First Trip to England

Theologator · Feb 24, 2020

My wife and I are taking our first overseas trip to England in May. 2 nights in London, then 6 nights in B&Bs across southern England. We’ll tour Oxford, Bath, Salisbury, Dorsey, Canterbury & Dover.

Planning to tour Churchill’s War Rooms, the Tower & attend services at Westminster Abbey & St Paul’s. Oxford is a CSLewis/Tolkien pilgrimage. Full day in Bath, Avebury Circle, maybe Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Corfe Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover Castle & Tunnels all on tap.

Any tips you have about best ways to handle payments (cash, preferable credit cards) and other tips will be appreciated. Favorite pubs?

Theologator · Feb 25, 2020

That went well.

Gatordiddy · Feb 25, 2020

Theologator said:
That went well.

Haha - yep

make sure you attend St Paul’s during a mass. The boys choir is angelic. Take the 225 steps to the top to see a great view of London.

Also - take one of the River Thames boat tours to get the lowdown on the history of the bridges, especially the London and Tower bridges.

The London Eye is also a great view of the city.

The catacombs under Westminster Abbey is very impressive. Lots of famous folks buried there. Just make sure you silence your cell phone (oops).

10 Downing Street is underwhelming.
Not sure about the pubs in London since I did the pub crawling in Croyden and Watford.

Definitely take the Tower of London tour. great history there (Crown Jewels) and a very impressive armory.

for payments- everything went on a credit card and my statement did the currency difference for me.

NVGator · Feb 26, 2020

Any plans for Stratford-upon-Avon?

Theologator · Feb 26, 2020

NVGator said:
Any plans for Stratford-upon-Avon?

Not this trip. We’ve only got 8 days. My mother is from Dorset and her father from Kent so we’re doing some personal pilgrimages to family and sites that are keeping our attention in the south. May hit the Globe while in London. I took a semester course on Shakespeare & have a deep appreciation for how he shaped our language and civilization.

We will hit the Midlands, Yorkshire & points north in the future. Stratford on Avon will get a visit then. Our niece just did a semester abroad there (she’s a music & theater talent.)

Theologator · Feb 26, 2020

Gatordiddy said:
Haha - yep

make sure you attend St Paul’s during a mass. The boys choir is angelic. Take the 225 steps to the top to see a great view of London.

Also - take one of the River Thames boat tours to get the lowdown on the history of the bridges, especially the London and Tower bridges.

The London Eye is also a great view of the city.

The catacombs under Westminster Abbey is very impressive. Lots of famous folks buried there. Just make sure you silence your cell phone (oops).

10 Downing Street is underwhelming.
Not sure about the pubs in London since I did the pub crawling in Croyden and Watford.

Definitely take the Tower of London tour. great history there (Crown Jewels) and a very impressive armory.

for payments- everything went on a credit card and my statement did the currency difference for me.

Thanks for the tips! Really helpful.

daytonacane · Feb 27, 2020

Save receipts for return of VAT tax. Also, while in London, take red double-decker bus which stops @ all historic venues...Cheap way to cover a lot of ground fast. Not much to see in Dover except the white cliffs, but the English countryside is beautiful. Hope you have a great time.

DocZaius · Feb 28, 2020

Don't forget Camelot.

Theologator · Feb 28, 2020

daytonacane said:
Save receipts for return of VAT tax. Also, while in London, take red double-decker bus which stops @ all historic venues...Cheap way to cover a lot of ground fast. Not much to see in Dover except the white cliffs, but the English countryside is beautiful. Hope you have a great time.

We’ll check out the war tunnels in the cliffs plus Dover Castle.

That morning we’ll start in Headcorn, Kent visiting the church where my grandfather was baptized in 1885 by his grandfather, who was the longest serving Vicar in the parish’s history and a direct descendent of Jonathan Sewell (John Adam’s royalist best friend who returned to England due to the revolution.) Personal pilgrimage for which I’m excited.

Theologator · Feb 28, 2020

DocZaius said:
Don't forget Camelot.

We’re renting a car for much of the trip, but for the walking tours my wife is bringing two empty halves of coconut...

We may have time to hit Glastonbury Tor. If we do, I’ll grab some poor Brit and say, “We seek the Grail!”

