visitor tips

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Diana Sinclair Posts: 10119 Joined: 3rd Apr 2008 Location: USA	quotePosted at 19:37 on 31st August 2009 Excellent Michael. This combined with POE excellent ability to book hotel rooms at discounted prices should prove very useful. My favourite: Pictures \| Towns \| Attractions
Krissy Posts: 15430 Joined: 8th Jul 2008 Location: USA	quotePosted at 19:40 on 31st August 2009 Great information!! This will come in handy!! My favourite: Pictures \| Towns \| Attractions
Cheri Thomas Posts: 70 Joined: 5th Mar 2006 Location: USA	quotePosted at 00:40 on 3rd September 2009 Thought I could add a few to this one that some folks might find useful. These are from my "Info & Ideas" that I give to my clients. TAXIS AT THE AIRPORT – Upon arrival, if you are not being picked up, choose only those taxis that are lined up in front of the terminal. There are individuals that wait inside the terminal, tell you that they are taxi drivers and lead you to the parking garages. Agreeing to go with these people can be not only dangerous, but also very expensive. The licensed taxis are those waiting in line in front of the terminalCOPIES - We suggest that you make two copies of your passport, drivers’ license and both sides of credit cards. Put one in your carry-on and leave the other at home with family or friends. CREDIT CARDS - Call the credit card company and make them aware that you will be using the card “in another country”. They will ask “where” you are going and the dates of travel. Because of strong security measures, if you don’t do this, you run the risk of having your charges denied. ATM/DEBIT CARDS - These work the same as they do at home. Teller machines are readily available. If you have a “Star” or “Cirrus” symbol on the back of the card, you will have no problem getting cash. If you are not aware of your “daily limit”, be sure to talk to your bank. When using these cards, you must make allowances for the “exchange rate”. For example, if you go to a machine and take out 100 pounds, at the current exchange rate of $1.60, (exchange rate to be explained further on) in reality, you are removing $160.00 from your account. If your daily limit is $200.00, you will not be able to get more cash until the next day. EXCHANGE RATE - This section is for those who are not familiar with the exchange rate or how to calculate it. While the exchange rate fluctuates on a daily basis, you can find out what the current rate is by watching your morning news (markets and money section), reading your newspaper or going to this link. http://www.xe.com/ucc/. Unlike the rest of Europe, the UK “does not” use the “Euro”. They use the “British Pound Sterling” (BPS). What it all means is that, at the current rate, it will cost you $1.60 (USD) to purchase 1 pound BPS. I have developed, what I consider, an easy way to calculate the exchange. When I’m “going” (USD to BPS), I divide. When I’m “coming back” (BPS to USD), I multiply. EXAMPLE; When I get to Heathrow, I’m going to want to exchange $1000.00. How many BPS will I receive? $1000.00 “divided by” $1.60 (or current rate) = 625 BPS. Likewise, when I’m leaving the UK and need convert back to US dollars, I have 300 BPS remaining. I take that amount, “multiply” it by $1.60 (or current rate) = $480.00. This last part is not meant to offend anyone. I added it to my document because I've seen it happen and have experienced it within my own groups so I feel it's important. In closing, I’d like to add a few comments on “being a tourist”. In 25 years of traveling throughout the UK, I have always found the majority of the British people to be warm, friendly and just as curious about you as you are about them.. Sadly, over the years, the term “The Ugly American” has become a very real thing. Americans have developed a reputation for being rude, obnoxious, know-it-alls. You are a guest in their country and they “don’t” have an accent, YOU have the accent. You will find that regional accents differ within, what appears to be, a very short distance. If someone is speaking too fast, simply ask that they speak a little slower. If you hear a word that you don’t understand, just “ask” them to explain the meaning. Let’s not say things like “That’s not the way we do it in America”. You’re not in America and things are bound to be different. We would like our groups to be remembered as gracious, courteous, friendly and eager to “learn” about the people, their country and their lifestyle. My favourite: Pictures \| Towns \| Attractions
poe Posts: 1132 Joined: 26th Oct 2003 Location: England	quotePosted at 09:57 on 3rd September 2009 Sorry guys, had to delete the initial post because of copyright issues. Please do not post material that you find on other sites unless you have their prior written permission to do so. Many thanks My favourite: Pictures \| Towns \| Attractions
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