Red_Dragon wrote: 
good for you, sounds exciting, Ireland and Scotland too?
 

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
Check with your phone company about their rates. Our US travel companions found that their phones were very inexpensive in Thailand. Sprint I think. Watch the data costs - that's where they really get you. I have an unlocked phone so normally I just get a pay as you go sim card.

And remember the mantra: "Look right then left, look right then left..." 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
Right, a foreign atm from a major bank will offer a better rate than your local chase, citi...but I usually like to have some local currency before I leave for a taxi, quick meal when i get there...

 black321 wrote: 
I would do that for an emergency stash but I'd rely on ATMs for the best exchange rate. Unfortunately, the banking system has caught up to world travel; when we went to Ireland in 97, they didn't have a way to check with our bank at home and so would give us £300 any time we asked, and the exchange rate when we got the statement after arriving home was the inter-bank rate, even lower than they would have charged us if we'd used our bank to convert US money in person.

 meower wrote: 
Probably fly into and out of London; Our focus will be on Wales and Cornwall.

 buzz wrote: 
Sadly, yes.

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
will you be coming back?

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
fyi, credit cards also offer good exchange rates...better than going to a bank and using local cash.  And stay away from those exchange kiosks.  If you need cash go to your bank before you leave, or visit a large bank when you are over there. 

 Red_Dragon wrote:

 
yea I heard a report I think on NPR last week about renting phones for travel.

EDIT: will you be traveling around GB ?

 meower wrote: 
Yes, the bank cards are VISAs.

I've also heard that you can rent smartphones for travel. 

 Red_Dragon wrote:

 
Is the bank card also a credit card? It will work if so..... remember the exchange rate.

You need to set your phone up special... and I just heard a report about how expensive it is these days ...... 

We've decided that we'll never go unless we do; so next spring we're going to visit Great Britain. I have never traveled outside the contiguous 48 and P has been only to Mexico many years ago before that required a passport. So, we have a lot to learn. First questions that have occurred to me:

Will our bank cards work over there?

Will our phones work over there? 

I'm figuring out "churning" of credit cards to rack up mileage points. It's not for the squeamish, but I love stuff like this: gaming the system by using the rules to my advantage.

It doesn't take a lot of money, just some organized applying and then using a series of credit cards over time to pay your usual bills. Some folks get really good results and do a lot of free traveling.

One thing that helps with the organization of reward plans is Award Wallet that keep track of almost everything in one place. It's free.

The folks on Reddit are pretty helpful if you want to give it a go.

FedEx Confirms More Than 600,000 People Try To Mail Themselves Each Year

 islander wrote: 
I have heard over a year or two ago that one gets better rates searching from a PC instead of a Mac.  The supposition being you have more $$'s if you own a Mac.

Edit :  I just revised my search from Cleveland proper and the rate went down another $1 / day going straight thru mapquest.

Curiouser and curiouser

 kurtster wrote: 
I occasionally have some luck in saving a few dollars by using a proxy in a 'rougher' area of town. I used to used completely different states, but I thought it might look too weird to the logic if I was searching for round trips from Seattle from a computer in Detroit. Auburn/Kent does consistently get a few dollars less than the local connection does... hmmmmm indeed. 

 ditty wrote: 
This is our current top choice.

 kurtster wrote: 
look for hotels in McKinney, Richardson and The Colony.  The drive from Allen to Houston is about 4 hours.

 katzendogs wrote: 
Allen.  Yeah, everyone else lives in Houston, San Ant or Austin.

However, P's ex lives over by you in Conroe.  Maybe a side trip on the way back might be in order ?

Coincedently, he's a painter, too.   Hmmmm.

How long is the drive from Allen to Houston ?

 kurtster wrote: 
What part of Texas?