Help the travel virgin (buying, living, living room)

[BereniceUK]

Can I make a late suggestion if OffTopic should visit Wiltshire/Oxfordshire? The chalk White Horses are fascinating, imo. Maybe a bit off the beaten track assuming she won't be driving.

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by kkgg7

I don't think $1000 is enough for a 10 hour round trip business class. I am paying $900 for a 7 hour economy...

Wow, I priced tickets over the weekend and you were right. The cheapest I could find were $1,800 each. I was just browsing and didn't look for senior and child discounts, but I have to say it surprised me with the economy being so bad.

Best bet is to just start looking now every day and be ready to pounce when a good discount is posted. We have plenty of time to book them.

If we get business class and can actually sleep overnight on the way over, won't that lessen the jet lag? My understanding was that it was the trip back to the states that kicked your butt.

[Jezer]

Well my butt has been kicked the last few days after returning from the US.

Sleeping on the plane helps but you can't get away with the fact that your body is still five hours behind when you get to the UK, or ahead when you return to the US.

I and the rest of my family find it worse flying to the UK from the US rather than the other way round.

[stormchaser9878]

If it was going to be just once in a lifetime trips I would spend as much time as I could. If you're traveling from California to England you will probably go to Atlanta, so it won't be ten solid hours. It's no big deal then it would only be 5 hours to England. That's not so bad. I've flown all the way from Washington to Uzbekistan with one stop. It was coach and it wasn't much fun, but to England it wouldn't be so bad.

If I went to London if I had the time I would want to see Edinburgh, so I'd make it a two week trip.

[MaggieZ]

if you get a stopover, you can walk around; try to get a few hours in between connecting flights, that does make it easier on your body.

[mr&mrssunshine]

also try Virgin -they have Premium economy which is equal to BA's WTP. We always use Virgin and if you get a jumbo PE is upstairs .nice and quiet. Virgin also let you select seats at time of booking and check in on-line. I prefer them to BA (I ended up taking them to court once -and WON!!).

A lot will depend on where you are flying from if its Kentucky then Virgins nearest airport is Orlando I would guess. US Air are often cheapest and fly out of Charlotte.


as for places to visit -foget Hastings its a dump. canterbury has a lot to see and is worth a trip.
Dover - 1 castle 2 hours thats it.

other places to consider Hampton Court- very well worth it and Windsor Castle.

personally i think Stonehemge is a waste of time. Bath is nice though.

feel free to keep asking

[mr&mrssunshine]

$1000 buck is around £600. If you can get business for that snap it up. we just paid £1300 each LGW -Orlando Premium out Upper back so thats a steal

[Jezer]

What I'm about to post is very very sad, but there may be a warning to our Transatlantic friends.

Our local paper told of the tragic death of an American lady visiting Stonehenge this week.

It seems that she got hit by a car while crossing the road to the stones, the road that will be removed when the new visitor centre is opened.

Now, I do not know the specific details but as an American tourist please remember that we drive on the left hand side of the road and therefore you need to check your right hand side for vehicles travelling close to you when crossing the road.

[mr&mrssunshine]

thats awful, I rmember on a day trip to France years ago I took great care to look for traffic as i crossed the road- only to have a mate drag me back as a car came haring down -from the right !!! Yes i had looked left....

[Meiriongwril]

Originally Posted by Off Topic

My understanding was that it was the trip back to the states that kicked your butt.

No - flying east is always worse than west. So you'll get the worse jet lag going to London. Remember, from Kentucky it's a 6 hour difference!