A Beginner’s Guide to Actually Enjoying a Night Out
Going out sounds simple enough until you actually try to plan one properly, and somehow the night ends up costing more, running later, and feeling messier than anyone intended. A few basic habits make the whole thing far more enjoyable, especially if you’re still finding your feet with it and haven’t worked out what actually suits you yet after a few too many nights that didn’t quite go to plan.
Pace yourself from the start
The classic mistake is treating the first hour like the last one. Starting too fast almost guarantees you’ll be finished before midnight, tired and a bit worse for wear while everyone else is just getting going. Slow and steady genuinely does win here, and it means you’ll actually be present for the parts of the night that matter most instead of watching them happen through a bit of a haze. A useful trick is alternating rounds with water or a soft drink, which sounds obvious but very few people actually stick to it once the night gets going properly.
Eat before you leave the house
It sounds obvious, but skipping dinner because you’re saving room for drinks is one of the most common ways a good night turns sour early. A proper meal beforehand keeps you steadier and means you’ll actually remember enjoying yourself, rather than the evening blurring together into a handful of fuzzy snapshots you have to piece together the next morning from what your friends tell you over breakfast.
Sort your journey home before you go out
Deciding how you’re getting home at two in the morning, while tired and surrounded by noise, is never a good plan. Working it out before you leave means one less thing to worry about once you’re actually having fun, and it also tends to be considerably cheaper than scrambling for options at the last minute when everything nearby is either booked up or charging a premium for the privilege.
A phone charger, a bit of cash, and a plaster or two take up almost no space but solve a surprising number of small crises. It’s the sort of thing you never think you need until the one night you don’t have it, and by then it’s usually too late to do much about it.
Keeping half an eye on the people you came out with, checking in occasionally, noticing if someone’s had a rough time, costs nothing and matters more than it might seem in the moment. A good night out is as much about looking after each other as it is about enjoying yourself individually.
If you enjoyed this, our guide to Making the Most of a London Spring Evening is well worth a read too.
You might also enjoy our guide to The Best Bars in London: A Neighbourhood Guide if you are still planning your itinerary.
