If you don;t do this important step, you may be in trouble once you get to the airport or your destination. Travel documents are just as essential as money for a trip. Read this carefully and prepare accordingly. Organizing Travel Documents As the time grow near for your exciting trip, there are a few things to check and to gather together to be prepared. The first thing you should do is make copies of all of the following items (I would suggest upwards of 5 copies each): • Itineraries • Passports and Licenses • Travel and Flight Documents • Hotel Arrangements and Confirmations • Packing Checklist After you make copies of each of these items, there are certain things you should do with them. First, leave a copy with a family member or friend who is close to you. That way they know where you will be, and how they can contact you if there is an emergency. Next, you will want to keep a copy of each with you on the trip. I would suggest maybe get a small accordion folder and separate the documents into groups. Along with these documents in the folder, keep your tickets, London Pass or sightseeing materials, copies of your driver’s license and passport. This folder should remain with you throughout the trip. Keep it in your day pack to carry around with you whilst in London. That way if you need a reference to where you should be, you will have it with you. Also. if you get into a situation where you need an ID, you will have many references. Also, by keeping it in your day pack, you will also be safe should you have to check your bag at the airport and you need your documents. Also, keep the rest of your copies in your actual carry-on luggage. After you make copies of each of these items, there are certain things you should do with them. First, leave a copy with a family member or friend who is close to you. That way they know where you will be, and how they can contact you if there is an emergency. Next, you will want to keep a copy of each with you on the trip. I would suggest maybe get a small accordion folder and separate the documents into groups. Along with these documents in the folder, keep your tickets, London Pass or sightseeing materials, copies of your driver’s license and passport. This folder should remain with you throughout the trip. Keep it in your day pack to carry around with you whilst in London. That way if you need a reference to where you should be, you will have it with you. Also. if you get into a situation where you need an ID, you will have many references. Also, by keeping it in your day pack, you will also be safe should you have to check your bag at the airport and you need your documents. Also, keep the rest of your copies in your actual carry-on luggage. They also make such a thing as a travel documents wallet. It has spaces for credit cards, licenses and IDs. It has storage for larger travel documents and a passport. Try looking on Amazon.com or some other site or store that sells purses, wallets, or travel gear. This may seem to some as needless waste of paper and time. But it could mean the difference between a great and smooth trip, or a bag and rocky transition trip. There of course many other options, but these are the few that make the most sense to me. For Rick Steves' tips, check out his website below.
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Hi readers, here is the next section from my book. This section is titled "Tickets and Passes". This is the smallest section of my book. It all dials down to one thing...save money! Enjoy...
Tickets and Passes London is site crazy. Buying dozens of tickets can get stressful and expensive very quickly. Luckily most “government funded” museums are free (British Museum, National Gallery, etc.), but a lot of places are not. I make a chart of the sites I want to see and I divide them between which are free and which require tickets. That shows what tickets I have to buy. I also divide them into subsections based on location in the city. What it all comes down to it, save money when you can. That way what money you save can be used for dinner splurges or for all those souvenirs you will bring home. I have found one sightseeing pass in particular to be the best idea. It is called the “London Pass”. It gains you access to over sixty London attractions and gives special discounts and offers on sites that are already free. You also have the option to get a London Pass with Travelcard. With this it gives you free use of the London Underground Tube system and bus system. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, not all of the sites you might want to see are not included. For me I get into the sites I want to see and only have to end up buying maybe one or two tickets separately. For example, the London Eye is owned by British Airways and requires a ticket and St. Paul’s Cathedral requires a ticket. It is well worth the money. For £108 for a six day pass and Travelcard, you get over £500 worth of sites. I hope this inspires your trip planning. If I were you I would really consider opting to buy the London Pass. Instead of dozens of separate fees and paper tickets, you get one fee and one card. Less stress on your mind and your wallet. For more info on the London Pass, click on the photo below to be linked to the Official Website. Hi readers, here is part two of my "Planning a Smart Itinerary" Chapter. This part is basically just my own personal itinerary that I will use when I go to London. I have spent four months working on an itinerary. Learning the routes, streets and memorizing the streets of London. After about 10 revisions, this is the final product, and I believe the best itinerary for myself to follow. This includes sites important to me. This is in no way to tempt others to follow. Others may want to visit other sites. I am just giving you a backbone example of how smart planning can pay off! So here you have it. The final part of the first chapter of my London Travel Tips book...
