Solo trip to London & Dublin - Advice Needed!

[BarbieGal457]

Hi there!

I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but I didn't know where to put it, and figured here might be most appropriate.

I have always wanted to travel to the UK since I was a little girl. My father has lived all over the world, starting from age 18, but my mom has never lived anywhere but my small community. I come from Philadelphia, & still live at home, and my parents are rather nervous when I travel. After befriending some lovely Irishmen who were stateside, I've wanted to travel to London (and Dublin) even more. I have never been abroad, but just had a few general questions for those of you who not only live there, but have the most awesome accents in the entire world (I sound like Fran Drescher from "The Nanny" ).

I am planning to travel for a week to London and then a week to Dublin around early-mid September or November 2011 (depending on how long it takes me to save), when I'll have turned 23. I am quite street-smart and well aware of all my surroundings. I would plan to stay in the London area. I'm very independent and don't mind being on my own. However, I need to convince my parents I'd be safe alone.

1. Would it be safe for a girl my age to visit alone?
   
2. Would there be anything for me to do at night?
   
3. Is it easy to cab it around London if need be, or prohibitively expensive?
   
4. It is possible to access both Liverpool and Stonehenge by bus/train? I
   would like to visit both but will not have a car & do not plan to rent one. I can't even imagine the danger I'd pose trying to drive on the opposite side of the road!! I would want to do a Beatles tour of course, since my family are huge Beatles fans, yet no one's ever visited Liverpool! Also, could Liverpool be a day trip? I would probably want to go in the middle of the week.
   
5. This is quite stupid I'm sure, and please excuse my naivete, but what are the taxes like in London?
   
6. And yes, even stupider - is the USD accepted anywhere? I know Euros are used, I'm just curious.
   
7. I will be making a big purchase in London - it's actually cheaper abroad!! Will I have to declare it (a purse) on the way to Dublin, or back to America? I plan to do the same in Dublin also.

I am also planning to visit Dublin the week after. I know this is the UK board, but I figured the countries are very close, so some members might have valuable Irish info too! I have a friend in Dublin, but would probably be on my own mostly (he is quite busy with sports). If anyone is familiar with Dublin, is it safe to travel there as well? I'm embarassed to say I don't know much of what's outside Dublin (except he goes to Co. Galway for "a spot of fishing"), and I'd probably just stay within the city.

I'm sorry for such a long post, but I'm very excited at the possibility of going & want to start planning as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for any info or advice!

 

[j9000]

Hi

Would it be safe for a girl my age to visit alone?
at 23 probably yes, if youre not stupid (ie watch surroundings, dont get very drunk in the rough parts of town, dont hang out with the wrong types, dont wander alone into the parks at night etc) if would be benifitial to travel with a friend or go out with some other travellers at night (ie saftey)

Would there be anything for me to do at night?
London is a 24 hour city (providing what you want to do is done between 10am - 11pm) There are plenty of bars, clubs and its well known for its theatre district.

Is it easy to cab it around London if need be, or prohibitively expensive?
look up the london underground www.thetube.gov (i think), cabs are only used when where youre going is really out the way. and NEVER use a rickshaw, unless you want to get ripped off.

It is possible to access both Liverpool and Stonehenge by bus/train? I would like to visit both but will not have a car & do not plan to rent one. I can't even imagine the danger I'd pose trying to drive on the opposite side of the road!! I would want to do a Beatles tour of course, since my family are huge Beatles fans, yet no one's ever visited Liverpool! Also, could Liverpool be a day trip? I would probably want to go in the middle of the week.

yes you can, Stonehenge is near Salisbury (which also has an impressive cathedral) and there is a bus that goes out to the Henge (think its about 40 min away.) Liverpool is not a day trip, it would be easily 3 hours on a train, and while its feasible, it would be an expensive, long (and boring) day. If i was travelling that far, i would honestly go somewhere nicer than liverpool. (ie York)

This is quite stupid I'm sure, and please excuse my naivete, but what are the taxes like in London?
Use the underground, much easier

And yes, even stupider - is the USD accepted anywhere? I know Euros are used, I'm just curious.
no neither euros or usd is accepted in london, Euros are not used in London officially, some places will accept them, normally tacky gift shops but will give you a poor exchange rate.

