Need European trip help, please!

[Kivara]

Hello to all my friends across the ocean!
My mom and grandmother are taking a trip, and being meticulous list-makers and planners, they've asked me to ask you all for some help/info.

They will be traveling in the end of July to:
London
Bath/Stonehenge
Dublin
Waterford
Killarney
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Stratford on Avon
and York

Their main questions are:
1 What to expect weather-wise and what clothes to pack?
2 They will be mainly eating in pubs, should they convert their money or can they use traveler's checks?
3 Has anyone done the Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour? Is it worth it? If so, what's the best (and cost-effective) way to get there from London?
4 What kind of outlet converter plugs will they need? And are different ones needed from England/Ireland/Scotland?

Any other tips you have will be appreciated. They are going on a tour trip, so half their days are planned for them, but they have a free day in each area I believe.

Thanks so much!

 

[BadPinkTink]

1 What to expect weather-wise and what clothes to pack?

Weather in UK /Ireland in the summer rarely gets over 80F. It is very changeable, one day could be blue skies and sunshine, the next wind and rain. Pack jeans, light trousers with short sleeve and long sleeve tshirts, cardigans, sweaters, hoodies etc. Pack a light rain coat and umbrella. Pack comfortable walking shoes

2 They will be mainly eating in pubs, should they convert their money or can they use traveler's checks?

YES convert money to cash or have money available on credit cards. UK and Ireland use chip and pin , even in restaurants and pubs, servers will bring a hand held chip and pin machine to the table. Very few places other than maybe hotels would accept travellers cheques now.

3 Has anyone done the Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour? Is it worth it? If so, what's the best (and cost-effective) way to get there from London?

Yes I have been to Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour and it is well worth it, I want to visit again Its the actual real studios where the films were made and they have kept the props and many of the sound stages. At the start there is an introduction by a staff member and after that it is a self guided walk though. They have audio guides which tell you background info and give you a path to follow around the sound stages.

The studios are about an hour north of central London. There are a few ways to get there. I went with this tour company http://www.goldentours.com/warner-b...arry-potter-tickets-with-return-bus-transport The price includes return bus transport from Victoria Station , central London and tour tickets. All tickets for the Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour must be bought in advance online, as they have a set amount of people they allow through at any one time.

4 What kind of outlet converter plugs will they need? And are different ones needed from England/Ireland/Scotland?

They will need a 3 point plug converter for UK / Ireland. As in an electrical store or if you can not find any before they leave, the UK / Ireland converters are sold in the International terminal at the airport. Ireland / England/ Scotland all use the same 3 point plug

I am from Dublin, I have lived in London and Edinburgh and I have been to Bath / Stonehenge and Killarney so feel free to ask me any questions

 

[florida sun]

Hi There

Sorry for the late reply, you have had some great information from above, I actually live in Cardiff, so if you have any particular questions about Cardiff itself please fire away and I shall see what I can let you know.

How long are you staying in Cardiff for? Where about's in Cardiff are you staying?

 

[Jon84]

Its the actual real studios where the films were made and they have kept the props and many of the sound stages. At the start there is an introduction by a staff member and after that it is a self guided walk though. They have audio guides which tell you background info and give you a path to follow around the sound stages.

I'm just gonna be picky. The Buildings the tour is in are not the actual studios, the soundstages would be much bigger to allow the equipment to be moved around. They actually moved everything to a purpose built attraction building(s). Even the house facades and Diagon Ally were moved

What kind of outlet converter plugs will they need? And are different ones needed from England/Ireland/Scotland?

Important note!

If you are bringing electricals from the States, make sure that they are compatible with 230-240v as we run on a higher voltage over here. Else you'll end up with a big bang! (Literally) You can by special converters that lower the voltage, but they can be expensive. It may be worth buying a cheap hairdryer over here (as an example).

When we've been to the States, my Wife's Dryer has not worked properly as 110v was not enough to power it, so we bought a cheapo one in Walgreens

 

[Kivara]

Thanks so much Tink, Sue (I'm an Eccleston fan myself), and Jon!

It's my mom and grandmother's trip, so I don't know where/how long they are in Cardiff. I just asked for a general itinerary to get their questions answered.

Jon, thanks for pointing out the voltage difference. That's the one big issue my mom mentioned later. She is worried about charging her iPhone. From what she's read, the iPhone is the same model and the chargers convert for higher voltages; but she's scared she's going to blow up her expensive phone.

