FIRST TRIP 2 EUROPE!

Hi..

ill be taking my first ever trip to Europe in June next year..its actually my first trip outside of Australia EVER! so im a little nervous! i have saved $11,560 Australian Dollars for my trip..backpacking. Im going alone which scares me the most..

I fly into London first, on the 29th June 08..my parents have booked me a hotel for the first two nights..so i can find my feet..im just wondering how easy it is to get around London..ill be staying at a hotel they stayed at while they were there last year..its called The Zetta..i think its close to or even in the CBD of London..but not sure..are Cab's expensive?

can anyone suggest some cool things to do and see in London? other than the Museum, Tower, London Eye etc...im into historical things, i was also wondering if anyone had any info on good ghost walks/tours in London and throughout the UK..

Don't bother to take the cabs in London! They are very expensive and unreliable. Take a day to familiarize yourself with the tube because it is awesome! A day pass for unlimited rides (this is valid on buses too) only costs around 6 pounds and you can buy them almost anywhere. The tube itself is fast and efficient and has stops at all the major areas. Some cool things to see are the V and A museum, the Tate Modern and the Parliment buildings. I also recommend the Monument, which is this neat tower that commemorates the Great Fire, that you can climb up and get a great view of the city from.
Hope this helps!

I agree with not taking the cabs as they are expensive, but unreliable? Hardly. If you call cabs unreliable, then what do you call the tube? Non-existent?

As #1 said, London is easy enough to get around via the tube and bus.

Agree with above -- if you want to see Europe on a budget, try and avoid taxis. It's fine if you're stuck somewhere late and need to get back to your hotel/hostel, but otherwise rely on public transportation. As noted above, just spend a bit of time in a new city trying to acquaint yourself with buses and subways. Often the tourist information offices can help you with that, too.

As a solo backpacker, you'll be just fine. Thousands of solo backpackers do it every year. Stay in hostels, where you're likely to meet many other solo backpackers.

Also as noted above, just keep an eye out for pickpockets and thiefs. I, too, use a money pouch to store valuables like passport, credit cards, large stashes of cash. Use an ATM debit card to withdraw cash -- that works out cheaper than exchanging cash everywhere, and it also allows you to not travel with large stashes of cash.

Have fun. Should be a great trip!

Dave

It amazes me at the amount of people who use money belts. Not just in London but around the world in general. Just keep you wallet in your front pocket, or anywhere except your back pocket, and you'll be fine. The only places you'll likely encounter any problems would be in the markets or if you stray into a dodgy area, but then money belt or not if they want to mug you then they'll mug you. Try not to stand out as a backpacker, which in London shouldn't be too difficult as long as you don't stop everywhere and whop out a map or LP guide.

Rick Steves moneybelt saverd my ... three times.

www.ricksteves.com<BR><BR>It holds passport, plane ticket, and only other things mentioned in the funny instructions.
Cops can´t and won´t bother helping tourist crime.

Walk with a purpous. Not just stroll and gawk.
Or you´ll be targetted.

Roll your new pack around on the floor, to get it grubby. You won´t stick out as inexperienced.

Solo bp, is the only way I´ll travel anymore.
You don´t have to keep anyone else´s pace, nor hear a lot of whining.
:)

London is easy to get around, the day pass for the underground is the way to go. It's easy, and with the day pass it's cheap too, which is always a good combination.

I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but I wouldn't go to London and not visit the National Gallery. It's free, and if you like art, it's a can't miss stop.

Finally, I agree with meats on the money belt thing. I don't think it's necessary, and if you read the stories that people who've been robbed tell, 99 times out of 100, it's because they didn't use common sense. I'll admit that when I was in London on a long layover last year, I took the neck pouch that I wear on the plane (that's not necessary, it's just easier for me to have my passport more accessable than where I zip it into my purse), and wore it around my waist with the pouch down my pant leg, but that was less about theft worry than it was about me not wanting to risk forgetting my purse somewhere when I had another flight in 14 hours. Normally, I just lock my passport away in my hotel room.

This whole moneybelt issue has been debated quite a bit here over the years. I agree with the sentiment expressed above that it's usually not necessary if you're acting with common sense. And most places in Europe are much safer than my own hometown, for instance. So from that perspective, it's probably not necessary.