Okeechobee Joe · Feb 28, 2020

You have 8 days and England is not that big so you should be able to see a lot of things. England is roughly the same size as Alabama. Sounds like you are mapping and planning things out. Enjoy your trip and let us know how it went when you get back.

daytonacane · Feb 28, 2020

I meant to mention that it would be good to take some pound sterling for small incidentials. Any US bank should have available. We ate at some Mom & Pop type places who did not accept credit cards. I think the current rate of exchange is around 75 to 78 cents. Regardless, if not used, you can always cash back out for US dollars.

AugustaGator · Feb 29, 2020

Okeechobee Joe said:
You have 8 days and England is not that big so you should be able to see a lot of things. England is roughly the same size as Alabama. Sounds like you are mapping and planning things out. Enjoy your trip and let us know how it went when you get back.

But much more to see than in Alabama.

Theologator · Feb 29, 2020

daytonacane said:
I meant to mention that it would be good to take some pound sterling for small incidentials. Any US bank should have available. We ate at some Mom & Pop type places who did not accept credit cards. I think the current rate of exchange is around 75 to 78 cents. Regardless, if not used, you can always cash back out for US dollars.

I think I’ll be able to use Apply Pay for the tuve & buses in London. Will make sure...

SunTrust will charge me $10 for the exchange, but I definitely will get a few hundred just to be sure. And I’ll find fee-free ATMs.

Glad you are well! Thanks for the tips.

Detroitgator · Feb 29, 2020

Theologator said:
I think I’ll be able to use Apply Pay for the tuve & buses in London. Will make sure...

SunTrust will charge me $10 for the exchange, but I definitely will get a few hundred just to be sure. And I’ll find fee-free ATMs.

Glad you are well! Thanks for the tips.

If you have left over pounds/change and don't want to hang on to them or bring them home, what I do to get rid of funny money is when I'm checking out of my last hotel, I'll go to the front desk, give it to them, tell them to deduct from my hotel room bill, put balance on credit card.

Gatordiddy · Feb 29, 2020

I just finished reading one of 63 virus threads in the PF.
Cancel your trip immediately before you and everyone you love dies.
You’re welcome

(seriously though - are you worried about the trip?)

Theologator · Feb 29, 2020

Gatordiddy said:
I just finished reading one of 63 virus threads in the PF.
Cancel your trip immediately before you and everyone you love dies.
You’re welcome

(seriously though - are you worried about the trip?)

No. Not yet anyway. I’m watching TripAdvisor’s forums. We’ve got 2 months to evaluate. I did buy trip insurance.

I have zero fear for myself. I’m healthy, have a strong immune system and do not fear coronavirus really at all. My wife, however, has lupus. She has ordered a top-notch mask (which you can still get through hardware stores.) We will be careful on the flights & airports. And once we get out of London the risk drops tremendously.

Zambo · Feb 29, 2020

Some credit cards charge you for foreign transactions. Make sure you’re using a credit card which will let you buy things for no fee and not get charged out the Ying for every purchase you make

Theologator · Feb 29, 2020

Zambo said:
Some credit cards charge you for foreign transactions. Make sure you’re using a credit card which will let you buy things for no fee and not get charged out the Ying for every purchase you make

I’ll use my Costco. No fees for foreign transactions.

GatorFL · Mar 1, 2020

I lived in the UK as a kid, my dad is a dual national US/UK citizen. We have some family over there and have traveled there a lot.

Best bet on currency exchange is to just use an ATM over there. Fees are minimal and you typically get the best exchange rate. The suggestion above about using your cash against hotel balance last day is good. Although I usually spend some cash at Heathrow on the way out. I am not sure on Apple Pay. If you're taking the Tube you can buy a multi-day pass.

You don't generally need to tip in England. It's discretionary.

I see you're going to Bath. Pay the $ for a guided tour, it is a really neat town. Lots of tourists. Nearby is the town of Warminster, my British family lives there. it's got a couple really cool pubs. The Weymouth Arms or the Organ Inn are both neat places for a meal and a few pints. You'll be close to Stonehenge, you can pay the $ and go check it out. Back in the day you could do a drive by but they rerouted the road. Honestly it's not a lot to see I would skip it.

The Tower is a must. I would skip services at Westminster and just do the tour.

Dover is awesome. Lots to see in this area.

First Trip to England

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