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Geek Travel To London From the US — Tips?
Audrey23 writes "I am traveling to London from Washington state for two weeks in December for pleasure (use-it-or-lose-it vacation scenario) and was wondering if I should bother bringing my laptop. I know that I would have to change the region code on my wireless amongst other things and the power cord would have to be changed for a UK outlet. Would I be better off not bringing my laptop and just using Internet kiosks (do they exist in London?) or would having my laptop be a better choice to keep in touch, off-load my digital images etc? I plan on hitting the British Museum but was wondering what geeky things to do that are in London that might be worth going to and any tips hints on overseas travel for geeks? I travel quite a bit in the states but this will be my first trip overseas and want to make the best of my stay in merry old England. What words of advice do you travel seasoned geeks have for me?"
What you say? I have never heard about it. Is that ordinary wireless LAN you are talking about or UMTS or something?
Uh, I'll notify the police.
Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
...speak to people LOUDLY and ask them if England is anywhere near London because they're all deaf and stupid just like you see on American TV. Tell everyone you meet how everything is bigger in the States and how proud you are to be a Republican. You get to win a prize if you can piss more than 25 feet from Landseer's lions in Trafalgar Square - its a well known custom.
Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
Would I be better off not bringing my laptop and just using Internet kiosks (do they exist in London?)
What are these kiosks of the inter-net you speak of?
Why, here in blighty the modern mode of communication is the telegraph, which we run using steam, dontyouknow!
If a man empties his purse into his head no man can take it from him. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Public taxis are subsidized by the Her Majesty's Government. A taxi ride in London costs two pounds, no matter how far you travel. If a taxi driver tries to overcharge you, you should yell "I think not, you charlatan!", then grab the nearest policeman (bobby) and have the driver disciplined.
It is rarely necessary to take a taxi, though, since bus drivers are required to make detours at patrons' requests. Just board any bus, pay your fare of thruppence (the heavy gold-colored coins are "pence"), and state your destination clearly to the driver, e.g.: "Please take me to the British Library." A driver will frequently try to have a bit of harmless fun by pretending he doesn't go to your requested destination. Ignore him, as he is only teasing the American tourist (little does he know you're not so ignorant!).
For those travelling on a shoestring budget, the London Tube may be the most economical way to get about, especially if you are a woman. Chivalry is alive and well in Britain, and ladies still travel for free on the Tube. Simply take some tokens from the baskets at the base of the escalators or on the platforms; you will find one near any of the state-sponsored Tube musicians. Once on the platform, though, beware! Approaching trains sometimes disturb the large Gappe bats that roost in the tunnels. The Gappes were smuggled into London in the early 19th century by French saboteurs and have proved impossible to exterminate. The announcement "Mind the Gappe!" is a signal that you should grab your hair and look towards the ceiling. Very few people have ever been killed by Gappes, though, and they are considered only a minor drawback to an otherwise excellent means of transportation.
I can't take credit for this advice, source
The most important rule for Brittons in Belgium is : don't try your drinking habbits on the belgian beer. it's much stronger(and better) than you're used to; furthermore : taste the effing beer please, in stead of gulping it down.
Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
Bring :
- Something to read (for when the luggage tracking and transport system fails)
- Emergency underwear (for when they will lose your luggage)
- Anal lube (for when you complain about the delay and lost luggage)
If in addition you travel with british airways, I would say a dose of Valium or Prozac and a strong whisky would do the trick.
It takes 40+ muscles to frown, but only four to extend your arm and bitchslap the motherfucker
but london does have the seventh-busiest greyhound canada terminal in terms of passengers
perhaps you meant to say you wanted to visit the university of western ontario?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Yes. In Sydney too. Here in Melbourne we prefer our tourists to learn the hard way.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Nor say that you hope to have a blast in London.
London is a dank, seething cesspool of filth. The tube system is full of tramps, smells of urine, and is the best place to get a venereal disease without any of the difficult issues of actually making contact with anyone.
I recommend going to Blackpool instead. Much more classy.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
...and don't ask whether or not we have 'internet kiosks'. It's not the bloody Middle Ages here.
"Most London streets have "look left" and "look right" painted on the road at the crossings."
Well yeah, but it's a foreign country so he might have trouble reading the signs.
"A revolution without dancing is... a revolution not worth having"
It's about the only place in the UK worth bothering with. Everywhere else is full of pissed-up chavs.
I guess you're just a yokel though, if you don't like cities. Here's a tip - some people like to do more with their evenings than hang out in the barn fucking pigs.
In the spirit of some of the other travel "advice" that's been offered here, I should point out that the UK mains voltage is actually 12V, so you don't need an adapter at all. Just cut the cable off your existing power brick and wire it straight into one of our plugs. The three pins are E (enable), N (negative) and L (laptop power). Be sure to use a 13 Amp fuse as very high currents are needed at such low voltages.
I fully agree, I spent last weekend practising driving on the left and you wouldn't believe how many idiots were trying to run in to me.
If you have a small enough laptop bring it. No need for a new power cord, just get a plug adapter, unless your power brick really won't handle 240 V (most modern ones do).
Some US companies are selling power bricks that don't handle 240V.
(We had a US colleague blow up four on the trot that way. I think he was let go shortly after that...)
And people wonder why we lose so many tourists.
(Ad courtesy of The Gruen Transfer.)
Remember, English food is bland, so if you get "pub lunch" you will need to cover everything with lots of English mustard. Better to go for some Indian meals, but even there Englishness has blanded everything down. Ask for a "Vindaloo" or better yet a "Bangalore Phal" and make sure you get it extra spicy. As for drink, there are parts of England that make a speciality out of cider (Sumerset and Herefordshire in particular) but anything called "scrumpy" (more natural, unprocessed cider) is fun for a jug or two.
Red to red, black to black. Switch it on, but stand well back.