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Santa Catalina - Island of Dreams
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Siena, Italy - Medieval Life and Horse Racing
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Sienna
Located roughly an hour outside of Florence, Siena is one of my favorite places in Italy. When you think gothic...
Tahiti, mon amour
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Vacation Safety - Stay AWARE to Stay SAFE
Why? To save yourself grief. And pain. ENSURE your Arizona vacation safety. Learn about safety issues NOT found in the travel brochures or vacation websites.
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Tourist Guide For London
Tourist Guide For London By Lisa Mills
London is an exciting, vibrant city, offering a whole host of
things to do and see. It is also one of the safest cities in the
world.
In order to make your experience as enjoyable as possible you
should exercise the same amount of caution as you would at
home.
London Transport Avoid using unlicensed cabs. Safe cabs
to use are those licensed by the Police. The driver will wear a
badge and the cab will have a licence on display.
When using a hire car, be sure to fully check the car over for
any damage prior to signing the forms.
Accommodation in London
Accommodation in London is given a Star and Diamond rating by
official tourist organisations. The greater the number of stars
or diamonds, the higher the quality.
Crime
As with any major city, crime can be a problem. However, if you
follow the same basic principles as you would at home, you will
be perfectly safe. Keep purses and wallets in zipped
compartments. Avoid using rucksacks. Keep cameras hanging round
your neck, not over your shoulder. Never put your bag on the
floor of a restaurant or bar, keep it with you at all times.
Your Money
It is not always cost effective to change your money up at your
Hotel. Try to shop around for the best rate. Banks and Building
Societies often offer the best rates.
Once you have changed up your money, be sure to store it in the
safe at your hotel.
Eating And Drinking
Be wary of young ladies inviting you into bars for a drink.
These ladies are often escorts and you may end up paying
hundreds of pounds for one drink and the privilege of the ladies
company for the evening.
It is now expected that diners will tip their waitress or waiter
in a restaurant. Before doing this, check your bill to see if
service is included. It is accepted that a tip of around 10% of
your total bill is reasonable. However, don't be tempted to tip
if the service or the food is poor.
Weapons
It is illegal to carry a knife, a gun or CS spray in London.
Important Holiday Dates
Holiday dates for 2006 are as follows:
New Year's Day - 2 January (substitute bank holiday in lieu of 1
January)
Good Friday - 14 April March
Easter Monday - 17 April
May Day - 1 May
Spring Bank Holiday - 29 May
Summer Bank Holiday - 28 August
Christmas Day - 25 December Boxing Day - 26 December
Our Banks are closed on Bank Holidays however the most popular
shops now open between the hours of 10am to 4pm.
Bank Holidays are classed as family days, therefore there are
usually plenty of activities organised to keep everyone
entertained.
Shopping
It may distress American ladies to know that you will gain a
dress size during your stay in London, and it won't be down to
the food. If you are a size 8 in America, you will be a size 10
over here and in Europe. Let's hope that doesn't put you off
your shopping! If it's any consolation, you will need shoes
2
sizes smaller, a 7 in America is a 5 over here for ladies. Mens
clothes sizes are no different. Their shoes however are 1 size
smaller over here.
Driving In London
We could write a book about driving in London. It is of course
much easier to say, "don't do it!" Driving in London is not a
pleasurable experience. You may be interested to learn that in
1898 the average speed of cars in London was 11mph, in 1998 it
was also 11mph, so much for progress. It may be some comfort to
you to know that there is an excellent underground system, which
is cheap and fast. If driving is your thing we have a wealth of
information for you to read and digest. It's a fact, we are
obsessed with roundabouts. Roundabouts are placed at junctions
where typically traffic is heavy. Love 'em or hate 'em, they
work well. On approach to a roundabout look to your right, if
there is nothing coming there is no need to stop. You must give
way to the right and travel round the roundabout in a clockwise
direction. You should indicate your intentions to assist other
drivers. A valid (full) European, US or Canadian licence is
needed to drive in the UK. Seatbelts must be worn by all
passengers. You must come to a complete stop where you see a
stop sign and a solid white line in the road, even if you can
see your way is clear. Unlike most other countries, drivers have
to stop at zebra crossings if a pedestrian is waiting to cross.
On pelican crossings you must come to a complete stop on red. On
amber you must wait until all pedestrians have safely crossed
prior to driving off. Traffic lights follow the following
sequence; red (stop), red and amber (get ready), green (go). We
overtake on the right, and quickly move back to the left hand
lane after overtaking. To cope with the mass amount of traffic
visiting London on a daily basis the Mayor has introduced a
congestion charge. This charge applies to vehicles entering
central London by car between the hours of 7am-6.30pm Mon-Fri
(excluding Bank Holidays). The charge is £8 daily. This can be
paid in advance by visiting www.cclondon.com you'll also be able
to pay at garage forecourts, in shops, by post and actually in
and around the congestion charging zone. You can now also pay by
text message although you have to register online first. Simply
text the last four digits of your credit/debit card to 81099 on
the day of travel and they will text you back your receipt
number within 30 minutes. A hefty fine applies to those that do
not pay the charge by midnight on the day of travel. Parking in
London is neither cheap nor easy. If you have parking at your
hotel, we suggest you leave your car there and use the tube.
Traffic wardens in London have a habit of popping up when you
least expect them, and following closely behind them is the
clamper van. The release fee is a bitter pill to swallow. When
driving in London, always lock your car doors. Gangs have been
known to strike when vehicles are stuck in traffic.
Should the above make you reconsider your decision to drive in
London, check out our 'getting around' section under the tourist
guide on www.24-7london.co.uk for alternatives!
24-7 London has a wealth of information for those people looking
to travel to London. Check out our website www.24-7London.
