janisj

Ah, but Heimdall -- you could have bought a ton of things w/ the same $ amount of Francs, Deutschmarks, or Punts. I did buy a 911 (and a Morgan, and a Jensen Healey) w/ those sorts of rates

nytraveler

Yes. prices for everything were a lot lower during the last ice age.

My first trip to Spain we got a 4* hotel on the beach resort north of Barcelona - with huge room/balcony and breakfast and dinner - for $30 for two. But don;t ask what year.

Heimdall

Okay, I confess — that was back in the early 70s, and no, I don't remember the Thames freezing over. ;-) The point I was making is that exchange rates don't really matter as much as what your dollar will buy in whatever currency.

Maybe we should use the Big Mac Index: http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

nytraveler

I find the big mac index very useful for all sorts of daily expenses.

R2daO2daZ

Thank you all for replies, even the snide ones. I am NOT a troll. I think people who troll boards calling folks trolls are the real trolls. PHEW! Quite a freaking stench. I am not impressed.
This IS my first time using this site and I did peruse the subject before the query but I did not see this exact question in regards to whether use of Euro or pound were acceptable there. Before checking the exchange rates I thought UK was part of the EU thus used the Euro as its currency also. Silly, foolish me! I thought mature adults would be wise enough to understand my naivete' thus my decision to put my ignorance out there on public display for trolls to sharpen their fangs and take their lashes out. BUT, I digress ...
Yes this will be my first time crossing the pond. I hoped to be able to use this site as a vital resource for efficiency and help easing into a "foreign" environment.
Without providing the list, for you certainly should know who you are, I pray that in my travels I do not encounter rude twerps who troll poor souls who happen to not be as smart nor as smart alecky as you's all.
So to yous I say Thank you. And, good day. Or whatever it is they say over there because that's probably wrong too and you'll wanna use your emotional instability and wickedness to correct that as well, I suppose.
And to the poster that thinks my name is cool. Gracias!

R2daO2daZ

Thank you for your helpful responses ... Dukey1, Heimdall(esp. re: choice of currency at ATM), bilboburgler, sparkchaser, nytraveler, adrienne, scotlib, xyz123 and janisj

R2daO2daZ

You know before I posted on here I was doing AND feeling just fine doing my own research skipping and jumping thru various sites to gain my bearing and plot a reasonable course. Methinks I should have stuck to reading as much as possible and just "winging" it versus asking the one question that was stuck in my mind. When you read exchange rates of 1.55 to 1.00 these issues are a really BIG deal. Whatever "inside" knowledge you can glean could be worth lots of savings in moolah(my personal currency of choice, even better than monopoly money) I believe that if you can not be helpful in your responses that perhaps you should find some other hobby or stick to your day job.

R2daO2daZ

NOW, Troll on that. Smh.

MissPrism

One thing you'll notice is that there are very many ATMs in the UK. Even quite small villages might have one in the village shop or even the pub.
You'll need to tell your bank that you are going abroad.
In big cities, if possible, go to the machines inside the bank or inside a supermarket. Very occasionally, you might get fraudsters tampering with the machines. It's not all that common, but safety first.
Not good day, that's Australian ;-) Good morning/evening will do. I hope you enjoy your visit to the UK. We're a pretty civilised lot on the whole.

tarquin

Sorry to correct you MissPrism, but very small UK villages don't have ATMs as a rule although there are exceptions of course. Most eating places and shops will accept credit/debit cards, most B&Bs don't (but mine does.)

Kate

Hi R2daO2daZ.

I think your confusion over the EU and the Euro is quite understandable when you're not used to the intricacies.

The main point is that the EU and the Eurozone are not the same thing.

When the Euro was introduced, some members of the EU chose not to join the currency in order to maintain control over their own finances/interest rates, and the UK was one of these countries. So the Euro is not legal tender here, any more than the dollar would be.

There are other quirks about the EU you will discover if you explore Europe further. For instance, there are open borders between some EU countries (this is known as the Schengen Zone), and not between others. Again, the UK opted not to join the Schengen zone and so maintains its own border controls - you might start to see a pattern here... basically, the UK likes bits of the EU, such as free trade, and not other bits, and has opted out of things accordingly, when it is allowed to do so. A demonstration of our Island mentality.

So never assume being a member of the EU means the same rules for all countries across Europe. It's complicated.

I hope you have a very enjoyable trip.

sparkchaser

Helpful illustration: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ean_Bodies.png

Heimdall

Hi R2 (I also like your screen name, but am using an abbreviated version),

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask! I wonder how many people never come back to Fodor's after the reception you received? Just ignore the rude replies and look for the helpful answers. I'm glad mine was one of them.

R2daO2daZ

Okay Miss Prism and Good Evening to you (-;
Kate, Thanks so much for the helpful explanation
sparkchaser ... very funny @___o
Okay Heimdall I will try ... I've been very excited about this trip of a lifetime until I checked in and saw those responses Very discouraging Kinda pissed me off Hope it wasnt obvious o-;
And yes I will be going deeper into Europe also exploring Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Naples, Pisa, Marseille and Mallorca
Like eating an elephant I am trying to research each place one bite at a time beginning with the starting point London So my next question for a three nite stay in London is should I buy the London Pass or the pack of ten(forgot what its called ... don't shoot)? I've seen both pro and con responses
Merci' Beaucoup!

Kate

"Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Naples, Pisa, Marseille and Mallorca"

Just for the record, for these places you DO use the Euro!

sparkchaser

For London, get the Oyster Card. It will be less of a headache.

jamikins

It's paris where you want a book of ten tickets called a carnet. In London for that amount of time you likely want to get an Oyster card using pay as you go as it will max out at the daily limit if you use enough to get there. How many of you are there as this may change what you use.

The London pass is generally a complete rip off.

You can get your oyster at any tube station on arrival, heathrow if you land there or central London if you land at gatwick.

jamikins

For London travel planning use www.tfl.gov.uk it has prices , maps etc...

R2daO2daZ

It will be just myself (-;
I was thinking the London Pass because of the purported savings getting into the attractions
I will check into the Oyster Card
Thanks for the link jamikins
Thanks Kate you're definitely on top of things aren't you? (-;
And yes carnet was the word I was looking for ... Forgive me Lord Now I've insulted the French @-@

R2daO2daZ

Guess what?!? I already had the travel link bookmarked! That's gotta be worth a teacake crumpet or sumthin, right?