Traveling to the UK Solo

[vic308]

Hey everyone

Just after some advice for a first time overseas traveller.

I'm a young person looking to head to the UK for about a month (give or take) mostly to see the sights, catch some football and see a couple of relatives.

I'll most likley be traveling solo and i dont want to do the whole backpack thing.

I thought about flying emirates or etihad and going maybe March/April 2011.

Any advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated

 

[samh004]

If you’re planning to get around on trains in the UK, make sure you book tickets early as they go up in price a lot as the day approaches and can be very expensive on the day. If you book with a credit card, take it with you as that’s how you’ll collect them.

That’s my advice …oh, and welcome to AFF!

 

[SeaWolf]

For a first time trip the UK is a reasonable choice as it's an English speaking country, and the culutre shock shouldn't be too bad. You might find that the monotonay of long-haul flying can be a bit of an annoyance if you're not used to it, some people stagger off the plane into the UK and swear they're never going to do it again (until it comes time to go home ). Other people (me) leap off the plane and can't wait to get back on.

If you've got relatives in the UK then that's a great help and can certainly make things easier for a first timer. I wouldn't worry too much though. It all seems very intimidating at first, but once you get out there you find it's all pretty easy. Just make sure you have your passport and your credit card and you'll be right.

 

[Dave Noble]

If planning to take trains in UK for a long distance, then indeed, booking in advance can keep fares down. Another way to get reasonable long distance fares is to buy a Britrail England pass which gives pretty decent travel value ; if aged 25 or lower then there is a 20% discount on the pass too. Th epass has the benefit of being valid on all trains and not restricted to booking in advance / off peak etc

I would have no hesitation recommending Emirates for the trip. Travelling on Emirates has benefits if travelling around UK in that EK flies into several locations into UK so can get flights back from another spot without having an extra connection ( options are Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, London gatwick and lastly and leastly London Heathrow )

If you have credit cards, then if the cards have a chip in them, do ensure that you have the PIN for the card since you will not be able to use the card with a signature in the UK if it has a chip

for visiting and sightseeing, I would recommend travelling there after the 26th March rather than early march since daylight saving starts in UK on 27th March and the longer evenings are good when sightseeing

Dave

 

[albatross710]

Be aware that the many airfares take your on a varied path to your destination.

My first trip to Europe when I was 24 when I wanted to get to Zurich for a low price. The nice people at Flight Centre sold me a fare BNE-SYD-Tokyo-Anchorage-Paris-ZRH and return.

I enjoyed the trip, it took a long time to get there but I enjoyed the adventure.

 

[vic308]

Thanks everyone

I entertained the thought of maybe flying into Glasgow and making my way down to England by land. Not sure if that is gonna eat up too much time and/or money.

Also thought about getting to Germany for a week if time/money permits. Family friends to visit there.

I've herd about the oyster card? Whats the go with that? Is it just an english equivalent of the pre paid travel cards we have here?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Be aware that the many airfares take your on a varied path to your destination.

My first trip to Europe when I was 24 when I wanted to get to Zurich for a low price. The nice people at Flight Centre sold me a fare BNE-SYD-Tokyo-Anchorage-Paris-ZRH and return.

I enjoyed the trip, it took a long time to get there but I enjoyed the adventure.

Just think of the SC's for that trip

 

[Princess Fiona]

Thanks everyone

I entertained the thought of maybe flying into Glasgow and making my way down to England by land. Not sure if that is gonna eat up too much time and/or money.

Also thought about getting to Germany for a week if time/money permits. Family friends to visit there.

I've herd about the oyster card? Whats the go with that? Is it just an english equivalent of the pre paid travel cards we have here?

Emirates to GLA is a pretty decent flight with good connection times from SYD. The rtn trip is better timed from Manchester. The trains are frequent and plentiful from Glasgow Central

 

[Dave Noble]

Thanks everyone

I entertained the thought of maybe flying into Glasgow and making my way down to England by land. Not sure if that is gonna eat up too much time and/or money.

If you fly in to Glasgow and leave from London/Frankurt or vice versa the fare is likely to be the very similar. A one way joumey on the train to London will not be too expensive

Also thought about getting to Germany for a week if time/money permits. Family friends to visit there.

Flights would be fairly cheap or you could take Eurostar to Paris and then a train from there, though doubt that it would be cheaper

I've herd about the oyster card? Whats the go with that? Is it just an english equivalent of the pre paid travel cards we have here?

it is a prepay card for tickets on the London Trains/Underground/buses . If you don't have one, then your fares for travel in London will be more expensive. Just but it for GBP3 on arriva. Have a look at What is Oyster? | Transport for London

 

[dcm]

I would certainly recommend the BritRail passes - a good variety from which to choose, depending on your needs.

The Oyster Card is advisable if travelling on the underground and buses (and some local train lines). You can purchase these before you leave from Visit Britain (need to allow for about 10 days delivery time). For 12 UKP you get the card with 10 pounds travel credit and 2 pounds for the activation charge. The credit can be built up at machines at tube stations using credit cards or cash.

