A little help from my friends

[tikkipoo]

My DD is going on a trip to Ireland, England and Wales in a week. We are totally excited and totally overwhelmed. We are trying to make head and tails out of the whole money situation. Can I get some help with some questions, that may seem silly, but they might put things into perspective for DD?

What would an average lunch cost - in Euros and/or GBP?

What would an average tip be - in Euros and/or GBP? (I know this is a hot button issue, but I need a simple amount so that DD will tip, because you know she isn't going to be figuring what 18% of the total is, so when she goes out here I say to leave the waiter $2.00 for each person)

What does a bottle of Coke in a convenient store cost - in Euros and/or GBP?

We only got 20 GBP notes and the Euros were broken down in a 20, 10 and 5... I have NO idea what types of coins there are, and how much they translate to.

If she uses the ATM in one of the countries, I supposed it will give her back that countries money? What kind of breakdowns options do they give you? (Like here, you ask for a withdrawal usually in intervals of $20USD)

If there a good website that we could use to get educated, that would be very helpful too.

Any other tips you might have will be appreciated

 

[BadPinkTink]

Hi I am Irish and I have lived in The UK

What would an average lunch cost - in Euros and/or GBP?

In Ireland you are looking at between €10 to €20 for lunch in a cheap to mid price restaurant.
A Burger King / McDonalds meal costs €6.99
In Starbucks a muffin costs €2.55 a tall latte costs €3 a sandwich or panni costs €5.95
Food in Ireland is expensive

In The UK prices are a little cheaper but I would budget the same as for Ireland

What would an average tip be - in Euros and/or GBP? (I know this is a hot button issue, but I need a simple amount so that DD will tip, because you know she isn't going to be figuring what 18% of the total is, so when she goes out here I say to leave the waiter $2.00 for each person)

We don't really tip the same way as you do in America. Waiting staff and bar staff don't depend on tips. Your example above is a good average. Just tell her to do the same as she would at home. BUT only in restaurants, theres no need to tip bar staff, cab drivers etc

What does a bottle of Coke in a convenient store cost - in Euros and/or GBP?

A 500ml bottle of coke in Ireland costs €1.35
I can't remember the exact cost in The UK but probally around £1.20

We only got 20 GBP notes and the Euros were broken down in a 20, 10 and 5... I have NO idea what types of coins there are, and how much they translate to.

Euros
100 cents in 1 Euro
Coins are 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent (brown colour) 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent (gold colour) 1 euro and 2 euro coins
Notes are 5 Euros, 10 Euros, 20 Euros, 50 Euros and 100 euros

British Sterling
100 pennies in 1 pound
Coins are 1 p, 2 p (brown colour) 5p, 10p, 20p 50p (silver colour) 1 pound , 2 pound (gold colour)
Notes are 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 20 pounds 50 pounds 100 pounds

If she uses the ATM in one of the countries, I supposed it will give her back that countries money? What kind of breakdowns options do they give you? (Like here, you ask for a withdrawal usually in intervals of $20USD)

Yes , if you use an ATM in The UK you will get Sterling and when you use an ATM in Ireland you will get Euros. The machines give 10s and 20s and you have an option to type in a quantity if it is not on the screen. Usually though most machines run out of 10s and you can only get 20s

 

[Kath2003]