However, the reason I usually wear one is this: In the post-9/11 world, it really, really sucks to get a passport issued while you're overseas. This is especially true for Americans, but I think applies to many other countries. In fact, losing or having a passport stolen would suck so bad that it would have potential to ruin the trip. (For example, you couldn't travel to any other countries while waiting to get it issued.) Because I don't want to ruin my trip, I keep that along with credit cards and large stashes of cash (which I usually avoid carrying) in a neck pouch. Sometimes, especially when it's hot, I put the neck pouch in my front pocket like a wallet, and tie it to my belt. Call it Trip Ruining Insurance. Just like real life insurance, it's usually not necessary. But if it prevents me from ruining or significantly hampering my overseas travels, I think it's worth it.

Dave

Oh, and though it might be wise to leave your passport and valuables back in the hotel in a safe, I usually don't (like many backpackers) stay in places that have safes. Plus, some countries require you to have your passport with you as identification.

I guess everyone needs to determine their own level of comfort regarding the protection of their valuables.

Dave

Thanks for all the info..about the money belt..i have one but i have some mates who have suggested i take a cheap wallet aswell and put in it only the cash im going to use for the day and keep all cards etc in the belt..does anyone agree with this? I've also been told to take a normal looking bag to use instead of a daypack so i dont look so much like a backpacker...but this sounds a bit silly to me..what do people think?

OK. My two cents for fun.

1) Forget the normal looking bag idea, that's ridiculous. Use a daypack. It's sensible, and it zips up, so it's harder to nick from, plus it's comfortable for walking long distances/standing on tubes etc. People can always dip their hand into your carrier bag, it's easy on a packed tube. Don't bother with it.
2) I always find London taxis incredibly reliable but even more incredibly expensive. The cost of them is unbelievable to me. Don't do that either.
3) I always keep a credit card with a high limit seperate to the rest of my stuff. If I go out for the day, it's secured back in my accom. Therefore if I lose my wallet, it gets nicked, falls down a drain or spontaneously combusts into ashes, I have a backup to survive on until I get replacements.
4) See the FAQ on the UK branch, what you're asking gets asked a lot, the original post (OP) covers most of it, anything it doesn't is covered by someone else further down the post.
5) The UK does not require you to have ID on yourself, so don't have ID on you, it's another thing that can get nicked, fall down drains or be "permanently borrowed" and start causing you credit problems at home due to ID fraud. Get a photocopy of it though, store it with the seperate credit card.

#13--I agree with all of your points except for the first one.

I entirely disagree with the daypack idea. I grew up in a big tourist area, and let me tell you one thing--you tourists have no idea just how ridiculous you look or just how much you stand out when you go wandering around with daypacks. Plus, since you're wearing it on your back, it's way to easily zipped open or cut open. You're making yourself a sitting duck for crime when you stand out that much like a tourist. I know this isn't the most popular of opinions on TT, but for a lot of you all, your only experience in tourist areas is as a tourist, an outsider, and you have no way of looking at the situation through the eyes of a local. That's not your fault, you can't help where you're from or whether it's a tourist trap, but I would strongly suggest that folks consider what those of us who are from tourist towns have to say about tourism.

Messenger bags are a lot more common than daypacks and are less conspicuous, they're also easy and convenient, and there are a lot of options that offer both a flap and an interior zipper so that it's harder for people to rifle through the bag. They also have the benefit that when you're carrying it with the strap across your body, you can easily put it in front of you in crowed situations like trains but it won't look like you're deliberately trying to hide or protect anything.

12.
I think day pack spells laptop, to the bandits. I carry other stuff in my daypack doesn't shape like my ragged Mac.

Spaniards and more travellers are using over head and shoulder bags. Cross the chest strap.

My raggedy 5 year old Rick Steves day pack is holy. But like me its still truckin'.
PRESS ON, REGARDLESS!

Take partial rolls of tp, with the cardboard tube taken out, in your pack. Take 2 in daypack. Multipurpose.

And tail ends of soap bars, in a baggy. 1, maybe 2, in daypack every day.

london is very easy to get around, when you know how! first i would say familiarise yourself with the tube map.. very extensive.
there are lots of london tours, but i would sggest that doing the vists yourself will let you learn your way around, save money and even have a better time. london uses a travelcard called London oyster card, which is a prepaid electronic card that you swipe and it lets you through the gates. These are very cost effective, costing about 90 pence a single journey, compared with a couple of pounds on the normal paper tickets.

london travel jetpack has all oyster cards and stuff in.

walking tours in london

there are lots of lovely parks, museums and gallaries which you can visit for free!
spend time just walking around, drinking coffee in the major tourist areas, and relax..very interesting.
there is something called a duck boat tour i think but not sure what exactly it is.

check out the lp for more info about what to do in london.