are definitely optional. There’s no need for an evening suit unless you really want to make an impression.

*LBD =little black dress 5 ‘must haves’ for your theatre break

Comfortable flat shoes for traveling and for sightseeing. Smart shoes for the theatre, still fairly comfy. A smallish handbag that you can wear crosswise – handy, leaves both hands free and easy to manage. This will also be more secure on crowded tube trains or buses. Needs to hold purse, keys, camera, tube map, bottle of water (optional) & not much else. Double points if your evening bag meets the same criteria! Dark glasses,  look glam even in winter and are vital in case of a slight case of morning after syndrome!

Final Word on What to Pack for Your Theatre Break What ever you decide to take and wear remember this is your theatre break. London is a very anonymous place and mostly no one will notice or care about your choice of clothes. Wear the kind of clothes you feel happy and comfortable in. If you like to dress up for social occasions then do so, if not you can still enjoy your casual style theatre break.

This post is part of a series answering questions about theatre breaks, following on from How to Book Theatre Breaks Online with Confidence and Theatre Breaks By Car. The full series will be available as the Theatre Breaks FAQ Today we are looking at the issue of how you get your hands on the actual physical printed cardboard tickets so you know after all the anticipation that you will be let into the theatre and are definitely going to see the show! How do I get my theatre break tickets? Theatre breaks agencies do vary a little, some send your tickets out by post, but most will have them left at the theatre box office for you to collect on the day. It may depend how far in advance you book your theatre break, but there’s really nothing to worry about. Once you’ve confirmed your booking and authorised payment there will be a seat with your name on it. Well, it’s easy for me to say that I know, because part of the excitement of going to see a big show is the tingling anxiety that builds up in the hours before the big day. One way to help with this is to turn up as soon as the box office opens, which is usually about an hour before the show, when the queue should be fairly short still, present your booking voucher or just tell them your name and booking reference and collect your tickets. Phew! You’ve now got an hour to enjoy a pre-theatre drink or a stroll around theatreland and you can keep getting your tickets out to look at them as often as you like. You might want to memorise your seat numbers as this will aid negotiating your way around the various entrances once inside the theatre and after your tickets have been torn in half by the usherette. In any case you should really collect your tickets at least 30 mins before the performance starts.

What about the Hotel? Hotels don’t issue tickets but you may receive something called a “Hotel Voucher” as part of the email confirmation you get back stright away when you book theatre breaks online. There’s no need to print this out if you don’t want to though, you can just quote the booking reference and your name when you arrive at the hotel. Earliest check in time is usually about 2pm so if you arrive early in London on the day of the start of your theatre break it’s best to take advantage of the opportunity to settle in, dump your luggage and then go out again for the afternoon or early evening. Rail tickets booked with theatre breaks Show and Stay is one theatre breaks agency that offers discount rail tickets when booked in advance with a theatre break. It’s a good deal because you can save up to 40% on the travel costs and arriving in central London by rail is really the best way to do it in most circumstances. These rail tickets will be sent out separately by first class post in plenty of time before you travel.

London Eye Tickets The London Eye is the most popular add-on attraction booked with theatre breaks packages so how do you get your ‘flight’ tickets? This can get a bit complicated so please read your email confirmation carefully. If you book the London Eye River Cruise option, which is a lovely thing to do, then there’s a telephone number you need to ring to tell them when you want to go and arrange the booking. Do so as soon as you have decided upon your itinerary in order to be sure of getting your ideal flight times, and at least 72 hours in advance. You’ll also get a “London Eye Flight Only” voucher and in both cases you are asked to retain this section of confirmation to give to the London Eye people as proof of pre-booking, so in this case you probably will need to print it all out. For the Fast Track and Champagne flights, you still need to book in advance but you can turn up only 15 minutes before your flight at the fast track check-in desk and exchange your voucher for tickets there and then.

Your Theatre Breaks issues dealt with one by one This is the second of Theatre Breaks Magazine’s FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) which each deal with a topic that might get in the way of planning, booking and enjoying theatre breaks. Mr Notsure’s Dilemma Mr Notsure and his partner were off to London for a romantic weekend to see Phantom of the Opera. He’d found a web site that promised good value. He booked right away, dismissing the idea of going by train without a thought. Later that night he started to worry. “What if the taking the car means I get stressed out driving there? What about parking in London? Oh dear, and what about that congestion charge too? Let’s see if I can help  Mr Notsure’s  sort out those ‘what ifs?’ about theatre breaks by car. What if the taking the car means I get stressed out driving in London? To avoid getting stressed out on the journey:

Allow yourself lots of extra time. Use the AA online route planner if you don’t have Sat Nav. Try to avoid arriving anywhere near London at peak times. These last longer than you might assume as people try to spread their travel times. Aim to arrive and leave after 10am, before 3pm or after 7pm. Check for any known road works on your route before you set off.

Theatre Breaks by Car Congestion Charging The congestion charge applies in Central London between 7.00am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday

Basic fee- £8 per day if you pay the charge on the day of travel.

Pay on the first charging day after travel you pay £10.

If you do not pay the charge by the end of the first charging day after your journey you will be subject to a  penalty charge which is a whopping £120 !