I will now give you an example of a smart itinerary. This is my personal itinerary. I shall list the sites and the part of London it involves, and give prices and whether they are included on the London Pass (which I shall discuss in a later section). The sites are listed in order of how they will be visited. My itinerary begins on a Monday and ends on a Sunday. Day 1- Monday (Westminster): · Westminster Abbey- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. · The Queen’s Gallery @ Buckingham Palace- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. · The Mall · Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery- National Gallery is free admittance. · Covent Garden- It being a Monday means it is antique day at the market. Check website for schedule of events. · Horse Guards Parade- No Admittance. Photo or video opportunities only. Changing of the Guard at 11:00 am. · Downing Street- No Admittance. Photo or video opportunities only. Day 2- Tuesday (Southbank/ The City): · Tower of London- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance · Tower Bridge Exhibition- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. · Tate Modern Gallery- Free attraction. · St. Paul’s Cathedral- Ticket required. Not included on the London Pass. · Borough Market- Food market. Free admittance. Day 3- Wednesday (Bloomsbury/ Westminster): · King’s Cross Station- My purpose of checking out this premier London station is my being a Harry Potter fan. There is the Harry Potter Shop @ Platform 9 ¾. As well as a trolley disappearing into the wall at the platform. · British Museum and Library- Free London Attraction. I would suggest if planning this as a spot on your itinerary, prepare to spend at the least 3-4 hours at this museum. · Churchill War Rooms and Museum- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. · Houses of Parliament- Free entry when Parliament is in session. Enter through the Cromwell Green Visitors entrance. Upon entering you will be asked if you want to visit the Lords or Commons. I would suggest the Lords, due to long lines to see the commons (plus once you finish over at the Lords you can wander over to the Commons). Expect long lines and long wait once inside. It is worse on Wednesdays when the Prime Minster is there for questions. The best time to go would be in the afternoon. · Thames River Cruise @ Westminster Pier- Ticket are required, unless you have a London Pass. The London Pass gives the bearer benefit of a 1 day hop on and off. I shall be taking a cruise from Westminster Pier down to Tower Bridge and back. A one way trip is around 30 minutes, roundtrip about an hour. If you want a longer trip, you can stay on all the way down to Greenwich. Day 4- Thursday (Hampton Court/ Kensington/ Westminster): · Hampton Court Palace- Ticket is required, unless you have a London Pass which then it is free. For transport you must take a train. It takes around 30-35 minutes by train from London. · Harrods Department Store- Largest department store in Europe in the midst of Kensington in West London. · London Eye- Ticket required. Tickets are sold through British Airways. Day 5 – Friday (Kensington): · Kensington Palace and Gardens- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. · Natural History Museum- Free attraction. Plan to spend a good 2-3 hours. · Victoria and Albert Museum- Free Attraction. Directly across from the Natural History Museum. Again, plan to spend a good 2 hours. Day 6- Saturday (Windsor/ Piccadilly): · Windsor Castle- entrance fee is needed, unless buying a London Pass, in which case it is free admittance. Transport by train from London takes around 35-45 minutes. · St. James’ Palace- No Admittance. Photo and Video opportunities only. · Shopping in Piccadilly- (Fortnum and Masons, Waterstones, Lillywhites, Cool Britannia). · Piccadilly Circus- The famous square is a tourist flocking destination. Day 7- Sunday (Westminster/ Airport): · Changing of the Guard @ Buckingham Palace- 11:00am-12:30pm every day. Best to arrive by 10:30am for a good viewing spot by the gate at the Palace. · Head to the airport for home…. This of course is my personal pleasure list for London. I of course want to see more but like I said, you can’t possibly fit everything you want into one trip. If you don’t get to everything on your London Travel dreams list, don’t worry. Always assume that you will return. Like I say, once you visit London it will be your next mission in life to return. For Rick’s planning tips click on the link below. I hope you enjoyed my personal itinerary for London. I shall start chapter 2 soon.... Hi Readers, I am starting with Chapter 1 of my book. This chapter is called "Planning a Smart Itinerary". It is too big of a chapter to put into one post so I will put the first two paragraphs in this post. Enjoy....
Plan a “Smart” itinerary You know you want to see everything London has to offer, but you have to be smart. Unless you live there, it will be impossible to see it in only a few days…probably not even 5 years. Yes, it is that big! It is Europe’s biggest city after all. Start out by figuring out economically how long you can stay in London. I have given myself seven days. Obviously I won’t see much, but I can at least get some of the classic sites into that time window. But be aware…trying to cram too much into an itinerary will not work. Jot down the sites you most want to see. Pull out a map of the city, see what sites are in close proximity to each other. See how many sites you can see in one day. Devote each day to different parts of the city. For example, spend one day roaming through Westminster. In Westminster you have Buck Palace, Parliament, Piccadilly, etc. Another day could be for Southwark and the “City”. That part includes the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Tate Modern Gallery. Basically, go where you want, but plan it out. Don’t go from one end of the city to another in one day. Spread it out and plan wisely. Also, take into consideration when planning…what is free and what is not? Now that you have read this part, I hope it gives you enough basic knowledge to write your own itinerary. In the next post I will give you the rest of the chapter which includes my own itinerary. For now here is a link to Rick Steves' travel website, you can read his thoughts too, for planning a smart itinerary. Part 2 of this chapter coming next... |
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