Posts Tagged ‘Luggage’
Travel Tips to Make Your Next Trip Faster, Easier and Safer
If you traveling overseas there are a few things you should do before you go to make your trip more safe and enjoyable.
Depending on where you are going you should visit the State Department website and check travel and business section for any travel warnings of the country or region you are visiting.
You should also take this opportunity to with register with the embassy (there is a link “Registering with US Embassies” from the travel and business section of the site). Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.
You should make two copies of your passport and visa(s) for the country you are visiting if you have one. Give one copy of the documents to someone at home, it will make it easier for them to contact you, should something happen. Keep the second copy with you at all times.
With that said, always keep your passport and visa(s) locked in the safety deposit box at the hotel (keeping the paper copies with you). Also note, the safe at the front desk typically is the best place to lock up these items as opposed to the safety deposit box in your room.
You should also give all your hotel and flight information and itineraries to your main contact person here in the States. Again, hopefully they will never need to use that information, but in case they do, they will have it.
On to lighter subjects, well maybe not lighter, but at least, not a serious. Luggage! Regardless of if you are traveling domestically or internationally, it is a good idea to visit your airlines website to find out how much luggage you are allowed. There is nothing worse than getting to the airport and been told you have to pay another $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00 because your bags are too heavy.
Keep in mind that baggage allowance varies upon many things: are you traveling internationally or domestically? Are you flying First, Business or Economy? Are you a member of their frequent flyer program, or one of their partners? If so, what level are you (standard, silver, gold or platinum)? And finally, see if you are allowed one bag, two bags or in some cases, three bags and what are the allowances for your carry-on bag. Yes, it does vary and yes, I will be the first to admit that airline travel has become a chore.
While you are on the website checking out your baggage allowance information, you should also check to see, what exactly is included in terms of meals, snacks and drinks. More and more airlines now only offer complementary water and soda during the flight and unbelievably, some do not even offer that anymore. If your airline is on that charges for meals, snacks and drinks, it is a good idea to take a lot of one-dollar bills and a few fives. This will make paying for your purchases easier and your flight attendants will thank you.
These are just a few ideas that will help to make your travels faster, easier and safer as you are out exploring the world.
Andrew Satkowiak
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/travel-tips-to-make-your-next-trip-faster-easier-and-safer-129346.html
Tags: Airlines, Business Section, Check Travel, Consular Officer, Consular Officers, Contact Person, Disaster, Embassies, Flight Information, Front Desk, Itineraries, Luggage, Paper Copies, Passport And Visa, Passport Visa, Safety Deposit Box, Site Registration, State Department, Travel Tips, Travel Warnings | No Comments »
I need the easiest and cheapest way from Heathrow airport to a hotel by hyde park.?
We are staying at comfoprt inn at Prince square. We have never been to London and have no idea what to expext as far as transportation..
Take the Paddington Express to Paddington, change to the Circle Line tube and get off at Bayswater station and if your luggage is on wheels, then you can walk the rest of the way, north (right) on Queensway to the first corner, left into Moscow Road, right at the end (Hereford Road), and the hotel is just on the right the second street along. Or you can get a cab from Paddington Station.
There’s an alternative walking route past Whiteley’s suggested here, but it’s heavily foot trafficked and you will suffer for it. Also, what they say about the cab fare being £30 from Heathrow is baloney. More like £50-60. The Paddington Express train will cost you £15 per person. A cheaper alternative is Heathrow Connect, which takes a little bit longer because it makes stops along the way, but only costs £6.90 per person.
The other people here are wrong - they do not know where your hotel is - taking the Piccadilly Line is going to put you on the wrong side of Hyde Park, it’s going to take you an hour to get to Hyde Park Corner with all the stops and then you’re going to have to get a taxi across the park which is impossible to hail one down at Hyde Park Corner because they can’t pull over. The Paddington Express is 15 minutes, the tube train to Bayswater is 3 minutes and the walk from Bayswater is 10-15 minutes (cab from Bayswater maybe 5 minutes, tops).
Best option for taxi to Willesden Green/Queen’s Park - Luton or Heathrow?
We (couple) will be taking a taxi from either Luton airport or Heathrow airport to Willesden Green station or Queen’s Park station in London. Which will be cheaper? How long will each take? How much should we expect to pay?
Will be travelling with lots of luggage but if anyone knows of equally convenient ways to travel to and from the same places please feel free to leave a comment on that too.
There are various public transport option but if you’ve got tonnes of luggage and need a direct transfer, I would recommend looking at options other than a black cab because these are ridiculously expensive, especially since there is often lots of traffic.
My recommended option would be to get an airport transfer with a car service. I use these people www.airportmpvservices.co.uk and they are excellent. They are a set price and these are the best rates that I’ve found in London for this type of thing. They even meet you at the gate and help you with your luggage. Ask for Joyce.
If you know people around the area that you are going to, you could ask them to help you organise a mini-cab (which is a car with a driver which you pay a set fee to go to a certain destination). Mini-cabs are cheaper than black cabs but are run by little local companies so unlikely that you’ll find them on the net.
Generally you will find it easier to get back to central London from Heathrow because distance wise it is much closer than Luton (which is an hour or so north of the city).
Tags: Airport Heathrow, Black Cab, Black Cabs, Car Service, Central London, Green Queen, Heathrow Airport, Local Companies, London Heathrow, Luggage, Luton Airport, Mini Cab, Mini Cabs, Public Transport, Queen S Park, Recommended Option, S Park, Taxi, Transport Option, Willesden Green | 2 Comments »
How do I get from Gatwick to Hyde Park (Lancaster Gate tube station)?
thanks
The first leg of your journey is very straightforward: as most others have suggested, take the Gatwick Express train — that takes you straight from the airport to Victoria station in 30 mins.
When you buy your Gatwick Express ticket, get a combined London Transport one-day ticket, valid for zone 1 buses and tubes (or a visitor’s Oystercard if you’ll be using public transport at other times during your stay). You can see the options for visitors’ ticket options here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/1067.aspx
To make the rest of your journey as easy as the first part, hop on the number 148 bus from Victoria Street, immediately facing the station as you come out of the main entrance. You’ll need a bus going towards Shepherd’s Bush.
The 148 will take you direct to Lancaster Gate station. Makes life easier — no changes, no managing escalators with luggage, plus you get to see a bit of London as you go by. The bus journey’s about 20 minutes.
What is the least expensive way to get from Heathrow to the Belsize Park tube station and how would I go?
There will be 2 adults with luggage (one bag and one carry on each) arriving at noon on a Saturday. Thanks so much for your help!
The cheapest way would be to take the tube (London Underground). You can get this direct from the airport terminal and travel on the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square, then change to the Northern line to Belsize Park. The journey would probably take up to a couple of hours allowing for changes.
The cost (maximum £4.00 per person) is a lot less than other options such as Heathrow Express or taxi, but you’d have to carry your luggage around, possibly up some stairs or escalators, and on a Saturday the tube is likely to be pretty crowded.
But it’s definitely the cheapest way and I’ve taken luggage on the tube in this way before, I’d rather save the money to enjoy myself at my destination!
