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Topic: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?  (Read 2727 times)

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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2012, 05:48:05 PM »
I think if you can check in with her once a day, that will put her at some ease. Having an itinerary of places you're staying, flights and train bookings that you can pass onto her will help as well. Make a small card with important contact information (i.e. 999 for emergencies, the number of the American Embassy, National Rail Enquries if you're taking trains) and let her know you'll be keeping it on you at all times. Maybe even made a few of them to keep in various bags/clothes just in case.

Smart travel advice!  :)

Also suggest doing travel registration:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_4789.html

It soundsl ike it will be a lot of fun! I think anything that builds your confidence, problem-solving and independence has to be a good thing!

Enjoy it!  :)


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2012, 06:21:30 PM »
This just flashed up on my MSN homepage: http://living.msn.com/love-relationships/love-sex/single-and-traveling-put-a-ring-on-it?ocid=OTD_0313

I guess that would stop some men from coming on to you....but.....
I just hope that more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair. - AOC


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #18 on: March 13, 2012, 08:40:19 PM »
This just flashed up on my MSN homepage: http://living.msn.com/love-relationships/love-sex/single-and-traveling-put-a-ring-on-it?ocid=OTD_0313

This article made me laugh.  ;D It's really quite silly, or is this just me?!

Precaution and awareness is key when going ANYWHERE at ANY time. It really makes little difference whether it's when you're travelling or just getting to your car from your job.

Besides, maybe it's just me, but being a single girl traveling to, for example London, wouldn't you welcome SOME advances?! :) You never know?! I mean, you can still be safe and be able to meet interesting people, and why can't that NOT include interesting men/women?! :)
“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” - Oscar Wilde


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #19 on: March 14, 2012, 05:49:14 PM »
The article is silly, but the information taken out of context.

The advice is given as taking the lead of local women in how to present yourself, which may differ depending on how liberal or conservative that place is.

Not really an issue for UK travel!  ;)


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2012, 06:38:21 PM »
I've done some trips that have made my mother TERRIFIED, but regular emails tend to set parents at ease. I think if I had gone for a trip to London during university, she'd be far more excited than the trips I did go on. Just stay in regular contact with her to let her know you're okay and enjoying yourself. There are internet cafes everywhere, so a mobile phone won't be necessary, but you could look into getting an unlocked phone in the US and buying a UK SIM card once you arrive. My parents have done that every time they're in the UK and it's an easy way to stay in touch.

London is a safe city as long as you're cautious like you would be anywhere else, as everyone else has said. I've walked around the city and travelled alone on the tube at night and have felt completely safe. Staying at hostels is a good idea, as you'll meet fellow travellers around your age who are in the same position as you. Petty theft is the only major issue you should encounter, including at hostels, but just be sure to protect your belongings. There's no need to wear one of those ridiculous body wallets under your shirt (something like that is more likely to paint you as a tourist and attract a mugger, IMO), but obviously do be aware of your bag/wallet when you're in public and especially on the tube.

You'll definitely want to interact with "the locals", but as with anywhere, don't be too trusting of anyone. Don't get too drunk when you're out alone and make sure you're staying in a safe neighbourhood. Guide books are good at discussing the safety of neighbourhoods. They're also great for helping you get out of the typical tourist areas, and exploring the best parts of the city. London's tourist areas tend to be a bit annoying (I can't stand crowds!), but once you escape them, it's a fantastic city.

As for being confused and possibly getting lost - you probably will be in London, but the transport system is great. When I've been lost, I've simply walked a bit further until I find a tube station or bus stop, and can then figure out where I am. I always take my iPhone/iPod with me when I travel and use the wireless on it (turn of mobile data, though!) for the maps. You can load directions on Google Maps when you have wireless, then use the map when you're walking around and no longer have access to wireless.

Definitely try to save up as much money as possible, as the UK, particularly London, is expensive with the exchange rate. As long as you plan ahead, it's very doable on a budget, though. You can get a really good, cheap lunch from places like M&S (department store with great food markets), take public transport for sight-seeing (skipping the £50 tourist buses), and go to the museums, which are free, instead of expensive tourist sites (Westminster Abbey, St Paul's, etc). Also, avoid London this summer, especially in August, as prices will sky-rocket due to the Olympics.

