Carry-on Luggage

Airlines, especially the budget airlines are merciless when it comes to charging for your luggage.  Although most have a luggage allowance of 20 kg for check-in bags, many now raise revenue by charging a fee for checking in your luggage in the hold.   The luggage check-in fee of up to £15.00 each way may just drive the budget conscious traveller to take a carry-on luggage only.

Flying with A Carry On Only

But, just in case you think you can do away with your check-in luggage, bear in mind that many of the budget airlines have weight and size restrictions on your carry bag as well.

It’s worthwhile paying attention to individual airline’s restrictions as travellers can be asked to have their carry-on bag weighed. ‘Reason’ says that those without a check-in bag should be allowed a higher carry-on limit as the airline is saving fuel for not transporting a 20 kg checked-in bag.  But, this is purely a money-raising exercise and there’s no point in putting forward this argument.

If you are intending to travel with a carry bag only for your holidays, then consider, as far as possible, using airlines that have no weight limit for the carry-on luggage.

The following are size and weight limits for carry-on luggage:

BMI
55 x 40 x 23 cm – No weight limit (must be able to lift luggage into overhead locker, unaided)

BmiBaby
55 x 40 x 20  cm – 10  kg

British Airways
56 x 45 x 25cm – No weight limit (must be able to lift luggage into overhead locker, unaided)

EasyJet
56 x 45 x 25 cm – No weight limit (must be able to lift luggage into overhead locker, unaided)

Flybe
50 x 35 x 23 cm – 10 kg

Jet2
56 x 45 x 25 cm – 10 kg

Monarch
56 x 45 x 25 cm – 10 kg

Ryanair
55 x 40 x 20 cm – 10 kg

Thomas Cook
48 x 28 x 23 cm – 5 kg

Thomson
55 x 40 x 20 cm – 5 kg

Virgin Atlantic
56 x 36 x 23 cm – 6 kg

Check out Carry-on luggage choices and buy here>

Alveston Manor Hotel © Travel Signposts

Our hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon was the Macdonald Alveston Manor Hotel which is about a 10 minute walk from the centre of  Stratford-upon-Avon.

This hotel is set in beautiful grounds and has a restful feel about it. Our room was a nice size, but it was at the back, overlooks the car park and was quite a long walk from the reception. For those with mobility problems, a tip is to ask for a room closer to the reception.

Whilst the hotel looks attractive on the outside, the inside could do with some sprucing up.  It looks tired in parts and the carpet in the corridors are worn.

The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. We had a Salade Caprese and Salmon fishcake. Desert was ice cream or Spotted Dick which became a conversation piece amongst the American guests. Those who had the Spotted Dick said it was a bit dry and was not a taste sensation.

The hotel website says that there is wireless internet access throughout the hotel (fees apply). We didn’t see any documentation in the room directory offering connection or what the fees are. There is only one rather ancient looking computer for guests, and it costs GBP1.00 for 20 minutes usage.

We didn’t have time to check out the hotel’s facilities but as far as the room was concerned there was nothing in the room features that particularly stood out for me. Perhaps we were given one of the older rooms.

There was a another group staying in the hotel and at breakfast there was a bit of confusion as to who could sit in which dining room which I didn’t think they handled very well. Our group ended up dining in two separate rooms.

If you’re looking for a place within walking distance of the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, this place would suit.

Search and book Stratford-upon-Avon hotels here.>

iTravel International

Are you a technophile or a technophobe? This depends on whether you are one of these people who carry your iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, MP3s, laptop or whatever gadgets with you on holiday because you like or have a need to be connected to the world even on your vacation.

Whether you are a technophile or a technophobe, most travellers these days use at least some technology in planning their work or vacation trip and researching destinations. We use the internet to consult online forums and pre-book travel requirements such as hotels, tours, transfers, entertainment, etc.

Hi-Tech and Travel

The good news for technophiles is that the tourism industry in many countries has embraced this transition to technology and many are offering enhanced services to travellers such as destination downloadable maps, free downloadable audio-guides, etc.  We can now buy apps that will let us download all kinds of destination information like restaurants, entertainment, weather or stay in touch with news back home.

