I am coming to London in a few months. I am flying into Heathrow Airport and staying at Queens Park Hotel 48 QUEENSBOROUGH TERRACE London, GB W23SJ. How far is this from the airport and what would be the easiest/quickest way of transportation? (flight is coming in at 10:30pm)

Also I have been searching the net for things to see while in London. I came across a site where I can send for tickets to see the Ceremony of the Keys at London tower. It says to send a self addressed envelope with the requisite british postage stamps or a minimum of two international reply coupons. What is that and how do I go about sending away for these tickets??

Also what is going to be the best way for me to spend money?? I have an american express credit card and my bank debit card..(are they going to be accepted everywhere?)
also what about travelers checks and getting english money..and where is the best place to get that??

To some of you, I am probably asking stupid questions , but I am from "smalltown, USA" (and trust me, I do mean small town), but I have never left the states..hardly my own even, and making this trip is something I have looked forward to for years and am finally going to get to go!!!!

thank you for all your help!!!!

Hi, Amanda.

You can take a variety of types of transportation to your hotel. My favorite is justairports.com, but I'm not sure whether it's still a bargain if you're traveling alone (I didn't see any "we" comments in your posting, so I was guessing that you're coming alone).

You can take trains/underground/taxi - others will have more specific info (or search the forum - this question is asked a lot).

Definitely get tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys. Go to the post office and ask them for the international reply coupons, then enclose those in the envelope. This is one of my favorite "events" in London - don't miss it! Leave plenty of time for the tickets to get back to you, and give them a couple of choices of dates that you could attend. (I'd recommend doing it your second or third evening there, if possible - I think it gives a great introduction to London.)

Your credit card and your ATM card should work perfectly in London. If you want to, you can purchase (through your bank or through AAA or similar places) British Pounds ("GBP&quot ahead of time, but the exchange rate isn't always the best. I usually bring some GBP with me, to pay for things right off the bat. There is an ATM right in the airport, too - and Bureau de Change (I suspect their rates aren't the greatest either, but I've never used them).

Just be sure that your bank knows you'll be traveling, so they don't cut off your credit or ATM privileges if they see this unusual pattern of spending.

Traveler's checks? Yeah, you can use them (if they're in GBP), but not easily. If they're in USD, you'll pay a fee to change them, plus a currency conversion fee....don't bother.

Oh, and don't be taken in by the fairly new "Dynamic Currency Conversion" (DCC) plan. Make sure that everywhere you use your credit card you're charged in GBP. Don't let them automatically convert it to USD - you'll be sorry. You might have to argue (there are some interesting postings here on Fodors about that), but make sure they don't take advantage of you.

Let us know how we can help you plan the trip! (When are you going?)

Gayle

Your local post office in the USA can sell you international reply coupons.
When you send those to someone, they take them to their own post office wherever they are, and turn them in for reimbursement of whatever postage charges they incurred. How you go about sending for the tickets is on the website:
www.historicroyalpalaces.org/webcode/
content.asp?id=622

Do everything that the Ceremony of the Keys website tells you to do: names and ages of everyone in your group, date requested and an alternate date, etc etc. Read the instructions carefully, and send for your tickets at least 2 months in advance.

You get local currency at any ATM, they are plentiful, including at the airport. You use your atm/debit card.
Your bank will assess some transaction charges, so it's silly to use an ATM to get only a few pounds. Take out enough to have walking around money, plus money for small purchases, or snacks and such.

American Express is not accepted at all establishments that take credit cards, so if your debit card has a Visa or Mastercard logo, you can use it to pay for purchases the way you can in the US, if your AmEx card isn't accepted.

Travelers checks are considered passe by most travelers these days.

Are you traveling alone. If you're arriving that late at night, take a taxi from Heathrow. Let your hotel know of your late arrival so that they won't give your room away thinking you are a no-show. Confirm that your hotel front desk is staffed 24-7; some small hotels don't allow check ins late at night because they don't have staff on duty.

Hi, I can't answer all your questions. But can help on the question about changing money. You can use your ATM card there just like you can here only you'll get British pounds not dollars. However, there are only numbers on the keypad and I've been told that it's best to have a 4-digit pin in Europe and Britain. I do have that so have never tried anything else, but it's advice I've been given. Also, credit cards are pretty much accepted everywhere just as you might use one here although you might be limited with American Express. Most Visa cards charge 3% to exchange money, I'm not sure about Amex but 3% is not too bad. You should check with your bank about any ATM fees and their exchange rates. Most people feel that traveler's checks are a waste as it is very expensive to change money that way. But, I often travel alone and always like to have a back-up, actually two or three. So, I keep checks worth a few hundred $$ in my money belt in case a machine eats my card or something gets stolen/lost. Never actually needed it, but I feel better with them. I'm sure others can add to this, but hope this helps

amanda!, There are no stupid questions!

At that time of night you'll want to be met by a private car service. I'm a big fan of justairports too (best price if you pay CASH) but there are others recommended here. Ray Skinner and Swiss Cottage are two of them. Very reliable. There was another company someone mentioned recently that undercut justairports' price. Perhaps that poster will see this and mention it.

If you do go with justairports, you can get an estimate for the cost at their website. They don't seem to be good at confirming reservations by email. Call them directly. I've used them bunches of times and never had a mishap.

topping...

and p.s.

see http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34689740

Best wishes,

Rex