Hope you have a fantastic time!


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #21 on: March 29, 2012, 01:48:43 PM »
 :)Hi - I've read all your comments and let me give you some advice...I started traveling abroad when I was in my 30's - it started out as a work thing...and my mother worried - even tho I was going to the office M-F with only the weekends for fun!  You can't prevent mothers from worrying but you can diminish it a bit.  I have to agree with the other folks, show her you have thought about where you are going and you won't be trying to get back to your lodgings high and drunk at 3am like many college students.  Maybe sit down with a map and show her the places you plan to visit.

With the amount of money you have you should be able to extend your trip over a couple of weeks if you doing it on the cheap...why stop at London...visit Scotland too or perhaps Ireland. 

Just walking around London is a trip in itself for the first time traveler, standing in Piccadilly (don't stand too long or look like a dolt or you will get you pocket picked) listening to languages being spoken by people from all over the world is amazing in itself. 

The tube is easy to use as it is color-coded.  Avoid it at rush-hour.  The bus system is terrific and you can actually see the areas you pass through. 

Oxford street is full of Romanian Gypsy panhandlers and pickpockets...be aware of your surroundings and who is interested in you.

London is a smart, fashionable city.  There is no reason to dress otherwise.  Do not ever wear a fanny bag.

There are tons of ways to save money, Marks & Spencer food halls make great sandwiches to take outside and eat in the many parks.  Cheaper sandwich options are Pret a Mange, etc.  All these tips you can get from the Lonely Planet Guidebook.

The best resource for what is going on in London is Time Out Magazine.  It will be your bible.

If you belong - even loosely - to any kind of organized religion - attend a service.  It is very cool to see how it is done in other countries.

There will be places in London - if you are lucky - where you won't be able to understand what people are saying.  This happened to us in a working class cafe and it was a trip. 

Have a good time and don't do what I did...I called my mother and told her I was getting married in Scotland to someone I had met a month earlier while traveling.  That is why they worry.
 


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2012, 02:35:39 PM »
I made my first trip - alone - to the UK at age 23 and I'm sure my mother worried, even back then. I think what reassured her somewhat was I had a list of contacts to stay with in various places. I had no contacts in London but stayed in one of the university halls of residence, which are available in the summer months. My itinerary was London to Portsmouth (staying with friend) to Bristol (staying with friend) to Stratford-on-Avon (youth hostel) to Lake District (youth hostel) to Stranraer (bed-and-breakfast) to Belfast (youth hostel) to Clogher (relatives) and so on back to London. I think it helps if you have at least a rough plan of when and where you'll be. And I had a wonderful time, getting shown around the sights by the local families I visited and making friends at the youth hostels.
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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2012, 12:29:44 PM »
I just thought of something else you could consider when you're in the UK. I don't know how long you plan on being in London, but I'd recommend going to Edinburgh for a few days if you're in the UK longer than a week. You can get a train from Kings Cross to the centre of Edinburgh in just 4.5 hours, and it's also a way to see more of the country. I do have to admit that I'm very biased, but I find Edinburgh to be the best city in the UK, especially for sight-seeing. It's a fairly small city and everything you would want to see is within a mile or two of each other, so you could see a great deal in just a few days. I find it to be far less stressful than London, because you can walk everywhere. It can be crowded with tourists, but it doesn't even come close to the crowds in London. There are also one-day trips to the Highlands, so you could even get outside the city to see more of Scotland (see thehairycoo.com).


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Re: Week-long trip to the UK. Help for an inexperienced traveller?
« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2012, 06:29:33 PM »
I just thought of something else you could consider when you're in the UK. I don't know how long you plan on being in London, but I'd recommend going to Edinburgh for a few days if you're in the UK longer than a week. You can get a train from Kings Cross to the centre of Edinburgh in just 4.5 hours, and it's also a way to see more of the country. 

It is a nice train journey. Once you clear Newcastle, it hugs the coast....lovely scenery.
I just hope that more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair. - AOC


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