Britain is no exception. In fact, Britain’s tourism industry has gone Hi-Tech, from pre-travel planning through to the experience at the destination.

According to the British Tourism Authority, a recent study found that 62% of Twitter users travel abroad three times or more a year, and 60% use Twitter to connect with local suppliers, hoteliers or transport companies before they travel, with 28% reporting they made a reservation following an initial contact on Twitter.

Twitter has taken the travel industry by storm, with some travellers undertaking TwiTrips, whereby all decisions on where to sleep or eat or which bar to visit are taken based on tweet from followers (see www.guardian.co.uk/travel/series/twitrips-twitter-trips).   Although, there’s a proportion of people who do not like technology and many who scorn Twitter, so not all visitors to Britain will be taking TwiTrips!

Take-it-with-you Technology

Take-it-with-you technology such as free downloadable audio-guides and hi-tech hand-held devices means that the hi-tech tourism revolution has personalised the travel experience in Britain.

• Hearmanchester.com has downloadable audio trails based on locations alongside the Rochdale Canal (which runs through the city centre), with locations highlighted by signposts on the actual trail.  (www.hearmanchester.com/)
• VisitBrighton have an extensive selection of free podcasts, including the topics of history, film locations, arts & sculpture, ‘People who Made Brighton & Hove’ and a Gay & Lesbian History trail.  (www.visitbrighton.com/site/maps-guides-and-interactive/podcasts)
• The Spires & Steeples podcast offers a local look at the arts and heritage walking route from Lincoln to Metheringham.  (www.spiresandsteeples.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=34)
• Visitors to Rye in East Sussex can download a VisitRye app to their iPhone for maps, recommendations on restaurants, museums and other attractions.  (www.visitrye.co.uk/)
• VisitBritain have a service called mobiExplore, which allows users to view UK maps (street and tube maps), and access ‘What’s On’ guides, lists of local restaurants and hotels, weather reports and discount vouchers directly from their mobile phones.  (www.visitbritain.us/about-britain/image-and-sound-gallery/mobile.aspx)
• Visitors to Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales can download a ‘Discover Grassington’ micro-site guide onto their mobiles which contains information about the town, plus two local walks. A poster displayed in the window of the National Park Centre provides simple downloading instructions.  (www.grassington.uk.com/)
• Even arriving in Yorkshire is a high-tech experience, as welcome messages via Bluetooth technology are being sent to mobile phones as visitors cross the border into the region.

Looks like I have a lot of travel technology to catch up to before I hit the road again.

Apple iTunes Audio Guide
Great Guides to Help You Plan Your Travel Budget

Castle Howard, Yorkshire

London is home to Big Ben, Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon – these are some of the things that most people know about Britain whether they’ve been there or not.

But here is a selection of things that you may not know and apart from being interesting facts, they may help to make your England and Wales holidays even more enjoyable.

1. Staying in a historic building need not be expensive. A moated castle, a 16th century manor house, a Dominican friary and a watermill – these are just a few examples of YHA (www.yha.org.uk) hostels which can cost from £12 per person a night. Many have been newly restored:  the rambling, gothic manor-house at Ilam in Derbyshire resembles a set from a Victorian costume drama.
2. You can walk freely, off-road, in beautiful countryside. There are 130,000 miles of public footpaths in England and Wales alone. For serious hikers, there are 15 long-distance National Trails (www.nationaltrail.co.uk), the latest being the Cotswold Way (www.nationaltrail.co.uk) through the hills of the same name.
3. The British passion for gardening has influenced the world. The first botanic garden was established at Oxford in 1621 and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was busy landscaping the estates of the rich by 1751.  New, 21st century gardens are equally groundbreaking, such as the futuristic Eden Project (www.edenproject.com) with its massive bio-domes in Cornwall, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales (www.gardenofwales.org.uk) near Carmarthen.


