The Travel Tips Thread!

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cleverlymadeup

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PedroSteckecilo said:
BallPtPenTheif said:
conqueror Kenny said:
London tips

[li]Don't ask the locals for help, you will most likely get abuse.[/li]
that makes me want to go to London and ask for help. i also want to go to France and not speak French. i need to work on some antagonism issues.
I'm going to London and France in a few weeks, I'm a Canadian so I'll assume everyone is as nice as Canadian's are (see my previous post), and I also don't speak French, I'll tell you how it goes.

EDIT: I'll see London, I'll see France, I'll desperately hope Air Canada doesn't lose my Underpants.
as long as you say you're canadian and show them your passport, they'll treat you ok, tho you might want to say you're from vancouver or toronto instead of calgary

paris honestly is rather scuzzy and dirty, louvre, statue de liberte, notre dame and the eiffel tower are cool, spend a full day in the louvre, you'll need to

as for london it's got a lot of cool stuff
 

7thRain

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PedroSteckecilo said:
BallPtPenTheif said:
conqueror Kenny said:
London tips

[li]Don't ask the locals for help, you will most likely get abuse.[/li]
that makes me want to go to London and ask for help. i also want to go to France and not speak French. i need to work on some antagonism issues.
I'm going to London and France in a few weeks, I'm a Canadian so I'll assume everyone is as nice as Canadian's are (see my previous post), and I also don't speak French, I'll tell you how it goes.

EDIT: I'll see London, I'll see France, I'll desperately hope Air Canada doesn't lose my Underpants.
If you're in london might be worth seeing Ireland too. Return flight can be gotten very cheaply if you book a few weeks ahead. Check out Dublin, Belfast and Galway if you want to do the tourist thing.
 

zirnitra

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tips for travelling in London.

when on the tube do not put your hand onto the railing of the escalator. the locals have this hilarious trick of super gluing razor blades to them.

Camden market was pretty cool 5 years ago. now it's full of scene kids and incredibly over priced.

if you like your money/life do not look like a tourist.

as with anywhere avoid putting on an accent or stereotyping the locals.

it's an incredibly multicultural city so the chances are you'll run into a fair few people from your own country working at bars etc.

on a bus. a few teenagers wearing hoodies will be playing some god awful rap track with squeaky voices, try to avoid telling them to stop or they'll follow you off the bus and stab you.

EDIT also like to point out the fact here in blighty you can drink at 18 and 16 in france so use that before you have to return to the north American ridiculously strict laws on under-age drinking.
 

BallPtPenTheif

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Travel Tip:

if you want to blend in dress scruffy, have a beard, and don't talk. i was able to prance around seedy dive locals-only bars in Mexico with those moves... i blew my cover when i ordered a Mai-Tai.
 

qbert4ever

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Stay the hell away from New Hampshire unless you have a strong urge to look at run-down house's where Amish rejects used to live or a mountain that kinda sorta used to look like a dude from a certain angle. I may just be bitter about living here, but there still isn't much to do that can't be done better somewhere else. At least Vermont has tasty syrup.

Then again, if you're going to Mass. you may as well get a hotel room here. A couple extra bucks of gas is better then getting stabbed or run over.
 

Conqueror Kenny

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PedroSteckecilo said:
zirnitra said:
if you like your money/life do not look like a tourist.
How does one not look like a tourist? and is London REALLY that dangerous?
If you are an idiot and insult and annoy people yes, but I think ol' zirnitra is exaggerating. It's bad but not that bad.
 

PedroSteckecilo

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Feb 7, 2008
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Living in Canuckistan tends to make one paranoid about travel since pretty much every Canadian city but Winnipeg and Regina is safe on the streets at 2:00am in the morning.
 

zirnitra

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conqueror Kenny said:
PedroSteckecilo said:
zirnitra said:
if you like your money/life do not look like a tourist.
How does one not look like a tourist? and is London REALLY that dangerous?
If you are an idiot and insult and annoy people yes, but I think ol' zirnitra is exaggerating. It's bad but not that bad.
I was indeed exaggerating a tad, the razor blade thing nearly happened to me a few times though. it is a lovely city but you know it does have a high crime rate so keep your guard up. you arn't gunna be shot, but just make sure you arn't being followed avoid certain allies and streets at certain times, but that can be said with any large city really.

positives:
the best museums in the world as far as I'm concerned. and some pretty brilliant galleries
fantastic night life
lots of historic buildings but security's a bit unnerving around them nowadays what with the bombings, just don't leave your bag hanging about.
you can get pretty much anywhere in the city in a few minutes very cheaply
brilliant shopping
oh and British chocolate is SOOOO much better than the muck you have in North America.
 

Hey Joe

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Learn how to say 'please' and 'thank you' in the tongue of the country you're visiting. Those two words will get you very far.
 

