American wanting to do a London visit for BILLYthon!

[kport]

Just remember when you are crossing the road to look right...............then left.................then right again!

London wisely paints this on the pavement at every pedestrian crossing as many visitors come from countries where traffic travels on the right - or wrong! - side of the road.

Here is another tip: London has blue bikes that you can hire from bike racks (there is one just outside Victoria bus station). When you finish, you just pop the bike into the same, or another bike rack, around London. Many roads have bike lanes clearly marked, though these are share with double decker buses than creep up silently behind bike riders!

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx

[rob_hanson1979]

Can I come too???

[Steamboy]

The times I've been to London, I've stayed in a small hotel on Ebury street, a few blocks from the VPT. Very cheap (25 GBP), but you get what you pay for - little more than a flat place to sleep, and a dry place to store your suitcase.

Taking one of the double-decker bus guided tours is a great way to orient yourself to the city, it'll give you a quick (well, a couple hours) overview of where the major landmarks are.

If you think you'll be on the Tube two or more rides a day, then a short-term Oyster card (subway pass) may well make sense, and will certainly make getting on and off the Tube easy.

If you've never been outside the US, then you will need to get a passport, if you don't have one already. These can take anywhere from two weeks to six months to process, so plan ahead on this point. Last I knew, you didn't need any visas, permits, or anything else to go to the UK for tourism reasons.

Check with your credit card first before deciding to use it for each and every transaction - on my second trip, mine was charging me $3 per transaction as a GBP/USD 'conversion fee'. It would have been a bit cheaper to use ATM cash. Check your daily ATM limit, and the current exchange rate - if the math is such that the number of pounds you're asking for converts to more dollars than you're allowed to withdraw, the transaction will fail.

On my first trip, I'd wake up stark raving hungry at 5 am UK time, which corresponds to my usual late suppertime of 11 pm at home. On my second trip, I combated that by getting a pasty just before bed (the stand outside Victoria Station is 24 hour, except for Sunday night).

Two things to keep in your bag are a good fold-up map, and a good fold-up umbrella.

I'm looking forward to when the stars will align for me to make another UK Billgrimage...

[deebeeeff]

I am sure you have gotten a lot of good advice, but since I was in the same boat as you are, four years ago this week, here are some things people told me and that I have learned.

1) Act like you know where you are going, even if you don't. If I am lost, I casually step back from the sidewalk and out of the traffic flow to consult my map, or if I am feeling like wasting a ton of money, checking my iPhone map.
2) Try not to look or dress like a tourist. I usually wear the same casual clothes that I wear to work, khakis and a blue Oxford shirt. But if you are a jeans and t-shirt person, that is fine.
3) If you use a backpack, never let it out of your touch. I actually only use mine as my carry-on, but except on the and, I have locks on the zippers so no one can pen it while it is on my back. Yeah, I am that paranoid.
4) When walking the streets of London, pay no attention to Walk/Don't Walk signs. At a curb, look down at the street. If it says "look left", then look left and if there are no cars coming, keep on walking. Otherwise you will get trampled from behind.
5) On escalators, and there are a lot of them in the underground, stand to the right.
6) About 5 days before you leave home, call your credit cards and bank so you can use your cards and get money at ATM machines. I do bring cash with me, but only as a backup. Otherwise I buys stuff with credit cards and get cash at ATMs. Some ATMs only work with their own bank cards. Look for a Barclay's or HSBC ATM. Yeah, they do charge, but almost every way you get cash, it is going to cost you.
7) If you fly into Heathrow, you can either take the underground right to your destination, though you will prolly have to change lines at some point. I have also taken the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and then gotten on the underground there. It you are flying into Gatwick, you can take the Gatwick Express to Victoria, and then go from there.
8) I walk or use the underground all the time. If you are going to be here - I am in London as I write this - for a week or more, get an Oyster card and put about £20 on it to start.

Feel free to ask me any more questions. Sorry to go but it is time for lunch and then a show...guess which one.

Dave Ferguson

[ERinVA]

I taught him everything he knows.

A couple more things:

1. When you get cash from an ATM, put only what you think you will need for that day in your wallet. Store the rest in a neck safe or money belt that you wear under your clothing, along with your passport and your bank cards. London does have pickpockets (there is even a sign about them posted near St. Paul's), so don't make it easy for them to take your valuables.

2. Don't leave money, or your passport lying around in your hotel room. If you are staying in a hotel with a safe at the reception desk, you could ask them to keep these for you; otherwise, I am not really a fan of in-room safes, but they are better than leaving everything lying around. If you plan on using a credit card for purchases, you may need your passport for ID anyway, so keep it on you under your clothing.

3. Make copies of the ID page of your passport, and the fronts and backs of your bank cards. You can probably get all of this onto one sheet of paper with some creative arranging. Give a copy to a relative at home to keep for you. Carry a copy with you on your trip, and keep it separate from the real items. Be sure you have a record of all the numbers you would need to call if a card is lost or stolen.

[deebeeeff]

I agree with all that Ellen said.

I actually split things up, so that I don't have all me eggs in one basket.

When not in the US, I keep my passport on me at all times, along with half my local cash, my ATM card and one or two main credit cards.

I leave my US driver's license, the other half of my local cash and my American money, and a couple of more credit cards in whatever secure place I have at the hotel.

Also, I keep copies of everything - passport info page, airline tix, hotel confirmations, online ticket orders, my meds lists, and even a coded page with my CC numbers - in my carry-on, my checked bag, and in a safe back home.

BTW, if you order tickets online or by phone, make sure to remember to bring THAT credit card with you!

[Billy Whiz]

Also, I keep copies of everything - passport info page, airline tix, hotel confirmations, online ticket orders, my meds lists, and even a coded page with my CC numbers - in my carry-on, my checked bag, and in a safe back home.

I have gone one stage further than this. I scan all my documents and send the scans as attachments to my Hotmail Live account. This means that wherever I am in the world I can call up the scans to get any info I require.

Thankfully I have never had to use this but it will be handy to have if ever needed.

[Brad]

I have gone one stage further than this. I scan all my documents and send the scans as attachments to my Hotmail Live account. This means that wherever I am in the world I can call up the scans to get any info I require.

Thankfully I have never had to use this but it will be handy to have if ever needed.

I am with Billy Whiz on this one. I don't carry copies of anything with me when I travel. I scan it all and email it to myself. That way, even without a phone, I can access the information that I need with relative ease and there is less chanc eof it falling itno someone elses hands

[StevenKing]

...assuming your email doesn't get hacked. If you do that change your password and delete the info once you get home!

[ERinVA]

One problem with the email thing is that if you need to take a copy of your passport to your embassy to get another one, you have to be able to print out the info in the email--not always the easiest thing to do at a hotel. That may mean that you will have to find an internet cafe to print it, but what happens if you need ID and a credit card to use their services? So the email thing is a good idea, but I wouldn't discount the idea of paper copies as well.