Stratford-upon-Avon

4. Waterway holidays (www.drifters.co.uk) are a delightful way of seeing Britain. A self-drive narrow boat (no previous experience needed) is a comfortable base from which to explore the 200 year-old canal system at a leisurely pace. Did you know that Birmingham has more canal mileage than Venice!
5. Thousands of Brits open their gardens to visitors for a small fee (donated to charity) once a year, so if you are curious to see how they live – outside at least – scan the National Gardens Scheme’s (www.ngs.org.uk) ‘Yellow Book’ calendar for locations.
6. From Beatrix Potter to Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy to William Wordsworth – no country has more writers’ homes open to visitors. Nothing beats stepping into an author’s home to see what made them tick.
7. This was the northernmost outpost of the Roman Empire and, though Bath’s Roman Bath (www.romanbaths.co.uk) and Hadrian’s Wall (www.hadrians-wall.org) are renowned, there are gems in unlikely places. There’s a Roman gold mine (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) at Dolaucothi in Mid Wales – with tours of the underground workings. One mosaic-filled villa was only unearthed in 1949, at Lullingstone, Kent.


Lake Windermere, Lake District

8. You don’t have to go to the coast to take a cruise. There are regular sailings on Windermere (www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk), England’s largest lake. On the tranquil upper reaches of the Thames, summer sailings (www.salterssteamers.co.uk) head through ‘Wind in the Willows’ country from places like Windsor and Oxford.  We failed in coaxing the sun to come out for a sunnier photo, but nevertheless the scenery is beautiful and the cruise enjoyable.
9. With reputedly haunted buildings scattered throughout the country, it’s not surprising that ghost-themed walking tours are popular. If you love ghostly pursuits, you will find these tours entertaining, although they invariably make you look twice at shifting shadows. Locations include York, Bath, Lincoln and London. The local tourist offices have details of these.
10. Taking a look at the subjects of the country’s weird and wonderful museums, you’ll realise why Britons have a reputation for being eccentric. There’s the British Lawnmower Museum (www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk) (Southport), the Bakelite Museum (www.nothingtoseehere.net) (Williton, Somerset) and, for a nostalgic collection of packaging, venture to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising (www.museumofbrands.com) in London’s Notting Hill.

Interesting Facts about London
Interesting Facts about Britain

• Festivals
• Public Holidays
• Visas
• Health
• Time
• Electricity
• Weights & Measures
• Business hours: shops, offices, pubs etc.
• Money, Banks etc.
• Useful Telephone Numbers

Festivals

Festivals often happen in the months you’ll be there. There are so many events in England and Wales that the best thing I can do is give you a link to the Tourist Board’s search facility:

Visit Britain Events Search (opens in new window)

Visit Wales Events Search (opens in new window)

Bank and Public Holidays in England and Wales in 2011 and 2012

Visas:

EU citizens may live and work free of any immigration controls. Citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand are generally allowed to stay six months without a visa.

UKvisas is a joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office unit which runs the UK’s visa service through British diplomatic Posts overseas

Health risks:

None (if you ignore the food)

Time:

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC) or BST (British Summer Time), which is GMT/UTC +1 and lasts approximately from the end of March to the end of October.
Current UK time

Electricity:

240V, 50Hz, 3 square pin plug

Weights & measures:

Metric (except beer, which is measured in pints):

More useful facts: English Weights and Measures and their equivalents

Clothing and shoe sizes conversion: US, UK, Europe

Business Hours:

With many, many exceptions, business hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Opening hours for shops are almost completely deregulated, so leading to many shops being open late and sometimes even 24 hours for the local 7-11. Some restrictions still remain in relation to Sunday trading so you may find some shops having shorter opening hours. In country towns, there is usually an early closing day (often on Wed or Thurs), when the shops close at 1pm.

Chemists: Every police station in the country has a list of emergency chemists. Dial “0″ (zero) and ask the operator for the local police, who will give you the name of one nearest you.

Licensing Laws: The legal drinking age is 18. Children under 16 aren’t allowed in pubs, except in certain rooms, and then only when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Don’t drink and drive. Penalties are severe, with disqualification automatic if you’re over the limit.