Ideally you should pay in advance, either online or by post. You can download a free map of the Congestion Charge Zone from Transport for London What if I get lost in London? It can happen to anyone, including Londoners! Even if you have sat.nav and a current A-Z you will inevitably take a wrong turn, encounter unexpected road works or meet some other problem that takes you off your planned route. If you decide you are hopelessly lost, and London signage isn’t always terribly helpful if you are, then according to a new web service, The Knowledge , there is an answer. You can ask a cabbie! The Knowledge is a  24 hour helpline  manned by licensed London taxi  drivers and provided by Knowledge Capital Limited. By calling 0906 265 6565 you will be connected directly to a licensed London taxi driver. The promise you the assistance of an off duty cab driver. The calls cost £1 per minute from a BT landline and are likely to be much more from your mobile. I cannot imagine you’ll be ringing from your landline so expect it to be expensive!  I’ve never used the service but it might just be worth it if you are driving round lost and in a panic. DON’T CALL WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING! Pull over somewhere safe and make the call. What about parking in London? If the hotel offers parking it is always mentioned in the description. Often it will mean an extra charge, usually between £15 and £20 per day. You need to arrange this with the hotel. Give them a ring and they’ll usually be quite happy to sort it out for you. Parking in Central London, especially near theatreland is very difficult. To be quite honest I simply would not recommend you even attempt it! Choosing Your Hotel for Theatre Breaks by Car Traffic near theatreland can be heavy. Park your car at the hotel One good solution can be to drive to your hotel, park the car and use black cabs or the tube to travel around the city. For this to work best you should choose a hotel outside the congestion charge and use the tube or black cabs to get into and out of the centre. That way you can avoid the worst of the central London traffic and still have the comfort of your own car for the journey home. This gives you  much more flexibility and means that you don’t have the stress of driving in the worst of the city traffic. Theatre Break Magazine FAQ This was the second post of Theatre Breaks Magazine’s FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) each of which  deals with a specific topic that might come up when you are planning, booking and enjoying theatre breaks. (Photo Credit – Archangeli cc image via flickr)

This is the first in a series of posts for Theatre Breaks Magazine dealing with specific questions that trouble people about the process of planning, booking and enjoying theatre breaks. First up is online security. Mrs Worry’s Problem: Mrs Worry booked a theatre break last night. It was raining all day in Durham yesterday and the thought of another ‘English summer’ was just too depressing. She talked to Jim and tried to get him to go and see Mamma Mia, after all he enjoyed the film. He didn’t fancy Mamma Mia much but they finally agreed that either Jersey Boys or We Will Rock You looked good. She spent ages looking round lots of web sites for a theatre break and eventually chose one that seemed to be good value for money. The 3* hotel looked nice and it wasn’t too far from the theatre. So she whipped out the credit card, booked  rail tickets as part of the package and it really seemed quite reasonable. Trouble is it’s 4 a.m. now and Mrs Worry is awake and worried. The ‘what if’s?’ are spinning round her head.  Let’s see if I can deal with those nasty ‘what if’s…’ one at a time: What if they just take my money and I never get my theatre break? Ok, Mrs Worry, let me explain why that’s not going to happen. All the larger online theatre breaks agencies are very reputable and are all set up to provide you with a safe, secure way of getting the theatre break you want. Still worried?  Let’s just say you were unlucky and it did happen. Your credit card will cover you against online fraud. In the UK, you have exactly the same cover as you would have ordering products over the phone.You automatically get fraud protection with all credit cards. Since the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the European E-commerce Directive 2002 you are protected from fraud whenever you use your credit cards. And that includes online. If you use your credit card on a web site you are covered against anyone stealing your credit card details and your money. You are also covered when you buy goods from a company that goes bust before the goods can be delivered. Feeling better yet? Just to make absolutely sure, follow this advice when you are booking your theatre break: 5 top security tips for booking your theatre break

1. Before you buy make a note, on paper, of the company’s contact details, including the street address and a landline phone number. The phone number is usually clearly displayed. The address will often be at the bottom of the web page or on an ‘About Us’ page. If these details are not available on the website, consider going somewhere else. Do not rely on the e-mail address alone.
2. When you buy your theatre break there are a few things you can see that will reassure you your transaction is secure. When you start to put in your details you should check that the site address changes from http to https.

Then make sure a security icon is displayed when you get to the payment point. This is a small padlock that sometimes appears at the bottom of your browser when you begin your transaction over the Internet. Usually you can click on the padlock to see if the retailer has an encryption certificate. This should explain the type and extent of security and encryption it uses. Only use companies that have an encryption certificate and use secure transaction technology. Other sites use padlock icons on the page to show you that they are secure: 3. Print out your order . You can do this by using the “print screen” option on your computer. 4. Print out your confirmation e-mail when it arrives and keep it in a safe place. Check your SPAM folder if it doesn’t arrive before you panic. 5. Check your credit or debit card statement when it arrives to make sure you’ve been charged the correct amount. If you follow these simple guidelines you don’t have to worry when you buy your theatre break online. Changing Sites Sometimes sites like ours and our sister site London Theatre Breaks have a form on the page like this one: Example form This isn’t a booking form, it just allows you to check if your show and dates are available. When you click to book from this form or from other links on our sites you’ll notice that you are taken to another site. This is the web site of the agency through which you are actually booking your theatre break. This will be the theatre breaks agency we think is offering the best deals at the moment. This is the site that will handle your credit card details and where you can expect to see the padlock icon and the ‘https’. Click here to get our  handy printable Secure Theatre Breaks Checklist to record everything you need. (Right click to download) Make sure your theatre break is secure. This post is the first in a series of answers to those 4 a.m. “What if…” questions about theatre breaks (Source of advice BBC Webwise) (Image credit – Garry Knight CC licence)