 

[Jon84]

Thanks so much Tink, Sue (I'm an Eccleston fan myself), and Jon!

It's my mom and grandmother's trip, so I don't know where/how long they are in Cardiff. I just asked for a general itinerary to get their questions answered.

Jon, thanks for pointing out the voltage difference. That's the one big issue my mom mentioned later. She is worried about charging her iPhone. From what she's read, the iPhone is the same model and the chargers convert for higher voltages; but she's scared she's going to blow up her expensive phone.

iPhone Chargers should ok, you can look on the charger for it's voltage range. I am sure the UK models are 110v to 240v. It would make sense that the US versions are the same inside, just different pins

 

[Kivara]

Thanks Jon! I'll let her know.

The three-point converter...is this the one they would need to fit in a UK outlet?

 

[Kivara]

I thought of one more question, with them having a few days in London, then Cardiff, then Ireland, Scotland, and back to Cardiff and London...are they going to have to exchange currencies several times?
Sorry, I've never been overseas, and I'm not sure which currencies are used where.
Also, the chip and pin machines...are those credit card machines?

 

[BadPinkTink]

The three-point converter...is this the one they would need to fit in a UK outlet?

Yes thats the one, you can get it on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bright-3-Prong-Travel-Outlet-Adapter/dp/B000PQL7AQ

I thought of one more question, with them having a few days in London, then Cardiff, then Ireland, Scotland, and back to Cardiff and London...are they going to have to exchange currencies several times?

They will just need two currencies
Euro € for Ireland
Pounds Sterling for London, Cardiff, Scotland

Also, the chip and pin machines...are those credit card machines?

Yes credit and debit cards. Anywhere they use a card, whether at an atm, shops, restaurants, bars, collecting tickets etc they will need a chip and pin card.

 

[Kivara]

Thanks so much again Tink!
If you don't mind one more question (until they think of more, I'm sure, haha.)
They were wondering about tipping etiquette in restaurants/pubs.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thanks so much again Tink!
If you don't mind one more question (until they think of more, I'm sure, haha.)
They were wondering about tipping etiquette in restaurants/pubs.

You are welcome
Tipping in Ireland / Scotland/ England is very different to USA. Servers dont rely on tips to make up their wages like in USA. There is no obligation to leave a tip anywhere. In a restaurant I usually just round up ie if a bill comes to €17.80 I will leave €20. In a bar, when ordering a drink direct from the bar person, I dont tip. In places like Starbucks or other coffee shops they may have a tip jar by the till, I dont tip there. In taxis, again I just round up, but that depends on the driver. If I got help with bags or the driver was friendly I will tip, if the driver just ignored me, I wont tip.

In general I usually tip around €5 /£5 when the check / bill is under €100 / £100 and €10 /£10 if it is over €100 / £100 I also only tip if the server etc did more than just the bare minimum, its a gift rather than an automatic right.

 

[pad406]

Hi OP, seems most of your questions have been well answered. Just one thing to note, especially whilst in Ireland. A lot of the shops (tourist ones especially) offer a VAT refund facility for non EU travellers. This can be around 15-16% off. Some will even deduct straight at the till, some you claim back at the Airport. Either way you MUST get the receipt stamped at the airport before you leave. There are different service providers so you may end up having to go to more than one place in the airport. It's well worth the trouble. Look out for signs in the shop that say

they are the 2 biggest as far as I can remember. I'm 99% sure that they also operate in the same way in the UK, though their vat rate is lower so probably not as much as a discount.

Another thing that you may find is that if they are buying in the shops and paying by credit card they may be offered the ability to pay in $. Basically this means that you know in advance what you will be charged by your bank when you get the bill, the money is converted there and then. Otherwise your at the mercy of the exchange rates. So for example:
You buy something that's €100. The retailer may offer to charge you say $112. If you do that's what will be on your statement when you get it. Otherwise they will charge the €100 and when you get the statement your bank applies it's conversion and charges. As a general rule, personally, I would always take the option to be charged in the local currency (€ or £ in your case) and let my own bank do the charges. it is generally cheaper (but not by a huge amount). The advantage of being charged in $ is that you know exactly what your bill will be when you get home. The retailer MUST give you the choice, if they don't you are quite entitled to dispute it and get a refund from your bank/card issuer.

As the others have said, ask away and I hope they enjoy their trip.

