Travel links

I have to confess that inside of me is a restless bit that likes to try to experience as much of the rest of the world as time and wallet can cope with (which is nowhere near enough). The following are miscellaneous links that I have found useful when planning to go from somewhere to somewhere else, via a third place, staying a Saturday night, but not coming back on a Monday. You know the kind of problem I am sure. Of course I should stress that these sites are just sites I have used and are by no means sites that are commercially sponsoring either me or my employer in any way (I wish!)

How much, what time?

The following two links are quite priceless and I confess to using them regularly.

Despite the best attempts to change this situation in Europe, one of the most fundamental travel problems is how much is 10 billion zetis then? This is a real gem of a web page. All your worst conversion nightmares can be solved by the Universal Currency Converter.
You can do your best to avoid cheerily calling up your friends in Hobart at 3am by prudent use of the World Time Zone.

Will it rain?

The conversation topic to end all conversation topics....

Of course the answer in Britain is always *yes* but just to make sure you'd best check it out with the Met Office.
Also worth checking is the BBC London weather.

Online Booking and Timetables

When it works it is one of the marvels of the Internet age. When it fails to work, or your registration gets lost, or you forget your password, or you get to the end of a tedious form and you lose the connection ... then you wish you'd just picked up the phone. Nonetheless, I have used most of the following sites, and survived to tell the tale.

Living right next to Heathrow Airport means that it is always worth checking the fares with British Airways.
We fly regularly to Poland, so check the fares from LOT and Air Polonia.
In our capacity as an occasional airport hotel, we often need U.K. arrivals information.
The TISS travel page allows very useful access to the airline computers to find out if your local agent is lying when they shake their head and say, "I've got nothing on that day I'm afraid, you should have booked five years ago if you want to go in February.."
Not really online, but worth calling are Trailfinders.
Another agent we have used recently is Travelbag.
And we have booked with Opodo.
I used to regularly travel by Eurostar.
Another option for short-haul European trips is Virgin Express.
And if all else fails you can always cross the pond more conventionally.
Probably the cheapest way of flying to Scotland from a number of destinations, and to many other places of course, is with either Ryanair or BMI.
In fact, this site has links to all UK airlines.
For train times, try the European railway timetable directory from Deutsche Bundesbahn.
For British railway timetables you can use the National Rail Enquiries.
To navigate the nightmarish world of British rail pricing I thoroughly recommend playing with the search engine at The Trainline.
For more modest travel ambitions and addresses to rant on about delays to, visit South West Trains.
Going to work: Whitton Live Departure Board.
Going home: Egham Live Departure Board.
Get around London with the help of Transport for London (includes a bus route planner).
And if all else fails you can always take the bus - probably the best place to start looking is National Express.

Finding your way

I'm gobsmacked. The U.K. is a small country, but it is even smaller now....

Search the entire collection of U.K. streetmaps and Ordnance Survey maps at Streetmap....
... and then go one better by studying the aerial photos and get directions from one building in the U.K. to another using the stunning Multimap - I could just about see my laundry hanging out the window! A real blow for privacy.
Can you go anywhere that Lonely Planet has not been before you?

Places to Visit