Where does one get this travelcard?
Where do I find a map that shows the zones?
Do I need to buy this travelcard before I leave?

At any tube station or at the Visitors center at the airport

ditto

no . . it's easy to get once you are there

Enjoy London (I guess?)

Rich

Try this link
http://www.ticket-on-line.co.uk/
and you can get the info you need

An absolutely comprehensive overview of the London transit system and pases was posted yesterday; I'll top it for you and others. Basically, the answers to your 3 questions are as Rich said: Tube stations, tube stations, and no.

Ok. Let me clarify. I am trying to figure out if zone 1 and 2 will cover the things I want to see. The general statement that these zones cover MOST of what you might want to see, leaves my wondering if I should plan on getting a more comprehensive pass.
Also, how long does it take to get a travelcard; minutes or hours?

Zone 1&2 pass got me everywhere I wanted to go in London except for Camden Market and Hampton Court, and, I think, Greenwich - you can just pay for the additional cost if you decide to go out of the "main" London area. I bought mine at the closest tube station to where I was staying (in May and not during rush hours) and there was no line so it took minutes.

Think of the zones as concentric circles with Central London zone 1. 95% of the tourist attractions are in zone 1..the zoo and Greenwich are in zone 2. There are several attractions in outer zones...Heathrow Airport is in zone 6.

Now if your hotel is in zone 1, you will be travelling to zones beyond zone 2 perhaps once or twice. For those trips you would get extension tickets for that trip. For example, just because you arrive at Heathrw, you probably will no be venturig back to zone 6 until you return. So you buy either the zone 1 or zone 1 & 2 at Heathrow and ask for an extension. Similarly on the way back, you show your zone 1 or zone 1 & 2 to the clerk in the booking office and ask for an extension to Heathrow etc The difference between the zone 1 and the zone 1 & 2 is £3...if you're going to both the zoo and Greenwich, you probably want to buy the zone 1 & 2; if you have no interest in one or the other, the zone 1 is probably sufficent; of course if your hotel is in zone 4, you would want a zone 1-4. Your hotel will tell you what zone they are in.

Re a map: I just looked thru the maps I used and the one I used most was free from the British Tourist office via their website but it didn't denote zones. I just combined that with the little tube map you can get free with your pass. You might check out the Streetwise London map available at most bookstores (didn't know about it when I went but used Streetwise Paris almost exclusively in Paris).

The map you get when you buy the travelcard once you are in London is about all you'd need. It covers all tube and rail lines and shows where they lie in each zone. On the back side are all the FAQs on how to use the system, info phone numbers, plus a small chart showing the zones for buses.

I usually get a zone 1 card - unless I am staying up in Highgate - then I get a zone 1 - 3 card.

Pammyjo:

You will find links for tube maps (including those for easy access stations) on this site: http://www.thetube.com/

Hope this helps.

Phil.

Camden Market and Greenwich are in zone 2.

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A zone 1 and 2 pass got me everywhere I needed to go. Never had to go to zone 3.