Licensed Premises Opening Hours: Monday through Saturday from 11am to 11pm, and on Sunday from noon to 10:30pm. Premises with a restaurant licence can continue serving until midnight (11:30pm Sun), provided the sale of alcohol is ancillary to a table meal. Some businesses with a Supper Hours Certificate, and which provide live entertainment for diners, can apply to the licensing justices for an extended hours order, granting a further extension of drinking hours to 1am Monday through Saturday. In hotels, liquor may be served from 11am to 11pm to both residents and non-residents; after 11pm, only residents, according to the law, may be served.

Mail: Post offices and sub-post offices are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday from 9:30am to noon.

Tax Refunds: There is a 17.5% national value-added tax (VAT) included in the price of many items you buy. This can be refunded if you shop at stores that participate in the RetailExport Scheme (signs are posted in the window).

Money:

The Pound Sterling (£ or GBP)

• The euro (€) may have replaced the national currency of 12 countries within the European Union, but they didn’t include the UK, which still uses the Pound Sterling (GBP). British money is now based on the decimal system – there are one hundred pence to each pound. Coins have the values of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2. Notes have the values of £5, £10, £20 and £50. You can exchange currency at any bank branch (hours are listed below). Automatic cash machines can be found just about everywhere.
• Bank Opening Hours: Banking hours in England are usually  from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
• Currency exchange: Currency exchange can be carried out at all bank branches and some Post Offices (post offices in England don’t charge commission when exchanging currency). Bureaux de change can also be found in large department stores, railway stations, airports and near to tourist sites. Please note: although the exchange rate is fixed, commission rates are not. By law these must be clearly displayed and you should keep an eye out for outrageous commissions.

Check out the current pound (GBP) exchange rate with your currency here (close the new window to return): TRAVEL SIGNPOSTS CURRENCY CONVERTER

Telephone:

• Emergencies: Police: Dial 999 for police, fire, or ambulance. Give your name, address, and telephone number and state the nature of the emergency. Losses, thefts, and other criminal matters should be reported to the police immediately.
• Local area codes all begin with “0″; you drop the “0″ if you’re calling from outside Britain, but you need to dial it along with the area code if you’re calling from another city or town within Britain. For calls within the same city or town, the local number is all you need.
• Directory assistance in London, dial 142; for the rest of Britain, 192.
• There are three types of public pay phones: those taking only coins, those accepting only phone cards (called Cardphones), and those taking both phone cards and credit cards. At coin-operated phones, insert your coins before dialing. The minimum charge is 10p.
• Phone cards are available in four values: £2, £4, £10, and £20. You can buy pay-as-you-go SIM cards from most mobile phone retailers and many electrical stores. You use them until the total value has expired. Cards can be purchased from news stands and post offices. If your mobile phone accepts SIM cards from companies other than the one you usually use it with, you should be able to register the SIM and use it during your trip. You can also use credit call pay phones which operate on credit cards (Access (MasterCard), Visa, American Express, and Diners Club). These are usually found at airports and main railway stations.
• For calling reverse charges (collect) or if you need an international operator, dial 155.

Lost Credit Cards/Travelers’ Cheques

• American Express 01273 696 933 00
• Diner’s Club 0870 1900 011
• EC and Bank Cards (069) 74 09 87
• Mastercard 0800 96 4767 10
• VISA 0800 89 1725

Our other England and Wales pages:

Travel to England – it’s much more than a pub-crawl!

When to travel to England and Wales for your UK tour

Tour Routes in England and Wales

Food in England and Wales: look out for these traditional specialities!

Traditional English Food Specialities: British favourites

English Breakfasts and Afternoon Teas: the quintessential British gastronomic experience!

Daily Newspapers in England (Great Britain)

Brief History Timelines of England and the UK

English Weights and Measures and their equivalents

Clothing and Shoe Size equivalents

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in the UK online

Book your hotel in the UK online

Hire a Limousine in London, England

Residential telephone directory England, Business too!

More interesting, fast facts about England

TRAVEL TO ENGLAND WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS