London Warning or Danger Tips by tvor

Money... Cash, Travelers' Cheques, ATM/bank machine cards, credit cards... Traditionally, travelers' cheques have been the secure answer to a travelers' needs. Banks and Exchange bureaus will exchange them for a fee if you can't get to an office of the issuer like Thomas Cook or American Express. And they're still a viable, and secure option.

I gave up TC's. I rely mainly on my ATM card and my credit card. I don't think my ATM card would work as a debit card outside of Canada, possibly the US but it's also the money machine card.

1. The ATM card will default to your PRIMARY ACCOUNT ONLY . For most people that is your CHEQUING account if you have that connected to your ATM card. At least that's been my experience. You very likely won't get a choice of what account to take your money out of. Make sure your PIN number is 4 digits, NO LETTERS Just numbers!

2. You can also get cash advances off your credit card. Make sure you know what your daily limit for cash advances is. Translate this into the local currency . 500 dollars a day is *not* 500 pounds. On credit card cash advances, interest starts adding up the minute you take out that advance. Make a payment to your credit card before you go, ideally to put the card into a credit balance. Then you don't get any interest charged when the balance is below zero. That goes for purchases as well as cash advances.

3. Have a backup. Once in awhile an ATM won't accept your card. In that case i just used my credit card for a cash advance. Make sure you have a backup, either 2 atm cards for 2 different banks, or an atm and a credit card that you can get an advance from. If you feel more comfortable having those travelers cheques as a backup, go ahead. If you get them in local currency, chances are you *may* be able to use them in a shop as local currency instead of going to the bank to get cash. You can also get a cash advance on common credit cards like Visa and MasterCard in a bank though you may have to show your passport.

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Phone: Visa ATM locator:
Website: http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp

I ordered theatre tickets online for the first time. Previously, I'd either bought them through a travel agent or directly from the theatre. This time i used Londontown.com's service. They have some good deals and some discounts and low service fees. They use an outside agent, though, Keith Prowse. Two things i discovered about this experience. Yes, you can sometimes get good discounts. But you do not get to choose your seat. It is allotted to you though you do get the choice of where in the theatre you wish to sit (stalls, dress circle etc.) You also cannot change your seats. The only way you can do that is if you had bought the tickets directly from the box office. You must pick your tickets up at the box office on the day of the performance, not before as they are courier-sent to the theatre on the performance date. It wouldn't hurt to ring the theatre first to check that the tickets are there because they could be delivered any time during the day. You will be able to pick them up within an hour before the curtain rises, though. They *will* be there as long as you have your confirmation.

If you are allotted lousy seats, however, there's no recourse. I think this is the case with most online ticket sellers unless you are booking directly with the theatre but many of the theatres also work with a ticket agency that does the booking. If you are particular about where you want to sit, it's best to contact the theatre directly. You may pay full price but you'll have the seats you want. Now... if you could just find a way of making sure that person that's taller than you doesn't sit in front of you, you'd have it made!

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