lots of questions - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

jaboba46 · 07-24-2006, 01:54 PM

okay so i'm leaving for england and i want to ask a few questions to make sure i'm ready.

i'm renting a car for a day anything i should know besides they drive on the other side of the road?

about how much US money should i carry for on the plane and stuff?

about how much a day is a good plan to take for england?

i found a thing called the london pass is it any good?

what are some of the can't miss things i should really try to see?

and any good pubs?

**omisan** · 07-24-2006, 04:56 PM

Quote:

i'm renting a car for a day anything i should know besides they drive on the other side of the road?

One cool thing is you can park on either side of the street, regardless of which way traffic goes... Another thing to keep in mind - the majority of rental cars have a standard transmission, so unless you've reserved otherwise, I hope you know how to drive stick!

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about how much US money should i carry for on the plane and stuff?

Hopefully you won't need any money on the plane. If you're on a non-stop flight, your drinks/headphones/etc. should be free, depending upon the airline. Otherwise, I wouldn't plan on having more than $10-15 in ones and fivers.

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about how much a day is a good plan to take for england?

Depends on how much partying/drinking/sightseeing you do. I can easily spend £90/day in London if I don't watch myself. And that doesn't include shopping or anything. Beers are around £3, a typical meal will clock in under £10.. grocery shopping is cheap enough, though. Tesco and Sainsbury are your friend.

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i found a thing called the london pass is it any good?

It's not bad if you're gonna stay on the tourist track. Personally, I just opt for a transit Travelcard. The hop-on/hop-off bus isn't a bad way to get your bases covered, either.

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what are some of the can't miss things i should really try to see?

Tate Modern, British Museum, walking along the Thames, Soho district, Hyde Park, Camden... the list goes on and on.

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and any good pubs?

Unless you're in a stodgy neighborhood, you're going to have a hard time NOT finding a good pub. Where are you staying?

**mbo108** · 07-24-2006, 07:16 PM

Tower of London was one of my favorite sites when i was there...They have ravens there that live in the courtyard...Legend has it that if the ravens fly out and over the walls, the British Empire will crumble...well nowadays they clip the wings so they won't leave, but you know, its still a cool idea...though i understand last year they placed them inside for the first time ever so they wouldn't contract bird flu...

If anyone has corrections to that story, please feel free to edit but i'm pretty sure thats how it goes.

jaboba46 · 07-24-2006, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by omisan@Jul 24 2006, 06:56 PM
One cool thing is you can park on either side of the street, regardless of which way traffic goes...* Another thing to keep in mind - the majority of rental cars have a standard transmission, so unless you've reserved otherwise, I hope you know how to drive stick!
Hopefully you won't need any money on the plane. If you're on a non-stop flight, your drinks/headphones/etc. should be free, depending upon the airline. Otherwise, I wouldn't plan on having more than $10-15 in ones and fivers.
Depends on how much partying/drinking/sightseeing you do. I can easily spend £90/day in London if I don't watch myself. And that doesn't include shopping or anything.* Beers are around £3, a typical meal will clock in under £10.. grocery shopping is cheap enough, though. Tesco and Sainsbury are your friend.
It's not bad if you're gonna stay on the tourist track. Personally, I just opt for a transit Travelcard. The hop-on/hop-off bus isn't a bad way to get your bases covered, either.
Tate Modern, British Museum, walking along the Thames, Soho district, Hyde Park, Camden... the list goes on and on.
Unless you're in a stodgy neighborhood, you're going to have a hard time NOT finding a good pub. Where are you staying?

[snapback]132273[/snapback]

i'm staying at The Royal Bayswater Hostel. i've booked an autotranmission. i'm not a big drinker so not much is going to be spent on that. i guess i'm right by hyde park. so i'm sure i'm going to be spending a lot of time there.

i know the london pass i was thinking of getting was about 220 in american and it's comes with a transit pass.but i'm not sure i'm still looking...

thanks for your help.

**omisan** · 07-25-2006, 01:33 AM

Ahhh, Bayswater... my old stomping grounds. My fondest childhood memories are from Hyde Park, and my fondest adult memories are mostly erased from all the booze consumed near there

Parking will be a bitch, but I guess if you're only renting for one day, no big deal. Might be a good idea to get the lie of the land before going out driving or wandering by tube. There's a bus that runs down Bayswater Rd. down to Liverpool St. Station - the 94, IIRC, that will help you get a good grasp of Central London's layout.

jaboba46 · 07-25-2006, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by omisan@Jul 25 2006, 03:33 AM
Ahhh, Bayswater... my old stomping grounds. My fondest childhood memories are from Hyde Park, and my fondest adult memories are mostly erased from all the booze consumed near there

Parking will be a bitch, but I guess if you're only renting for one day, no big deal. Might be a good idea to get the lie of the land before going out driving or wandering by tube. There's a bus that runs down Bayswater Rd. down to Liverpool St. Station - the 94, IIRC, that will help you get a good grasp of Central London's layout.

[snapback]132325[/snapback]

thanks. i'm renting the car to drive to a concert. because it's like 2 hours by train and bus...

