I am the only idiot????
 

My post is in regards to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. In each book that I have read...there is a place where it tells you to send a self addressed return envelope to receive these tickets. Easy enough.

When I went to the post office I was told that there is no way to do this (because they use their postage and we use our own in the US) and I should enclose the money to cover the cost of return postage. How is everyone else getting these tickets in the US??

I really want to see this...but I am lost. It seems silly to send a pound coin overseas. But if this is what I should do...I will. Thanks in advance!

You're not an idiot, it's the folks at your PO who are. You went to the right place, asked the right question, and got the wrong answer. You are supposed to be able to get "international reply coupons" at your PO and IIRC the tickets for the Ceremony wants 2 of them.

I would get on the phone to other local POs to see if any of them have these international reply coupons. Failing that, I suppose you could get British stamps (uncancelled, of course) at a local stamp-collecting hobby shop.

Your local PO should definitely have internationl reply coupons. But I have found that some of the customer service folks don't always know that. If they do not, ask to speak to the supv/local postmaster. If they indeed do not have any in stock - insist they order some from their main post office. It is a product that is sold by the USPS, so don't let some dumb local PO say they don't.

You don't stick the coupon on the self addressed env., but simply insert it loose in the outer envelope. The Tower then uses the coupon to pay for its own postage.

So I should include 1 or 2 International Reply Coupon? I am sorry that wasn't clear.

I have always only sent 1 coupon (more than 6 visits to the Ceremony) - but a couple of Fodorites have recently said two coupons were required. So I'd go with 2 just to be on the safe side.