Great Britian Travel Planning
& Travel Tips
Embassy Contact Information: Americans living in or visiting the United Kingdom are encouraged to register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in London or at the U.S. Consulates General in Edinburgh or Belfast and obtain updated information on travel and security within the U.K.
The U.S. Embassy is located at 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE; Telephone:
in country 020-7499-9000, from the U.S. 011-44-20-7499-9000 (24 hours);
Consular Section fax: in country 020-7495-5012; from the U.S. 011-44-20-7495-5012.
The embassy web site is http://www.usembassy.org.uk.
Great Britian Climate: England has no season when the weather is predictably
wonderful. We like May, June and October, when day temperatures tend to
be cool. Other people prefer July-September, when temperatures are about
10 degrees F/5 C higher. English gardens are at their best in late March
and April. And we've met still others who like to visit in the winter because
there are fewer tourists and, thanks to the Gulf Stream, the weather is
often tolerable (although it does rain more, and many sights outside of
cities may be closed). Take a collapsible umbrella and sweater no matter
when you go.
Calling Internationally:To call Britain from North America, dial
tel. 011 (international code), tel. 44
(Britain's country code), the local area codes (usually three or four digits
and found in every phone number we've given in this book), and the seven-digit
local phone number. The local area codes found throughout this book 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.
For directory assistance in London, dial tel. 142;
for the rest of Britain, tel. 192.
There are three types of public pay phones: those taking only coins, those accepting only phonecards (called Cardphones), and those taking both phonecards and credit cards. At coin-operated phones, insert your coins before dialing. The minimum charge is 10p (15¢).
Phonecards are available in four values—£2 ($3), £4 ($6), £10 ($15),
and £20 ($30)—and are reusable until the total value has expired.
Cards can be purchased from newsstands and post offices. Finally, the credit-call
pay phone operates on credit cards—Access (MasterCard), Visa, American
Express, and Diners Club—and is most common at airports and large
railway stations.
To make an international call from Britain, dial the international access
code (00), then the country code, then the area code, and finally the local
number. Or call through one of the following long-distance access codes:
AT&T USA Direct (tel. 0800/890-011), Canada Direct
(tel. 0800/890-016), Australia (tel. 0800/890-061),
and New Zealand (tel. 0800/890-064). Common country codes
are: USA and Canada, 1; Australia, 61;
New Zealand, 64; South Africa, 27.
If you're calling collect or need the assistance of an international operator, dial tel. 155.
Caller, beware: Some hotels routinely add outrageous surcharges
onto phone calls made from your room. Inquire before you call! It'll be
a lot cheaper to use your own calling card number or to find a pay phone.
Travel Insurance for Great Britian Trips: You should consider the benefits of travel
insurance as part of your Great Britian travel planning. Most travelers
look for travel tips that discuss the importance of travel insurance and
travel insurance through AIG Travel Guard can provide important coverage for your trip.
Whether you’re taking a family vacation or business trip, AIG Travel
Guard has a plan for your Great Britian trip. These plans may include valuable medical expense coverage,
trip interruption, medical emergency assistance and treatment services
and more. And with AIG Travel Guard’s 24-hour assistance line, your
coverage can act as a travel guide should your plans change.*
For more than 20 years, AIG Travel Guard’s plans have covered millions
of travelers throughout the world. We're America's leading provider of
travel insurance plans and assistance programs and we're here to help you 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. Coverage provided through AIG Travel Guard is easy to buy and with our
24-hour emergency travel services it's even easier to use.
*Non-insurance services provided by AIG Travel Assist.
|