I will be making a big purchase in London - it's actually cheaper abroad!! Will I have to declare it (a purse) on the way to Dublin, or back to America? I plan to do the same in Dublin also.
legally you need to declare anything over a certain value you are importing and any other certain goods (knives, certain medicine etc) i dont know what the duty limit for Ireland or the USA is.
that said, many people dont

 

[aoifesmom]

Hi


I live in England and have only been to London a few times, I'll tell you what I can. My husband is from Dublin so can tell you about that.

4. National Rail Enquiries on line will give you info re trains but as the previous poster said it's no do able in a day.

6. Euros are the currency in Dublin.

It is very safe to travel in Dublin, much friendlier and safer than London. If you stay in the city centre you will be able to walk to all the sights, otherwise there is a good bus network. taxis are friendly but expensive. You are best to fly from the UK,its only a 40 min or so flight,the main companies who fly are Aer Lingus or Ryan air, the ferry is a 4 hour or so crossing and the sea tends to be rough. Galway is on the west coast of Ireland and is quite a drive from dublin.


Jo

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Hi there!

I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but I didn't know where to put it, and figured here might be most appropriate.

I have always wanted to travel to the UK since I was a little girl. My father has lived all over the world, starting from age 18, but my mom has never lived anywhere but my small community. I come from Philadelphia, & still live at home, and my parents are rather nervous when I travel. After befriending some lovely Irishmen who were stateside, I've wanted to travel to London (and Dublin) even more. I have never been abroad, but just had a few general questions for those of you who not only live there, but have the most awesome accents in the entire world (I sound like Fran Drescher from "The Nanny" ).

I am planning to travel for a week to London and then a week to Dublin around early-mid September or November 2011 (depending on how long it takes me to save), when I'll have turned 23. I am quite street-smart and well aware of all my surroundings. I would plan to stay in the London area. I'm very independent and don't mind being on my own. However, I need to convince my parents I'd be safe alone.

1. Would it be safe for a girl my age to visit alone?
   
2. Would there be anything for me to do at night?
   
3. Is it easy to cab it around London if need be, or prohibitively expensive?
   
4. It is possible to access both Liverpool and Stonehenge by bus/train? I
   would like to visit both but will not have a car & do not plan to rent one. I can't even imagine the danger I'd pose trying to drive on the opposite side of the road!! I would want to do a Beatles tour of course, since my family are huge Beatles fans, yet no one's ever visited Liverpool! Also, could Liverpool be a day trip? I would probably want to go in the middle of the week.
   
5. This is quite stupid I'm sure, and please excuse my naivete, but what are the taxes like in London?
   
6. And yes, even stupider - is the USD accepted anywhere? I know Euros are used, I'm just curious.
   
7. I will be making a big purchase in London - it's actually cheaper abroad!! Will I have to declare it (a purse) on the way to Dublin, or back to America? I plan to do the same in Dublin also.

I am also planning to visit Dublin the week after. I know this is the UK board, but I figured the countries are very close, so some members might have valuable Irish info too! I have a friend in Dublin, but would probably be on my own mostly (he is quite busy with sports). If anyone is familiar with Dublin, is it safe to travel there as well? I'm embarassed to say I don't know much of what's outside Dublin (except he goes to Co. Galway for "a spot of fishing"), and I'd probably just stay within the city.

I'm sorry for such a long post, but I'm very excited at the possibility of going & want to start planning as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for any info or advice!

Hi, first of all I moved to London from a small town all on my own when I was younger than you so, as long as you are street smart and take the normal precautions then you should be fine!

England doesn't use the Euro, we use Pounds Sterling so you should get some money exchanged as your dollars will not be accepted here. However, the Republic of Ireland does use the Euro so you will have to get some Euros too. It is also worthwhile finding out if your Credit Card will be accepted here (Amex isn't accepted everywhere but it is accepted in alot of places for example).