 

[Dave Noble]

They are useful, but I wouldn't be too worried about buying in advance, they are easy to buy over the counter. The cost is GBP3 which is returned, iirc, if you return the oyster when you are finished with it

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thanks everyone

I entertained the thought of maybe flying into Glasgow and making my way down to England by land. Not sure if that is gonna eat up too much time and/or money.

Also thought about getting to Germany for a week if time/money permits. Family friends to visit there.

Train travel in Europe in Germany and neraby countries including the UK is fast, efficient and quite cheap if you book in advance.

I have just travelled Manchester-London, London-Paris, Paris -Amsterdam...and my eldest daughter Paris-Frankfurt.

Much less hassle than airports and as you are going from city centre to city centre it is comparable to air travel timewise as you save the time on getting to/from the airport, clearing security and immigration etc.

See The Man in Seat Sixty-One... for a good introductory site to train travel in the UK and Europe.

To check out prices and routes on an easy to use booking engine:
Travel by train in Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain and all across Europe with Rail Europe.

Just plug in a city in Germany and say London. Note that there is a limit to how far you can book in adavance.

I've herd about the oyster card? Whats the go with that? Is it just an english equivalent of the pre paid travel cards we have here?

Yes
See What is Oyster? | Transport for London

If you travela lot in London is handy...but if only occasional use is required then just buying one off tickets will be easier.

If you stay in Central London you can walk to a lot of places.

 

[dcm]

I should have mentioned that BritRail passes need to be purchased before arrival in the UK. Oyster Cards do not, but queues can sometimes be long.

 

[JetLagged]

If you have credit cards, then if the cards have a chip in them, do ensure that you have the PIN for the card since you will not be able to use the card with a signature in the UK if it has a chip Dave

Actually, Dave, that isn't quite correct: our Visa cards have chips, but the machines always end up with us having to sign for it anyway - something about being issued by a 'foreign' bank. Only had one time when someone said it had to be chip only - they were wrong, and had fixed up their knowledge base the next time I was in the same store.

So one doesn't need to worry about signing or chip - it all comes to the same anyway. And has been since I've been travelling 3-4 times year to the UK since 2006.

 

[Dave Noble]

Actually, Dave, that isn't quite correct: our Visa cards have chips, but the machines always end up with us having to sign for it anyway - something about being issued by a 'foreign' bank. Only had one time when someone said it had to be chip only - they were wrong, and had fixed up their knowledge base the next time I was in the same store.

So one doesn't need to worry about signing or chip - it all comes to the same anyway. And has been since I've been travelling 3-4 times year to the UK since 2006.

If that is the case , then fine, but doesn't quite marry with the information from visa which doesn't mention an exemption to the chip rule other than for cards with no chip. From http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/au/cardholders/tips/tips_visiting_uk.shtml

United Kingdom
Banks and retailers in the United Kingdom (UK) have enacted a national policy requiring all UK cardholders to use their PINs when making purchases with their chip and PIN debit and credit cards. The requirement is part of an effort in the UK to minimize fraud and is already recognized as making a significant positive impact in this respect.

The new UK policy, however, does not apply to overseas travellers with magnetic stripe cards. All merchants displaying a Visa logo are required to accept any form of Visa payment that is presented to them. In the UK, this means merchants will continue to accept foreign-issued, non-chip and PIN cards as before. Visa is committed to enforcing this policy to helping maintain cardholder trust and confidence in Visa's promise of unsurpassed global acceptance.

if they cannot take foreign card chips then that does help

 

[Princess Fiona]

If that is the case , then fine, but doesn't quite marry with the information from visa which doesn't mention an exemption to the chip rule other than for cards with no chip. From http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/au/cardholders/tips/tips_visiting_uk.shtml



if they cannot take foreign card chips then that does help

I have always used PIN in the UK with my Westpac cards and never had to sign, unlike the US where they don't even look at the signature and don't accept PIN . Maybe it depends on the retailer, for example in Spain I tried to purchase clothing with another card I infrequently use and had forgotten the PIN and the machine would not accept it without PIN. Personally I would not risk traveling with a chip card and no PIN based on my own experiences

 

[Flashback]

Thanks everyone

I entertained the thought of maybe flying into Glasgow and making my way down to England by land. Not sure if that is gonna eat up too much time and/or money.

Also thought about getting to Germany for a week if time/money permits. Family friends to visit there.

I've herd about the oyster card? Whats the go with that? Is it just an english equivalent of the pre paid travel cards we have here?

I notice no one has touched base on accommodation, what are your plans for that? Will you always be staying with family, or will you need to find places along the way?

Do you have a budget in mind if so? While you may be against the whole "backpacking" idea, keep in mind that when traveling solo it is a fantastic way to meet other people and also get ideas on things to do for the day.

I am about to embark on an adventure over to Europe and have never "backpacked" before but will be doing this. To ease myself into it I'm staying at a "boutique" hostel for the first week while I find a place to live more permanently.