Day 18 of 18 · London

Wheels up. Home for the wedding.

Early check-out · Elizabeth line to Heathrow · 11:55 nonstop to LAX

☼ 55°F / 46°FCloud, then autumn San DiegoWear: Travel clothes. Layers for the plane.

English school half-term · more families about

Early out, the Elizabeth line to Heathrow, the 11:55 nonstop to LAX, then the drive south. Home tonight; the wedding is tomorrow.

Download before you leave the hotel you should already be checked in (the American app, from 11:55 yesterday). Before you leave the hotel, confirm both mobile boarding passes are in Apple Wallet / Google Wallet and the flight is on time. Details under Apps to download.

Optional, before the day starts. A 1-hour gym session or a run (nearest option is on the London page), and an afternoon nap block is built into the schedule below, take it on the long days.

01Morning

To Heathrow · Bag drop, security

07:00

Early check-out. Victoria line to Paddington, then the Elizabeth line to Heathrow (~35 min, a fraction of the Heathrow Express). At LHR three hours before the 11:55 nonstop.

08:30

Do online check-in the night before, then it's bag drop (the one checked bag), security, and the lounge. Nothing to claim at Heathrow, the UK ended tourist VAT refunds; any EU tax-free forms were validated at Gare du Nord on the way in.

02Afternoon

Fly home · Drive to San Diego

11:55

American AA137, nonstop LHR to LAX (Terminal 3, seats 31C/31B), ~11h15.

Compression socks back on for this one too, off once you're through LAX. Get up and move or flex your ankles every hour or two. Long-haul kit packed.

16:10

Land LAX. Drive to San Diego (~2-2.5 hrs). Home by ~19:00. Sleep. The wedding is tomorrow evening.

03Evening

Home, with a trip worth remembering.

The table

Breakfast~$16

A coffee near the hotel / at the airport

house pick Keep it small.

Lunchincl.

On the plane

house pick

Tickets and bookings

Item	When	Est.	Link	Status
Elizabeth line, Victoria to Paddington to Heathrow (×2)	07:00	~$14	open	,
Flight LHR to LAX (American AA137) inbox, search “American Airlines” Confirm in Manage Trip whether the first checked bag is included; if not, add it online (~$95 each), cheaper than the airport.	BOOKED · 30 Oct 11:55 · T3	$997 · in Fixed	open	,

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Today's voucher: American flight home (Google Drive). All confirmations live in Europe 2026 / Reservations & Vouchers, shared with the two of you. Nothing sensitive is on this page.

Before you leave the door

Insider edge

The Elizabeth line from Paddington serves every Heathrow terminal for a fraction of the Heathrow Express and only about 15 minutes slower. American flies from Terminal 3.

House pick

Avoid this

Cutting the airport buffer. A missed nonstop the day before a wedding is not the place to save an hour. And don't add a second checked bag for the way home, one each is plenty.

House pick

Backup move

Flight delay, you have all of Oct 31 as slack before the evening wedding. Cancellation, the same nonstop runs twice daily, plus three more LHR-LAX nonstops on other carriers.

House pick

Ideal window

At Heathrow 3 hours early. Straight to security, then the lounge.

House pick

What today runs

Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.

Elizabeth line, Victoria to Heathrow (×2)	$14
Airport water + snacks	$16
Today, London	$30

Flights and the places to stay are on the costs page, not counted here.

How it went

Written after the day: what you did, what you loved, what you'd skip, the photographs, a voice note or two. It fills in here and in the album.