**omisan** · 07-25-2006, 11:35 AM

Yowch.. where's the concert? And which show?

jaboba46 · 07-25-2006, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by omisan@Jul 25 2006, 01:35 PM
Yowch.. where's the concert? And which show?

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milton keynes and it's robbie williams. he won't come here so i'm going there.

**raysen** · 07-26-2006, 08:57 AM

milton keynes is a foooking great places for a gig, been there many times for one thing and another, i can drive so cant really give much help there but if you need directions aarouteplanner is good.

Hyde park is a fab place to for a gig been there 2ce now,

Enjoy !

**lauren313** · 07-31-2006, 01:30 PM

Ahhh, I live near Milton Keynes! Beware: it is one UGLY town, and it's full of roundabouts.

But, having said that, the Bowl is a really good venue, set out early, cos I promise you, the roads leading up to the Bowl will be rammed. It's really well signposted though, especially when there is a gig on, so once you actually get into the town, you shouldn't have any problems.

I saw Bon Jovi there a few years back, and more recently, Oasis. It's really great if the weather is good, cos you can just lie back on the grass and chiiilllllll.

jaboba46 · 07-31-2006, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lauren313@Jul 31 2006, 03:30 PM
Ahhh, I live near Milton Keynes! Beware: it is one UGLY town, and it's full of roundabouts.

But, having said that, the Bowl is a really good venue, set out early, cos I promise you, the roads leading up to the Bowl will be rammed. It's really well signposted though, especially when there is a gig on, so once you actually get into the town, you shouldn't have any problems.

I saw Bon Jovi there a few years back, and more recently, Oasis. It's really great if the weather is good, cos you can just lie back on the grass and chiiilllllll.

[snapback]133113[/snapback]

i can't get my car now so i'm trying to find a bus to go from london there but i'm worried about getting left in nowhere and the show starting without me if you could help that would be great.

Aurenna · 08-03-2006, 04:53 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(omisan @ Jul 24 2006, 11:56 PM) [snapback]132273[/snapback]</div>

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Tesco and Sainsbury are your friend.[/b]

Tesco is your friend - Sainsburys is not. Avoid Sainsburys - overpriced (not massively, but still). Head for an ASDA (Wal*Mart) or Tesco. Morrisons if you really must.

Also - don't bother getting a bus to Milton Keynes. Get the train. visit www.thetrainline.com to get info about the journey, make sure if you're making changes you have at least 20 mins between change. If it give you a Tube change, don't worry about that - the fare in London is included in your ticket and you can figure out the journey when you get there, there are posters with the lines on all over the place, and/or employees who will work out your journey for you.

Have a great time!

**lauren313** · 08-03-2006, 09:32 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jaboba46 @ Aug 1 2006, 05:24 AM) [snapback]133176[/snapback]</div>

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i can't get my car now so i'm trying to find a bus to go from london there but i'm worried about getting left in nowhere and the show starting without me if you could help that would be great.
[/b]

If you get a train to MK, you won't have to worry about any changes or anything. You can get straight from London Euston to Milton Keynes Central, which takes anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes. However, from MK Central, there is about a 30 minute walk to the Bowl. If I remember correctly, they run buses from the train station to the bowl when there is an event on, but you'll want to leave some time to walk, just in case.

The last train back to Euston is just after midnight, so depending on what time the show finishes, you'll either get the 11pm-ish train, or the 12am-ish train. Remember again that you might need to walk to the station.

The train ticket will cost you around £12 - £15, but that doesn't include your tube ticket to get from the area of London you're staying in to Euston.

To get the coach works out to be twice the cost, and takes almost twice the time to get there, so I wouldn't bother.

Hope this helps, if there's anything else, let me know!

jaboba46 · 08-03-2006, 09:49 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lauren313 @ Aug 3 2006, 11:32 AM) [snapback]133517[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

If you get a train to MK, you won't have to worry about any changes or anything. You can get straight from London Euston to Milton Keynes Central, which takes anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes. However, from MK Central, there is about a 30 minute walk to the Bowl. If I remember correctly, they run buses from the train station to the bowl when there is an event on, but you'll want to leave some time to walk, just in case.

The last train back to Euston is just after midnight, so depending on what time the show finishes, you'll either get the 11pm-ish train, or the 12am-ish train. Remember again that you might need to walk to the station.

The train ticket will cost you around £12 - £15, but that doesn't include your tube ticket to get from the area of London you're staying in to Euston.

To get the coach works out to be twice the cost, and takes almost twice the time to get there, so I wouldn't bother.

Hope this helps, if there's anything else, let me know!
[/b]

thanks loads

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE('Ren @ Aug 3 2006, 06:53 AM) [snapback]133499[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Tesco is your friend - Sainsburys is not. Avoid Sainsburys - overpriced (not massively, but still). Head for an ASDA (Wal*Mart) or Tesco. Morrisons if you really must.

Also - don't bother getting a bus to Milton Keynes. Get the train. visit www.thetrainline.com to get info about the journey, make sure if you're making changes you have at least 20 mins between change. If it give you a Tube change, don't worry about that - the fare in London is included in your ticket and you can figure out the journey when you get there, there are posters with the lines on all over the place, and/or employees who will work out your journey for you.

Have a great time!
[/b]

i work at walmart here in the states so i know it good priced...