Travel Tips

[Coney II]

Originally posted by Hawklan
hey..i told him to go to the lake district...stop nicking my thunder

Scousers

It's a big place....you recommend one half and I'll recommend the other

Oh, and if ya get the time......read Bill Brysons book on the uk (can't remember the title offhand) ....... a great vision of Britain through the eyes of a yank (and packed with great tips)

[Hawklan]

indeed..bryson mentions port sunlight,5 mins from me...sadly for him it was closed!

can I have the bit with windermere ?

[Coney II]

Originally posted by Hawklan
indeed..bryson mentions port sunlight,5 mins from me...sadly for him it was closed!

can I have the bit with windermere ?

Windermere is yours

Yeah, Bryson sorta fell in love with Durham (my abode).......I don't think the place is quite as good as he raved, but then I've never looked on it from a touristy perspective

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Coney II
And as the others have said, pack light.....England is 12 times more crowded than the USAmerica....so you are never going to be far from where you may need to buy any lil' necessaries

It depends on where you go in the US - and where you go in England. 10% of the US population lives within 90 miles of me.

Edit: As to wot yer wear......wear wotever yer like....but bare in mind that the only folks here who wear baseball caps and baggy trousers are 12 yr old kids who think eminem is God

Well that's your country. Here I wear what is comfortable. The multiple pockets come in very handy - especially with the bottons or zippers - for carrying multiple things of film - or putting my wallet and keys in for going to Great Adventure. Different cultures - you expect us to respect yours - respect ours.

[Hawklan]

hey stop knocking baggy trousers...i can keep my wallet,ciggies,lighter and compass in mine and be able to move freely and with style

[BeardofPants]

What I want to know is how you lot of the not-so-fairer-sex keep yer baggy trousers up. I mean, we women have child-bearing hips to keep 'em up... Hmm, guess that's why you don't see to many hairy women butt-cracks.

[Hawklan]

we style gurus wear em low and wax alot

[Coney II]

Originally posted by BeardofPants
What I want to know is how you lot of the not-so-fairer-sex keep yer baggy trousers up. I mean, we women have child-bearing hips to keep 'em up... Hmm, guess that's why you don't see to many hairy women butt-cracks.

They usuall don't

They are usually hangin' off their arse like an old potatoe sack ...... although I believe that's "the look" these days

[Hawklan]

potatoe sacks can have a certain charm if worn in the correct manner

[Coney II]

Originally posted by Hawklan
potatoe sacks can have a certain charm if worn in the correct manner

true true........I'm the last one to critise wot someone else wears

*has plenty of photo's from his younger days which he regrets *

[Hawklan]

damn...i knew not to wear those birmingham bags and the 3 star tank top

[BeardofPants]

Oh too bad you have no shame oz, or there'd be a wealth of blackmail material there.

[Coney II]

Originally posted by BeardofPants
Oh too bad you have no shame oz, or there'd be a wealth of blackmail material there.

Plenty have tried Shame has never been one of me strongpoints tho'

[Starr Polish]

Well, THIS American is perfectly comfortable in the clothes of the Europeans that I encountered.

I bought an extremely comfortable pair of sandals to go with my traveling clothes, but they were also extremely expensive...I prefer dressing to fit in with the culture because 1) I do not want to be an "ugly American" 2) I just plain enjoy it 3) it was more comfortable in 111 degree weather to wear skirts and the more "fashionable" flowy type tops that the natives were also wearing and 4) since I wanted to pack light (we moved around a LOT) and handwashed my clothing, my nicer clothes were a better move. Jeans take forever to dry, and since we were usually only staying in a hotel for one night, I didn't want to pack wet clothing (and yes, I know that you can wear jeans more than once without washing them).

I did bring a pair of denim shorts and a pair of jeans for the plane rides for comfort, but actually found them quite uncomfortable to sit in for nine hours, and have since traveled in nice slacks or long skirts.

I also agree with Mercutio about Rick Steves. Great stuff. A lot of your questions can be answered on www.ricksteves.com, I believe. Also, anything by Lonely Planet is awesome.

You may want to invest in a money belt or pouch that you keep under your pants (but is easily accesible..I found out this is NOT such a good idea when you wear a one piece dress, but you won't have that problem) to store your passport and any substantial amount of money, so it is less likely to be stolen. They also sell neck pouches like these, but they are probably not great to wear in "shady areas" because it could easily be grabbed and used to maybe strangle you. Or so says my father, who is slightly paranoid.

Also, if you buy something, count your change before you leave the counter, especially if you don't speak the language well or kind of "look" like a tourist. It's a good way to get scammed. AND...remember, they won't convert Euro coins back into American money, only the bills (unless this has changed in the lsat two years).

edit: Whoops, sorry. Just realized in my first post I said I didn't take any jeans, but I did. I didn't wear them while actually out and about in Spain, though, only on the plane rides.

