bf

We are first time travelers going to England & Scotland in June. We will be driving 10 of the 14 days, then 4 days in London. I am at a loss as to what to bring, how expensive it is including gas and food. We are not going with a group. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

wes fowler

I'd suggest you repost your request for help with more specifics. Many people here tend to ignore requests that don't give any indication of their content in their title. "Help" works when you're drowning perhaps, but since so many posters here are seeking help of one kind or another, it "helps" to be specific in your posting. Try something along the lines of "First time travelers driving through Britain in June by car need advice".

pam

I suggest you buy a good guidebook (oh, maybe Fodor's) for England and Scotland. You should find recommended lodging (which will give you a price range to estimate your own costs); recommended dining (which will allow you to estimate your own dining costs); recommended drives, agendas, suggested packing lists and much more including typical weather. <BR> <BR>Take a raincoat and comfortable shoes. <BR> <BR>I'm very curious how one chooses a destination and plans a two-week trip without some idea of the expense involved. Evidently one would be in very different economic circumstances from my own!

Catherine

Pam: Actually dh and I are in much the same situation. Off to Britain with little idea of prices. It's a long and uninteresting story but has *nothing* to do with our being well off and a great deal to do with the fact that friends of my husband's want him to visit and will be putting us up. Thank you much for the raincoat suggestion!

dave

What to bring: <BR>- You can find laundrettes in most cities/towns/villages. Many offer both self-serve and drop-off service. So you only need to pack enough clothing for 8 days. Be sure to hoard 20p and 1pound coins for the machines - sometimes getting change can be a hassle. <BR> <BR>- Unless you plan to mingle with the tophat and tails set, choose sturdy general-purpose, dark-colored clothing that you will be comfortable in all day. One VERY IMPORTANT article of clothing is a waterproof jacket, preferably with lots of pockets. You may also find a crushable hat or pocket umbrella very handy. <BR> <BR>- I've found a small, clip-on compass to be useful. For London, a laminated street map and tube map is worth the money. <BR> <BR>- Make copies of your passport, tickets, etc. <BR> <BR>- Charge whatever you can to a credit card to get the best exchange rate, and use ATM's for cash. I still take some AmEx traveler's checks just in case, but haven't used them for several years. <BR> <BR>- Don't forget your camera! <BR> <BR>How much things cost. <BR>- I use public transport in Britain, so don't know much about petrol prices, except that it's expensive. <BR> <BR>- BASIC accomodations (shared bath) will be at least 30-40GBP per person in London, and around 20-25GBP per person in the countryside. For a better idea of price range (or "tariff" as it's called in the UK), take a look at the listings on "www.smoothhound.co.uk". <BR> <BR>- for everything else, I've found that food, books, etc typically have the same price in British pounds as it would in US dollars. So if you expect a meal to cost $10US, you can expect it to be roughly 10GBP in the UK (or around $15). Not a hard and fast rule of course, but it works pretty well for me. <BR> <BR>Dave

xxx

I have to agree with Dave on his pricing rule. Prices appeared to be what you would pay in the US--just remember that you are paying GBP. With that said, $$ can add up quickly. Gas was between $4-5 per gallon--78 pence per litre was common (this was in early April). Driving on the left was not as difficult to manage as I expected. But we avoided driving in cities and I chose not to drive at night. I found good point to point driving directions on "theaa.co.uk" Distances betweeen locations was smaller than I expected but driving times were substantially longer than one would expect based on US experience. While I was glad we had the car for accessibility, I was more than happy to turn it back in after 7 days. Carry your umbrella at all times!