Traveling over seas for the first time?

Jennifer,
You've already made a good start by logging in here. As for arranging where to stay, I would guess that most people do that via computer and internet. You will have to start doing some research to decide what you want to accomplish on your trip. Just sightseeing or museums or ruins or whatever. What are your likes/dislikes. I always suggest Rick's books and a library or book stores. Go through the info on this site as well, just to get you started.

As for money exchange, ATM's are the best way using a debit type card. There has been a lot of strings on this site about the money issue. Reads through them as well. For the most part, most people don't use Travelers Checks anymore.

the first thing to do is to discover your own interests- history, art, culture, nature..... Then start reading - guide books like Rick's and others, websites like this one. AFTER THAT is when you start to plan an itenerary and budget. Not until you have worked that out, do you think about buying tickets, making reservations, etc. Do go ahead and get your passport so you won't have to worry about that. If you are a bit timid about this, consider starting with the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland). That avoids the language issue and their public transport system is easy to use. Kent, Ken, Frank, FrankII and others on this board have great suggesstions about the money exchange (ATM cards seems to be the consensus) and other issues. Check their posts. Recently FrankII posted instructions on how to do an advanced search so you get usable results on this board. Check it out and you can get good answers to lots of your preliminary questions. Welcome to the travel world!

Jennifer: Click around this site and you'll find much information, for example, to learn why ATM cards are the way to go, click here for Rick's Money 101. You said England, buy Rick's England 2009 on this site, or Great Britain 2009 if you're adding Wales and Scotland to the itinerary.And to save lots of time looking for the thousands of previous posts made here in the last few years on virtually every topic, go here to learn the secret of how to Search The Helpline click here to learn how to search the Helpline, hint: don't waste time using the search box in the upper right corner, it's not an efficient way to find the thousands of prior posts on virtually any subject.

Toni...Thanks for the nice words....but Kent is our resident "Search" expert.

Before you buy a ticket, decide where in England you want to go. If you want to go somewhere besides London and southern England, you might want to fly out of a different airport than which you arrived.
That is called open jaws by the airlines, and it is not much more expensive -- especially if you would have to get back to your arrival airport. For example, you could fly into London and out from Manchester if you want to go the north. Both have many connections to the US. If you specify some more details such as length of trip and special places of interest, you will get a lot of help.

Guidebook, guidebook, guidebook. Gives you a lot of info on where to go and where to stay. I like Rick's books for a "Europe rookie", since he pares things down as far a places to see. Some of the other guidebooks will tell you everything you can see in each country, and the information can be a bit overwhelming. He'll also give you lots of info on places to stay and how to handle money.

Jennifer - Like other posters have said research, research, and research. Like Toni mentioned there are several people on the helpline that are more than willing to provide assistance and ideas.

How much time are you looking to spend in the UK?

What do you like to do? Hiking - I'd recomend either the Lake District or Scottish Highlands. Golf - East Lothian or Ayrshire area. Museums - London has several.

Silly question have you gotten your passport? That process takes anywhere from 8-12 weeks.

Besides reading the guidebooks, you may want to read a basic travel skills book like Rick Steves' Europe Through The Backdoor.

Additionally, check your local library, or if you have a subscription to Netflix or Blockbuster By Mail, rent some travelogue DVDs on England (Globetrekker and Rick Steves both have produced DVDs on England, and there are also separate DVDs devoted solely to London). iTunes has many free podcasts (audio and video) related to travelling abroad in general, as well as things to do, see, where to stay and eat in England. There are also free audioguides you can download from iTunes for various museums or walking tours in London that you can use once you get there.

Before you book accommodation, you can read reviews on hotels, B&Bs and hostels at websites like TripAdvisor.com or hostelworld.com. Please remember that whenever you move from one town to another, you will lose anywhere between 1/2 a day to a full day in travel time depending on the distance between your stops. Factor that lost time into your rough itinerary so you know how many overnight stops you can make comfortably during the length of your trip.

My sister and I wanted to travel to Europe but were worried about doing it on our own. We took a Rick Steves' tour and had an amazing time! I now feel much more empowered to travel on my own, but I'm taking another Rick Steves' tour because of the convienence (I don't have to worry about anything.)