I'm going to San Francisco at that moment :uneasy:

You can write "07 # Viva La Vida" off the list, due to my username change..

I hope you will all have an amazing time! :nice:

 

I live about 30 minutes from SF. If you want places to visit, I can tell you what you should do!

A volcano is an "act of God", therefore isn't covered by standard travel insurance, so check your wording of the policy.

 

*checks list before adding self to the couple-days list*

When that all happened a few weeks ago, some people who purchased travel insurance were interviewed and they commented on how thankful they were that they purchased it; so, it would cover any trouble caused by that annoying volcano that can't make up its mind. I think the distinction of why it was covered (if "acts of God" aren't usually covered), is because the volcano didn't actually do anything directly, if that makes any sense. The airlines made a decision to cease flights as a result of the volcano. But that's just a guess.

 

It's an act of nature, but that's my opinion

 

Carrie, you've got your ticket! When will you arrive?

The morning of the 4th. I might have to hang around the lobby of the hostel for a little while since check-in isn't until 11:00am and you can't access your room until 2:00pm. I couldn't find any flights that would get me there in the afternoon, oh well. Plus I have to leave kind of early on the last day, since the departing flight is a little after 9:00am, which means I would have to leave the hostel pretty early to get to the airport in plenty of time. It was either that or wait until the next day, which I couldn't really do.

Sofia and I arrive early as well, we'll keep you company! :nice: :heart:

The airlines made a decision to cease flights as a result of the volcano

 

It wasn't the airliners which made the decision to not fly, it was the Civil Aviation Authority & Air Traffic Authority which made the decision to close the airspace ;)

 

Roll on July :D

Sofia and I arrive early as well, we'll keep you company! :nice: :heart:

 

If you want to you can come out to Heathrow in the evening to pick me up... :rolleyes:

Haha, we'll see how much extra we have to pay for that :P We can meet you at Victoria at least! :heart: (Or are you ending up there when you take the tube in?)

Okay, so I read the travel insurance policy in more detail to make sure that any issues with the volcano would be covered. There is a section that describes what is generally excluded from coverage. The insurance does not cover any losses due to natural disasters, unless it is specifically included in the policy section. Flipping to the policy section, it specifically includes natural disasters. Then I flip to the "definitions" section, and it defines natural disaster as "A large-scale extreme weather or environmental event that damages property, disrupts transportation or endangers people. Examples include: earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, or volcanic eruption. SO, long story short, since it is specifically stated in the "included" section of the policy, any issues resulting from the temperamental volcano are covered. * breathes sigh of relief *

Haha, we'll see how much extra we have to pay for that :P We can meet you at Victoria at least! :heart: (Or are you ending up there when you take the tube in?)

 

I DON'T KNOW. :uhoh: I've never been to London! I should probably check that up before I leave.

I arrive on the 5th at King's Cross, that's not too far from the hostel *hint*

I was thinking to take the northern line to Belsize Park and then walk to Swiss Cottage, that's about 15 minutes.

Or I switch lines at Baker Street.

Let us know which one you choose and we'll come meet you! :nice: I'm gonna post my phone number when we get a bit closer to the departure date :)

Thanks! :hug:

All of this tube lingo is a foreign language to me.

 

Does anybody know... what would be the best way to get from Heathrow to the hostel? By taxi/cab, or some other mode of transportation (some sort of "link" to the tube)? Also, if I were to take a taxi, is it customary to tip the driver? I know some places it is, some places it isn't, so I just want to make sure I do whatever is the customary thing in London.

You can use the Piccadilly line and change at the Green Park station in the Jubilee line to Swiss cottage station.

What Nicky said :P The Piccadilly line is the only one going from Heathrow.

 

And it's customary to just round the taxi fare up to the nearest pound. But I (those few times I've taken a taxi) usually add like £2. :)

All of this tube lingo is a foreign language to me.

 

Does anybody know... what would be the best way to get from Heathrow to the hostel? By taxi/cab, or some other mode of transportation (some sort of "link" to the tube)? Also, if I were to take a taxi, is it customary to tip the driver? I know some places it is, some places it isn't, so I just want to make sure I do whatever is the customary thing in London.

You seem to be related to Joey. :lol:

(Sorry, inside joke from Wembley...)

 

This is the Transport For London site:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

 

Taking a taxi would be much too expensive and taking the tube is easy and cheap in comparison.

There's a journey planner as well. I just had a look, about 35 mins from Heathrow to Swiss Cottage on 4th of July.

 

I'd suggest you buy an Oyster card at the airport's underground station and put some money on it. It'll never charge you more than the price of a day ticket but if you use it less you don't pay for it.

A week travel card could cost you more.

If you have more questions, just ask! :nice:

You can use the Piccadilly line and change at the Green Park station in the Jubilee line to Swiss cottage station.

:freak: wuht

 

I'm sure it will all make much better sense once I get there. I've only been on a subway (tube equivalaent) once, and that was when I was a kid on vacation in Toronto.

You seem to be related to Joey. :lol:

(Sorry, inside joke from Wembley...)

 

This is the Transport For London site:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

 

Taking a taxi would be much too expensive and taking the tube is easy and cheap in comparison.

There's a journey planner as well. I just had a look, about 35 mins from Heathrow to Swiss Cottage on 4th of July.

 

I'd suggest you buy an Oyster card at the airport's underground station and put some money on it. It'll never charge you more than the price of a day ticket but if you use it less you don't pay for it.

A week travel card could cost you more.

If you have more questions, just ask! :nice:

 

This is really, really great info for people who haven't been to London (including myself:rolleyes:) - Thanks! :nice:

:freak: wuht

 

I'm sure it will all make much better sense once I get there. I've only been on a subway (tube equivalaent) once, and that was when I was a kid on vacation in Toronto.

Did you see my post?

Have a look on the website.

This is the link for the journey planner:

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2

 

What I'd suggest is best doing when you arrive at the airport is buying an Oyster card and putting - let's say 20 Pounds on it.

Then you travel with the (blue) Piccadilly Line until Green Park, there you change to the (grey) Jubilee Line (direction Stanmore, north) and get out at Swiss Cottage.

 

On the map:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

 

It's not that complicated. :)

You're right Anna :)

Maybe it sounds a bit complicated at first but it isn't - even I've never lost in the London Underground ;)

My mom gets lost all the time! I didn't dare leave her alone when we were there the last time, haha. I guess some people just have some problems with it :shrug: :P

Haha, Anna!

Your poor mother.

Joey needed some time to get used to it as well in September but in the end he got the hang of it.

 

Béa (CHEVALLIER), j'ai répondu à ton message. :)

What I'd suggest is best doing when you arrive at the airport is buying an Oyster card and putting - let's say 20 Pounds on it.

Then you travel with the (blue) Piccadilly Line until Green Park, there you change to the (grey) Jubilee Line (direction Stanmore, north) and get out at Swiss Cottage.

Although this isn't likely, if I buy the card and don't use all of the initial funds, can I get a refund of the remaining balance?

Can I buy a Travelcard instead of an Oyster card? I consider that to be the smartest way as we'll probably need to go places by tube pretty often.

Of course you can buy a Travelcard. When I'm in London, I use the tube so often ... it's makes for me not a difference to an Oyster Card.

But you have to choose between Peak and Off-Peak. The Off-Peak is cheaper but you can use the tube, busses... only from 9:30 am at week ;)

I also ordered a Travelcard!:)