Lunch with a drink - £5-£10 for fast food; £10-20 for a sit down meal - more in London. Service stations also charge high prices. Similar in Euros I expect.
Tip 10% for sit down only. You don't tip in pubs if you're just getting drinks.
You pay for your drinks as you go - the bartender won't open you a tab (unless he/she knows you really, really well!)
ATMs work in £10 and £20 usually; you won't get anything smaller. Some ATMs charge a fee - most don't, but some do.
A coke is around £1.25 - sometimes 2 for £2
£1 coins are the most useful; there is no £1 note
Cards are accepted everywhere. A credit card is your best friend.
Jet lag is awful on the way over here. She will feel better going home.
Sales tax (VAT) is already included in all prices - the price you see is the price you pay.
We are good at queuing. We eat almost everything with a knife and fork.
Restrooms are always called toilets; in some major towns public toilets cost a small fee (~20p) so change is handy.
People don't talk much on public transport, nor do they talk loudly in public places such as restaurants.
Drinks usually don't come with free refills. If you want water, ask for TAP water which is free.
If you meet someone new, they may shake your hand. We don't use sir/ma'am very much as greetings.
"Excuse me" means please get out of the way; "pardon me" is to apologise when you've done something embarrassing like stood on someone's foot.
You can never say please or thank you enough.
"Uh-huh" isn't an appropriate response when someone says thank you to you; "you're welcome" is better.
You can cross the street wherever you like; it's your responsibility to watch for traffic.

 

[tikkipoo]

This is awesome guys! Thanks so much for your tips. These are the things that you'd never know ahead of time. This is why I love the DIS!

 

[BadPinkTink]

also, most people don't realise Ireland is officially a bi lingual country. Our day to day spoken language is English BUT anything official or government related is in both languages, English and our native language , which we call Irish but foreigners call Gaelic. This means all road signs, public transport announcements are in BOTH languages. Some places have the restroom signs in Irish language MNA = Ladies FIR = Men

In UK / Ireland
Chips = French Fries
Crisps = chips ie Lays, Doritos
Sweets = candy
Toilets = restrooms

 

[tikkipoo]

These are so good I think I am going to type some of these up and give out to the group.

 

[BadPinkTink]

trying to think of some more

In Ireland / UK
Chemist / Pharmacy = drugstore
(Boots / Superdrug = CVS )
Soft Drink = soda
Tea = hot tea
(tea is just as popular as coffee)

 

[florida sun]

Where in Wales is she visiting? I will see if I can give you some tips. I live in Cardiff the capital of Wales and the home of where Dr Who is filmed!

 

[tikkipoo]

Looks like they are just visiting Holyhead on their way from Dublin to Coventry.

 

[sky13]

I think most of your questions might already be answered but just a couple more things to add:

- Food-wise a lot of stores (supermarkets like Marks and Spencer, Boots, Sainsburys, Tesco, and also some sandwich shops like EAT and Pret) will sell sandwiches/salads/etc for around £2-5. Some of these stores will have meal deals, e.g. buy a sandwich/salad + snack + drink for £3.50 or so. It's an easy way of getting a meal if on the go.

- I think you can get a McDonald's meal for around £4. Other fast food places may be more (was at a Burger King earlier that had meals starting at £5).

- Tipping is not compulsory but I usually add about 10% or so at restaurants. Some places (particularly in London) will automatically add a service charge to the bill in which case no tip is required.

- Some convenience stores will sell big bottles of Coke which will work out a lot cheaper than buying small bottles. E.g. I just bought 2 x 1.75 litre bottles of Coke for less than £2 (buy one get one free) from Tesco.

- I don't recall ever being given an option of how I want my money when I withdraw cash from a cash machine, they just give me whatever denominations they feel like (or so it seems!).

- If she's still a student it might be worth asking about student discounts too!

 

[tikkipoo]

Great idea about the grocery. I will have her keep that in mind. There will be NO going to McDonalds...we don't travel across the sea to get the same foods that she can get 2 minutes from our house. LOL She might come back home starving, but she swears she is going to try the local cuisine and stay away from food chains. We have our last group meeting before the trip tonight. I am hoping to get these things typed up and hand out to the kids and parents who get to go (yeah...I am little jealous )

 

[BadPinkTink]

not to be one to interfere with your parenting..lol but Mc Donalds, Burger King and KFC are different here in Uk and Ireland compared to USA. For one thing our portion sizes are smaller.

In UK like someone mentioned there are a good range of sandwich shops / cafes where you can get good quality food for a good price. I would recommend Pret A Manger , Eat, Costa Coffee, Nero Coffee and all sorts of random cafes.