[Starr Polish]

I just want to clarify WHY I think dressing in the supposed Ugly American uniform really does identify one as an Ugly American (at least until actual behavior is judged one way or the other):

Since that was pretty much what the original Ugly Americans wore, I try to avoid it, since now many Europeans associate it with bad behavior by Americans. I would not deny my American-ness or whatever you want to call it if a European asked, but hopefully by both my demeanor and the fact that I chose to NOT stick out like a sore thumb will give them a better idea of Americans in general. I have only been to Europe once, but plan on going again (and hope to possibly live there someday), and I try and will always try my hardest to be the opposite of the Ugly American stereotype.

Plus, since first impressions are extremely important, I think I would probably be received better from the start if I wasn't in the "uniform." When I travel, I would like to be treated more like a native than a tourist, because I prefer the actual culture of other areas than the "tourist-y stuff," and I feel that it'd be easier for me to experience the real culture if I tried to blend a bit WITH the culture.

[Elvengirl]

Originally posted by azalea

Edit: The moors! Not just Hound of the Baskervilles, but also The Secret Garden. That book really romanticizes the moors, and makes you want to go and run on them, with the wind blowing your hair out behind you!

OOoo yes! Braveheart too, disregarding the brutal scenes, that movie makes me want to go horseback riding over the hills in the rain

About the Ugly American post- I'd wouldn't label only an American as that. Any person, regardless of their nationality, can act that way and yes I would consider the person rude and arrogant for it.
It's just a lack of manners. I consider manners to be granting another importance, good communication, and then following local rituals. If it was truly offensive to another culture to wear jeans then I would consider not wearing them, but I'm not offended if others wear clothing that is customary for their culture.

[Khamûl]

Originally posted by Janny
Which part of England were you planning to frequent?

We'll be flying in to London and after a day or two, making our way through Canterbury on our way to Dover where we'll board a ferry to cross the Channel.

Originally posted by mithrand1r
It would not hurt to leave an itinerary with your family or a close friend plus a way to get in contact with you, just in case. You may consider doing the same with your embassy (but this may be a bit over the top IMO).

A good travel book can help you make the best use of your time traveling.

We're actually going with a tour company, so where we're going to be and when is pretty much set. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Originally posted by mithrand1r
Brush up on some key phrases to speak with the natives. Even if you cannot speak the language well, I think people will be more willing to help you if you make an effort to speak to them in their own language.

I'm pretty sure that a good bit of my French will come back to me once I get over there. And I think I have the English covered.

Originally posted by Mercutio
If you want to blend in on the continent, DON'T wear sneakers, baseball caps, t-shirts, or blue jeans.

That's pretty much all I have packed. Funny that you should say that because I actually thought today that I need to remember to take a baseball cap. Guess I'll just have to stick out a little.


Thanks for all the well wishes, everyone. I'll be around for about another week before I leave.

[BeardofPants]

Hey Khamul, you gonna tell us why you're going over there? Who's paying? And can they pay for me as well?

[Tessar]

I wore skirts and somewhat nice clothes while in Spain and was actually told by some of the guides that I could have easily blended in, had my Spanish been better

So just pack some skirts and you'll be fine Kammy!

[Rían]

I agree with Starr - pack light! I used a cool backpack/suitcase thingy when I went a few years after I graduated from college - just me and a friend, bought a Eurorail pass (do they still have those?) and stayed mostly in pensions and had a great time. We'd wear them in backpack mode while travelling, then if we wanted to look a bit nicer, would zip up the straps and it would turn into a soft-sided suitcase. I brought clothes that I could hand-wash and had a cool twisty laundry line where you don't even need clothespins.

One of the most important things, IMO, is the attitude - I always considered it a priviledge to be allowed into someone else's county, and acted accordingly. In one place I was even mistaken for a local for a short time, which made me rather proud - my German accent was good, but also apparantly my attitude was not the stereotypical American.

In Britain - watch out when crossing streets! We Americans tend to look to the left before stepping into a street, and you gotta switch it around in Britain - look right! In fact, in touristy parts of London, when I was there, there were giant arrows painted on the streets by the corners saying something like "look right"

Also, restaurants in Europe (and Britain to a lesser extent) are VERY different from America, where sadly, we're used to generally eating and getting our checks pretty quickly. In Spain, especially, we had to wait really long for our checks, but they were just being polite and not rushing us. As soon as we understood it, it was fine, and it made us slow down and enjoy things more! I'm not sure how much this is the way in Britain anymore, but it's prob. more that way in France and Switzerland.

There's this really yummy dish in Switzerland - wish I could remember the name - it's cheese and potatoes and onions.