What you need to know before you go.

LANGUAGE

Very few people speak a second language although some of our cities, particularly Bath, are renowned centres for language teaching.

CURRENCY
The Pound exists in the usual variety of coins and notes, but is decimal therefore easy to calculate. In recent years there has been a rapid increase in the circulation of forged bank notes. Practically every shop or trader will have some form of test to guard against these. Try to get your currency from banks or official exchange outlets wherever possible, and don't change large denomination notes for small value items at markets, off street corner traders or in the odd corners of the good old British pub. With local minor variations Banks open broadly between 9.30 to 4.00 except for Sunday but the majority have cash card points. Check out the commissions charged at other currency exchange points , particularly those in the major tourist areas such as London. You may find you're paying a high price for convenience.

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CREDIT CARDS
All the normal credit and charge cards are widely accepted, probably more so than anywhere else in Europe. Just check first in small shops, restaurants and cafes and if you're eating out in a pub. Visa and Mastercard are the most common.

SHOPPING
Shopping habits have changed dramatically in the last few years. For the first time Sunday trading for retail outlets is now allowed, generally between the hours of 10am to 4pm. More and more of the large stores in the inner cities and larger towns are now taking advantage of this. The majority of cities and large town also have retail parks on the outskirts with multiple super store outlets concentrated on one large site . These offer one stop shopping and easy parking and the trend is for them to be very busy, particularly at weekends. Every town has its selection of large supermarkets , again often situated on the outskirts, sometimes quite close to each other. Although limited to shorter hours on Sunday, they are often open from 8.30 am to at least 8pm on other days. and 24 hour shopping has arrived in a few places.

Most larger stores and businesses in tourist areas operate a scheme for duty free shopping, and can arrange for your purchases to be shipped back home. Look for the sign in the shop window.

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Motoring.

Watch for the out of town supermarkets. e.g. Tesco, Safeway, Sainsbury, Asda. The petrol is invariably much cheaper, and they are always open late, some 24 hours. Most also have in store restaurants or cafes. Motorway services stations are always much more expensive for fuel, and for refreshments.

Whatever you do if you come into any of the London airports don't be tempted to even think about using a car in the city, unless you're really hooked on fumes, traffic jams and frustration. Keep off the London motorways at peak times and if you have to use them go very early, or middle of the day. Above all beware the M25 - a good idea that masquerades as a four lane car park for most of the day. Plan your route to travel by A or B roads if possible, after all its the country you came to see, not the view from a motorway. If you have any choice fly into a regional airport and relax.

Keep an eye on the street parking signs. There is an increasing problem of traffic congestion and local authorities and the police have to keep things moving. You'll see more traffic wardens than policemen, and many places operate a tow away scheme which could involve you in a hefty fine and payment to get your car back. Other options are wheel clamps, sometimes operated by private security companies, and again the penalties are substantial. Look out for where you park, particularly overnight. Use car parks where possible, and don't leave valuable items on display on the back seat. We are no worse, and possibly better, than some countries as far as theft is concerned but it's just as well not to offer temptation.

Keep within the local speed limits which are always clearly displayed. Many roads are covered by radar traps, and the unmarked car behind you on the motorway could be a police car. Bear in mind that all large cities and most large towns, particularly those with direct motorway links , suffer from severe traffic congestion during the morning and evening "rush hours", usually 7.30 am to 9.30am, and 4.30 pm to 6pm. The only exception is London which we have already mentioned and suffers truly majestic congestion for most of the time. Park outside or at the hotel and use the underground. or other means of public transport.

Watch for Park and Ride signs in popular areas. These are linked to local transport and save a lot of time, aggravation, and expense. Some of them only operate on Saturdays however.

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OTHER TRAVEL OPTIONS
The railways have now been privatised into independent regional operations which makes it difficult now to buy a long distance ticket passing through more than one company's area. While they are quick and clean between major centres, particularly from London, they can be expensive. There tend to be a variety of saver type ticket options, linked to the day or time you travel , and these can offer significant price savings. The main problem with these is that nobody ever seems to know which is which, not even the staff .Take time and ask the booking clerk to explain what's on offer.

Sheffield Bus Coach travel is obviously not so quick, but seems to get cheaper by the day. Possible problem is that as you can rarely pre book a seat you may find yourself waiting for the next departure. If you can cope with that this is a cheap, cheerful and sociable way to get around and meet people. particularly as nowhere in the UK is far far away.

Flights out of the country to Europe are easy to find. Internal ones are another matter and not really worth considering unless you're on a tight schedule and need to get from one extreme to the other quickly.

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COMMUNICATIONS
The telephone service is excellent and there are street Kiosks everywhere. If you think you'll make enough calls, buy a phone card at the post office or one of the many local shops that stock them. That way you don't have to search for change and you'll only pay for the time you use. Watch the call charges made by your hotel. These will have been fixed by the management and are sometimes very heavily loaded. Again you pay for convenience.

The familiar red post box will never be far away. Collections are made throughout the day even Sunday, in major areas and the postal service is one of the best in the world. Central post offices will also accept international parcels, and again the service is hard to beat and very cost effective.

ACCOMMODATION
Room prices at the larger hotel chains , particularly in the major centres are rising, but there is a lot of capacity and you should be able to avoid getting caught out if you're prepared to pay the price.Always haggle if you arrive very late, nobody wants a room to stay empty overnight. Give yourself time however and, particularly if you're driving, it is possible to find some very tempting out of town locations from farmhouses to country Inns.

If you're back packing with a tent you may have a more trouble. Landowners don't welcome campers and casual camping is not encouraged. There are a reasonable number of campsites but some are only open to members of a camping organisation. If you're serious make sure you join the appropriate camping club before you leave home or at the very least get hold of any international camping carnet. This will give you insurance cover on site, and can usually be left with the site operator instead of a passport.

TOURIST OFFICES
Even small towns will usually have a tourist office. Make sure you visit for masses of local information, brochures and timetables for all the local sights and events. Also a good source of advice on hotel and accommodation.

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