Looking to travel to the UK to get a custom RST airbag suit. I’ve barely traveled in the states and never traveled internationally, actually am in the process of getting a passport. So my plan is to fly from Dulles into London either direct or using Iceland air (it’s a good bit cheaper but has a layover in Iceland both ways). From London I would be taking a train to Derby and then have to take an uber/taxi to RST headquarters. So with all that being said, what are the do’s and do nots of international travel that I need to know? Is a credit card sufficient or do I need to have cash? If it’s cash do I bring USD and get it converted to local currency once there? I’ll probably go for a few days, is London a nice place to check out? Anything I should be aware of/places to avoid? Anything else you can think of I need to know? Ultimately I’m sure this sounds absurd to make such a trip for a suit rather than getting something in the US. However I’ve always wanted to check out a foreign country and with how affordable the RST suit is with racer pricing it’s only a couple hundred more to do this. Thanks for all the help and I’ll update if I think of anything else.
Basics: Credit card is mostly sufficient / Biggest issue is to confirm with your CC bank to ensure there are no international fees Maybe get $100 converted to local currency in case you want to tip or pay at a local small shop for food or something I'd choose the flight with the better seats and pay a little more over just overall price. Layovers anywhere are best avoided if they're over 2hrs unless they're for like a day and you can go explore Iceland. Short layovers (less than 45min) can be bad news also because they won't hold the connecting flight if your first flight is delayed. Could also complicate luggage if you miss the connecting flight but you luggage doesn't (or vice versa). Layover ideal for me is 1-2hrs. You shouldn't have to go through customs in Iceland unless you want to leave the airport. If you do want to do that, I'd say minimum 4-5hrs between flights. London is great! Safer (imo) than American big cities of similar size. They have a more knife violence instead of gun violence. In tourist areas or areas with a lot of people / crowds, just make sure your wallet / phone / etc is safe in a zipped pocket / front pocket / whatever. Places like Southbank (I skated there!) are cool/fun, but also one of those pickpocket type zones. The tube (subway) is very convenient but also when crowded it becomes a pickpocket zone. They aircondition them opposite NYC, so be prepared for pleasant stations, but un-airconditioned trains that get pretty hot in the summer. I'd also recommend Canary Warf for a nice dinner, Soho / Shoreditch is a fun/young area, I like Camden for shopping some smaller shops
Cool trip! London sucks. The weather sucks. The food sucks. There's a few cool things to see there, but that's about it. Research the best way to get from the airport to your hotel. Always have backups: multiple credit and atm cards, plus USD cash. You can convert it anywhere. Airport when you arrive are usually a ripoff. Use your ATM card to get a few pounds to get you to your hotel then ask the front desk where you can find the best rate. I have a travel Schwab ATM card and just use ATMs whenever I need local currency. They give me the best rate possible. Do a couple day layover in Iceland if you can. Grab a rental car and drive the southern coast. Its spendy, but worth it.
Paying by card is the way to go, chip and pin. Make sure your bank or CC know you'll be going there. As Luke said, it's always handy to have some cash and I would get some here. Avoid the exchange places at the airports/railway station (Travelex?) , they have crap rates and charge a lot. If you need extra cash got to one of the branded ATM's. There are some like the ones here you find in gas stations and they also have crap rates and high fees. Be aware depending on the time of day that you might not be able to get a train back to London from Derby on the same day. And it's not cheap. And London doesn't suck. Grew up just north of it, worked there for over ten years didn't care much for it. But going back there a few times when I still lived in the UK and several times over the past twenty plus years has given me a whole new appreciation for it. It is a great city.
Get to Dulles early, it's totally hit or miss. Pretty much what others said. Credit cards and some cash (like $200) but I just took it up the pooper and used Travelex for exchange. Weirdly I usually came back with most of my cash unspent and just went back to Travelex to change it back. I traveled international a lot and used Amex 95% of the time but kept a mastercard in reserve. Cellphone. Who you have? Sprint (now tmobile?) did not work overseas so double check. Who you flying?
What these guys said. So you’re from Frederick MD, not some complete podunk town. Tell your CC company you’ll be traveling from x date to x date so they don’t ding you, have your cell plan adjusted so you don’t get reamed if you use it, have some cash handy and that’s about it. You got a problem while you’re there, they are nice people and they speak English, probably better than we do. Good luck with your suit and have a great time!
Oh, DO NOT surf the net or email via cellular while there unless you're connected to wifi (that you trust).
The train is one of the main parts im still trying to figure out. The lady at RST said I can fly into Birmingham as it’s closer so I’m looking into that too. Currently if I’m flying into London it seems to be between Icelandair which has a 1.5hr layover in Iceland or United which is a direct flight.
If you’re referring to dianese, I can do a custom works in the US. The RST is appealing because racer pricing is under $2000 for an airbag suit and you can recharge it yourself. The only reason I have to travel to the UK is because they don’t have anyone stateside to do the measurements.
I flew United a ton out of Dulles including to London and it sucks but no worse than anyone else. The gate is out in D? So you’ll be riding the crawler. Be ready for that. There’s some shit to eat out there buts older and not a ton to do. Get there early and be ready to wait until you get through security. Plan your seats early with United and you’ll be okay.
Unless you can fly business, Iceland Air isn’t bad. Halfway decent food on board. Not sure about England these days, but between Iceland, Germany, Austria, and Czech I used a physical card, like, 3 times. Apple Pay is everywhere and only spent maybe a few hundred euros in cash in three trips. Some smaller restaurants don’t take cards so always ask. plus 1 million for trying to find a few days in Iceland. You can do a layover of up to a week for the same airfare. It’s a kickass promo.
Too bad you're going out of Dulles....you could park your ride in front of my house for the trip and save the airport parking fee if you flew out of BWI...I'm not far from that airport.
In Europe now and the only thing I’ve used cash for is tips. I ate at a couple places that only accept credit cards. I believe you get the best exchange rate by charging on your card, as long as you confirm your credit card company doesn’t charge any extra fees. Enjoy your trip. It’s fun to go somewhere else and learn a bit about how they do things differently.
Never hit Iceland but it was on the list to hit. Are there "real" hotels there or just "guesthouse" style"? I have zero idea on it.
Ive used Rome2rio for overseas transportation planning and it works great. Unless the whiny little b%^*&es in Germany decide to have a massive rail/air/errything strike because their Teutonic panties got all in a bunch and ruin your carefully laid plans. Germania is the new France. But I digress. https://www.rome2rio.com/