RufusMcLaser

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1.) When dealing with the French, I had more luck if I spoke German instead of English. My German is a terrible Pfalz dialect, but it seemed to get good service.
In all seriousness, in my many day-trips I've yet to have a serious problem in France, and my French is so bad as to be offensive.
2.) Prague is a beautiful city and well worth visiting. It's very inexpensive, full of sights, and everyone in the tourist districts is quite friendly and helpful. We visited in the early spring (towards the end of March) and there was hardly any crowding.
3.) Don't ever, ever, ever try to drive in downtown Amsterdam. Find a reputable place to park outside the city, and take the tram. Or walk. You'll save a lot of time and trouble.
4.) The only Europeans who seem to have a good hold on the concept of "breakfast" are the British. The mainlanders just don't get it.
5.) The German autobahns aren't nearly as scary as you think they are.
6.) Bulgaria has the highest concentration of beautiful women in the entire Western world.
7.) One of the neatest things in Salzburg is the marionette opera.
8.) Italians are probably the most dangerous drivers in Western Europe.
9.) The best thing you can ever do is go parasailing in the Alps.
 

cleverlymadeup

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zirnitra said:
EDIT also like to point out the fact here in blighty you can drink at 18 and 16 in france so use that before you have to return to the north American ridiculously strict laws on under-age drinking.
in canada it's 19, cept for quebec where it's 18 and that can be a suggestion too, it's the states where it's 21
 

Bling Cat

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Tips for travelling in Duns and Chirnside:
1) Come here! Please! No-one ever comes here!
2)In Duns, the Pewter plate is a nice Thai restaurant. Order the ghost noodles.
3)Youngmans home hardware is owned by a friends father, so im obliged to suggest it.
4) Dont go to Chirnside, theres nothing but houses.
5) Visit Edinburgh, but dont stay in it. great things to do, and only an hours car journey.

Thats all I can think of, Come to Duns, No-one ever does!
RufusMcLaser said:
8.) Italians are probably the most dangerous drivers in Western Europe.
Thats is very, very true.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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cleverlymadeup said:
zirnitra said:
EDIT also like to point out the fact here in blighty you can drink at 18 and 16 in france so use that before you have to return to the north American ridiculously strict laws on under-age drinking.
in canada it's 19, cept for quebec where it's 18 and that can be a suggestion too, it's the states where it's 21
Also be aware of the different drinking cultures. In England, it's usual to have 4 pints of full strength lager before going to a club. In Miami, so I've been told, 3 bottles of Bud Light get people tipsy.

BTW Pedro, try some English Cheese whilst you're over here. And Marmite.


Be warned though, Petrol Prices; and thus food: are hiked WAY up. A cup of reasonable coffee will cost you around $2.30. We sadly have the worst food prices in the Western World.
 

zirnitra

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
cleverlymadeup said:
zirnitra said:
EDIT also like to point out the fact here in blighty you can drink at 18 and 16 in france so use that before you have to return to the north American ridiculously strict laws on under-age drinking.
in canada it's 19, cept for quebec where it's 18 and that can be a suggestion too, it's the states where it's 21
Also be aware of the different drinking cultures. In England, it's usual to have 4 pints of full strength lager before going to a club. In Miami, so I've been told, 3 bottles of Bud Light get people tipsy.

BTW Pedro, try some English Cheese whilst you're over here. And Marmite.
oh yeah. I'd also strongly surest having a good old english style binge-drink while your here.
easiest thing in the world a few strong beers or ciders before you set off. have another 3-5 then you have to move onto the vodka shots, tequila slammers then move onto something like a straw-pedo and other general foolery. then go outside and have a nice fight. vomit in an ally. then go into the shop surrounded by tacky neon lights, which is bleach white inside and ask for "wu..wu..donn...donn..ugh kebab pless mate" eat some throw half at a bus. get fined for releaving yourself in public. now you probably won't remember any of this but the one sure test is if you wake up and their isen't a traffic cone next to you you didn't do it right.

also if you get out of the city as well as the cheeses(you must try a fully matured Stilton and some Stinky Bishop) sample some of the fine real ales and old ciders.


EDIT the petrle price thing reminded me. don't rent a car for London it's 8 pounds congestion charge a day to get through central London on a weekday.
 

RufusMcLaser

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the monopoly guy said:
Actaully, Wisconsin is thinking about lowering the drinking age to 18 or 19.
They may as well, it's not as if the under-21s are paying any attention to that particular law. Drinking was the favorite activity of rural high-schoolers when I grew up in Wisconsin and I doubt anything's changed since.

Hey Joe said:
Learn how to say 'please' and 'thank you' in the tongue of the country you're visiting. Those two words will get you very far.
This is probably the best advice on the thread so far. I would only add that you might also want to learn how to politely ask someone if they speak English.