The claustrophobic's guide to Tube travel

As much as I love taking the boat to work, or walking to work or taking the bus (I have a particular love of 'pole position' on the top of a double decker) it's the good old London Underground that gets me around for the most part.

Which is fine, aside from the fact that I suffer from more than a little bit of claustrophobia. I don't know whether it comes from growing up in a place with rather a lot of space, or that I'm just genetically hardwired to shudder at the thought of being stuck in enclosed places with people I don't know.

I like the concept of the Tube and I really enjoy NOT driving as being part of my life. Only I really don't want other people touching me with their hair or bags or newspapers or stuff. Yup, I'm a precious little princess, OK?

However, I know for a fact that I am not the only one - there are always a few other stragglers at the end of the platform, waiting anxiously for what I like to call a 'seaty' train. We are a rather pathetic little club of people who like space but live in one of the most densely populated cities in the western world - an assortment of misfits who have developed their own set of strategies and tics to get through the day.

So just in case you're like me I thought I'd share some of my best tube survival tips with you. Even if you're not claustrophobic it might help, especially if you're visiting London. Here we go:

1. There is ALWAYS another train - if the one you're waiting for is packed just walk to the end of the platform and wait for the next one. I know you need to get to work (so do I), but the psychological tole of having an unpleasant journey will make your day start badly. Just wait. And blame the tube when you get to the office! Who knows - you could've been stuck in a tunnel on the packed train anyways.

2. Walk to the end of the platform where there are fewer people. Watch the tube mice on the tracks. Relax. And wait.

3. Make your #1 priority getting a seat - you might think that there is space around you in the standing areas when you get on the train, but that can get filled up pretty quick. So take a seat if you can find one - and don't be shy about asking people to move their bags if they are taking up a seat. Enjoy your bit of breathing space but be prepared to give up your seat if someone elderly, infirm, or pregnant is in sight.

4. Travel off-peak - in the case of the Underground this means after 10am in the mornings and before 5pm in the evenings, and anytime after 7pm. BTW I've found that there is no real 'off peak' time in the morning unless you want to deal with the silly hours before 7am.

5. If you MUST board that sardine can there are two strategies you can use. First one is to place yourself far into the middle of the rows of seats, which means that you will be positioned well for any seats that come up in subsequent stops. The other option is to try to position yourself near a door, hopefully with your back up to one of the section dividers - this means that you won't wind up with other people squished into you on BOTH sides, and also when the train doors open for the stops you get a nice big lungful of air, rather than having to inhale anyone else's Lynx Africa.

6. Insulate your journey with lots of time: give yourself extra time to get where you're going and you can wait for a nice quiet train. Meanwhile, you can read or listen to some music while you wait.

7. If all else fails just pop above ground, and get a coffee, or wait for the bus. And if you really need to get someplace on time on the dot, book an Addison Lee car instead.

Any other survival tips out there?

P.S. The pigeon photo is totally gratuitous but hey, I took it so had to pop it in there
P.P.S. the usual apologies about not posting for a while but trust me I've been distracted!