 

[kamik86]

Hi There

Sorry for the late reply, you have had some great information from above, I actually live in Cardiff, so if you have any particular questions about Cardiff itself please fire away and I shall see what I can let you know.

How long are you staying in Cardiff for? Where about's in Cardiff are you staying?

I'm also working on planning a trip that goes to Cardiff so I have a few questions if you don't mind.

1) If we want to spend time both at the Bay (Doctor Who Experience is a must) and at the more historical sites (The museum and Cardiff Castle) would you recommend staying in the city center or near the bay?
2) Is there public transportation between these places? We will have a rental car (driving in from Bath for two days then out towards Stratford-upon-avon) but would prefer to not drive around cities too much and have to worry about finding parking everywhere we go.

 

[Jon84]

Thanks Jon! I'll let her know.

The three-point converter...is this the one they would need to fit in a UK outlet?

Note that this will not convert any voltage, it only converts the plug type,

To be 100% save, and not much more difference in price you can get this http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_in...rfmCAfXRWyRvTltp0L2YYW7aoJjfyVwJi3hoCr3vw_wcB

Which will convert 240v to 120v. I am sure a US site will sell similar

 

[kamik86]

Note that this will not convert any voltage, it only converts the plug type,

To be 100% save, and not much more difference in price you can get this http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_in...rfmCAfXRWyRvTltp0L2YYW7aoJjfyVwJi3hoCr3vw_wcB

Which will convert 240v to 120v. I am sure a US site will sell similar

Here is one, a bit more but with multiple outlets and another plug type so you don't have to get yet another one if you travel more

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inte..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=15NKWB28WYG2WW9BZX3Y

 

[Kivara]

Thank you Pad, Kamik, and Jon; I will pass all that info on to them.

You have all been so wonderfully helpful...I can't thank you enough!

 

[florida sun]

Thanks so much Tink, Sue (I'm an Eccleston fan myself), and Jon!

It's my mom and grandmother's trip, so I don't know where/how long they are in Cardiff. I just asked for a general itinerary to get their questions answered.

Happy to meet another fan No worries if you think of anything they need to know, just fire away!

Jon, thanks for pointing out the voltage difference. That's the one big issue my mom mentioned later. She is worried about charging her iPhone. From what she's read, the iPhone is the same model and the chargers convert for higher voltages; but she's scared she's going to blow up her expensive phone.

I thought of one more question, with them having a few days in London, then Cardiff, then Ireland, Scotland, and back to Cardiff and London...are they going to have to exchange currencies several times?
Sorry, I've never been overseas, and I'm not sure which currencies are used where.
Also, the chip and pin machines...are those credit card machines?

This i know has already been answered for you, however tell them not to worry if the Sterling Notes in Scotland look different to the ones used in the rest of England And Wales, they are all used the same, but Scotland have their own designs which are difffernt lookinga.

I'm also working on planning a trip that goes to Cardiff so I have a few questions if you don't mind.

1) If we want to spend time both at the Bay (Doctor Who Experience is a must) and at the more historical sites (The museum and Cardiff Castle) would you recommend staying in the city center or near the bay?
2) Is there public transportation between these places? We will have a rental car (driving in from Bath for two days then out towards Stratford-upon-avon) but would prefer to not drive around cities too much and have to worry about finding parking everywhere we go.

Happy to help if I can, personally I would be more inclined to stay City Centre, You have far more choice of accomadation and will be right in the heart of the city. The museum and Cardiff Castle, along with all dining, bars, and the best shopping in Wales is right on your door step and all within walking distance.
http://www.cardiffcastle.com/
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/cardiff/
http://www.stdavidscardiff.com/
http://www.visitcardiff.com/shopping/

Yes there is great public transport between the two places, the bay bus is the easiest, it will take you right from the city centre down to the bay, where you will find The Doctor Who Experience, lovely restaurants, cafes and the waterfront! If you did decide to drive there is also plenty of parking there but public transport is reliable and often.
http://www.cardiffbay.co.uk/


If you need any other help at all please let me know

 

[BudgieMama]

This i know has already been answered for you, however tell them not to worry if the Sterling Notes in Scotland look different to the ones used in the rest of England And Wales, they are all used the same, but Scotland have their own designs which are difffernt lookinga.

This is a good point. It's also worth trying to spend any Scottish Sterling before leaving Scotland, as many places in England won't accept them (my dad has that constant battle when he travels south of the border)