There are places in London that are less safe than others. On the whole, however, the touristy places are safer than say the council estates. If you are staying in a hotel in central London, if you are street smart, as I say you should be fine. Some Touristy places like Camden are a haven for pick pockets so keep your valuables safe. London is huge, so it is worth researching where exactly you want to go and what you want to see. In terms of keeping safe, it is just like it would be in a major US city (except we aren't all allowed guns here ) so just be sensible. Stay in well lit areas, walk confidently, have a safe bag etc.

By taxes, do you mean sales tax? It isn't like America where some states have taxes added on at the till. Here VAT (value added tax) is automatically added so the price you see is the price you pay.

Taxi's can be expensive (and as I said London is huge!) and they aren't guaranteed to get you anywhere fast in traffic. You should take the Tube (subway) wherever you can and it is worth buying an Oyster Card specifically for London Travel. These cost £3 and you put money on for your travel and it automatically deducts the lowest fare. You can keep topping the money up as and when you need it. The Tube is often the cheapest and quickest way of travelling around London.

Stonehenge is possible from London, though I've never been there. You could get a train from London (Waterloo) to Salisbury which takes just over two hours and then a bus from Salisbury to Stonehenge which is about 30 mins travel time. Call it 3 hours tops to be on the safe side but bear in mind that is 6 hours journey time for one day.

Liverpool is in Northern England (London is in the South) is around 2 and a half hours from London (Euston) by train so again it is 5 hours of your day travelling.

How much will the purse be? In the UK, if we go abroad we are only legally allowed to bring back goods worth £145 before we have to declare it. However many of us bring much more than that back and still walk through the "Nothing to Declare" channel at the airport!!! I don't know what the US rules are (I imagine you could find out on the US customs website or via a travel agent) but will you be using the purse before you go home? It could be one you brought with you for all customs know.

In terms of Nightlife, you could go to a club on your own if you were comfortable with that and trusted that you could keep safe alone. There are also live music events (rock, pop, classical, jazz, r&b, rap, pretty much anything!) and gigs and the best theatre in the world . London is home of the West End so you could see musicals, plays, even visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (you can watch Shakespeare in a theatre designed to be just the experience it was in his time). There is also the Royal Opera House which shows Opera and Ballet and the National Theatre. Yes, there is LOTS of nightlife. The shopping is also pretty good - Oxford Street for all the main brands and department stores such as John Lewis, Selfridges etc, Knightsbridge for designers and shops like Harrods, Burberry, Harvey Nichols, and for something a bit different, quirky and eclectic try Carnaby Street or the Markets in Camden around the Lock. There are also shopping centres (Malls) such as Brent Cross and Westfield (which is huge and has a "posh" end and a cheaper end!). All of these are accessible by Tube.

Dublin is no less safe than London in my opinion. Having been to both, I'd say that Dublin is friendlier and less overwhelming than London can be.

Hope you have a wonderful time. Let us know how you enjoy yourself!

 

[irisheyes123]

Hi

Dublin is pretty safe once your street wise just don't flash your cash or wonder down empty streets.. Its very easy to get around plenty of busses and trains are good too plenty of places to visit and easy to do day trips here we are only a small country lol. We use Euro here and the north of Ireland use the pound but also except euro too.. here is a good web site for information on ireland
http://www.discoverireland.ie/Home.aspx

Im from Dublin so If you have any questions ask away

 

[ScotScroogeMcDuck]

Hi,

everyone seems to have answered your questions here but coming from a relatively small town in Scotland I would say London is as safe as any major city, and, as said above it's completely safe as long as you act like you're in a big city. By that be aware of your surroundings, your areas and the company you keep!

All the best.

 

[BarbieGal457]

Hey everyone!

Thank you so much for all your help and insight. I feel so dumb that I forgot about Pounds! I will surely be the tourist that ends up spending like, $100 on a beer because I can't convert! But again, thank you all so much. I'm still in the very early stages but you all have been a great help so far! (And I'm still jealous of all your accents...! )