In both UK and Ireland there are also a wide range of Fish and Chip shops, called chippies or chippers. They are usually Italian run. The chips (french fries) are thick cut from real potato and depending on the premises sell a wide range of fried food for takeaway.

Not sure about her age but both UK and Ireland the legal drinking age is 18. Now I'm sure you don't want her drinking alcohol BUT alot of pubs and bars serve food during the day. For anyone on a budget it is another choice for somewhere to eat. In London for example, the pub chain Weatherspoons serve cheap food. Just because you go into a pub doesn't mean you have to drink alcohol!!

In Ireland the sandwich shops are more limited, O'Briens and Insomnia are the main ones. Like in the UK convenience shops such as Spar, Centra, Londis as well as the grocery shops, Tesco, Dunnes and Supervalue all sell a variety of food on the go items like sandwiches etc.

 

[tikkipoo]

DD is 17 - so she is not going to be able to drink anyway, right? I had given her permission to drink (just to taste - not to "drink"), but I guess it doesn't matter if she is not old enough. ???

I figured that the food chains weren't the same...but it just the point, right?? If you go to England and Ireland, you want to look back and say "yeah, I ate at this great pub" not "I got a sandwich at McDonalds" That would be boring

I remember when I went to France they had these little carts that sold ham and cheese sandwiches. I am not kidding when I say those were the best doggone sandwiches I have ever had. I have been in search for such sandwiches ever since. I would have never found those if I had decided to go to KFC!

 

[BadPinkTink]

at 17 she can still go into most pubs. We don't have security on the doors so it is perfectly ok to be IN the pub and order food and a soft drink during the day She will only get asked for ID if she tries to order alcohol

lol, I guess. For me going to USA I try everything, from McDonalds and KFC to Jumping Jacks, In and Out as well as Olive Garden, and random restaurants and cafes

oooh yes the food in France and central Europe is different again.

 

[BudgieMama]

In both UK and Ireland there are also a wide range of Fish and Chip shops, called chippies or chippers. They are usually Italian run. The chips (french fries) are thick cut from real potato and depending on the premises sell a wide range of fried food for takeaway.

Sorry, random aside, but I'm intrigued: BadPinkTink, where abouts do you live? I have NEVER eaten in a chip shop run by Italians! Is it just your part of the country?

 

[BadPinkTink]

lol @BudgieMama I live in Dublin. Most of the chip shops in Dublin are run by Italians, Borzas, and Macaris are the big chains. But Italian chippers are all over Ireland. They even have their own association http://www.itica.ie/

 

[BudgieMama]

Ahhh, that explains it! Thanks @BadPinkTink

 

[Dimplenose]

I remember when I went to France they had these little carts that sold ham and cheese sandwiches. I am not kidding when I say those were the best doggone sandwiches I have ever had. I have been in search for such sandwiches ever since. I would have never found those if I had decided to go to KFC!

There are often carts selling hotdogs and burgers in London - stay away from them! They are often unlicensed and not very hygienic.

 

[sky13]

I agree with the recommendation for Pret A Manger / EAT / Costa / etc. Pret has especially good sandwiches and salads (my favourites are the crayfish ones)!

Legal drinking age is 18, so she won't be able to buy alcohol. She should be able to get food in pubs, but I did have a bizarre experience once when I was trying to get Sunday lunch in a Wetherspoons (a roast and a soft drink, no alcohol), was asked for ID (which I didn't have on me), and refused service! Though they allowed my friend (who had ID) to buy food for me. It was really weird.

Actually there are a lot of food chains I quite like over here, like Pizza Express (going there for dinner later!) and Nandos and Bella Italia and Bill's...

 

[tikkipoo]

There are often carts selling hotdogs and burgers in London - stay away from them! They are often unlicensed and not very hygienic.

Ew

I am getting so excited for her! I soooo wish I was going. Maybe one day.