City Inn Bristol

first time travelers needing some help. :)?

so i start college this fall and my best friend and i are going to different schools and we're planning a trip for next summer. we're wanting to go to bristol, england for about two weeks. we're from louisiana and neither of us have either been out of the country or flown. here are my questions: 1. where do we go to get a passport? 2. how soon before we leave do we need to apply for our passports? 3. what are the names of some motels/hotels/inns that we could rent a room at that isn't nasty but not expensive? 4. what are some things to do/see there with historic value? 5. what kind of things should i bring on the plane? 6. will i need any kind of adapters for my phone and computer chargers? and any other information for a first time traveler that you could think of. :) thanks, y'all!

Public Comments

1. For your Passport.. Go to this site .. http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html They will have the forms you can print out, and fill in. Walgreen's can take your Passport Photos for about 10 bucks. You will need your Birth Certificate, and other Id to go along with your Passport request.. Be sure to read the rules.. All birth certificates must have a raised stamp to be accepted.. (If you lack the stamp, check out your local courthouse or civic center where they should be able to put the stamp on your birth certificate. ).. Also, many countries require a Visa, so check on the site for Immigration/Visitor for England to see if it is required. You might check the internet for youth hostels in the locations you want to go to, to save money on rooms.
2. 1. If you prefer doing it in person, go to your area's major post office. It will have a passport counter with forms. Or you can get all the forms and instructions online http://www.usps.com/passport/welcome.htm and submit it in person, the cheapest way (about $100). The hardest part is obtaining the proper paper work. You will need a certified copy of your birth certificate, which must be notarized by the issuing "vital statistics" department of whichever state or territory you were born in (for Louisiana http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/page.asp?ID=252&Detail=7752 says it takes 4 to 6 weeks and $15). You also need a set of passport photos taken—lots of little businesses do this for about $20. 2. You should start getting your passports now. They're valid for ten years, but take about two months to arrive after a properly submitted application is sent in. For like $100 extra, the response time can be decreased to 3 or 4 weeks. Note that the birth certificate time plus passport processing time is 2 to 4 months. I'd try not expediting it at this stage, but that's up against the wire for September travel. 3. + 4. Buy a guidebook (like Lonely Planet, Moon, Frommers, or Rick Steves) for specific recommendations of hotels, etc. and carry it with you. Travel guidebooks are expensive books—like $35—but the first decision you make with it (like how to get from the arriving airport to the first destination) will easily save more than that. 4. You'll have no trouble finding historic value in Europe. It will be surprising how casual they are about it, like one of William Shakespeare's drinking mugs hanging on a pub wall. No case, no protection, not a big deal to take it down and handle it. 5. Check http://tsa.gov/ for what you should <i>not</i> bring. For travel ease, the less you carry, the more enjoyable the travel. 6. Your phone may not work there. Check in advance before taking it. They use cellular technology more advanced than in the U.S., though the most recent phones might interoperate. 6. Look at the fine print on your electronics' AC adapters: do they say 120v *and* 240v are acceptable input? ("50-60 Hz, 110-240 vac" or some such.) If so, you don't need a voltage converter, just a plug adapter—which costs much less. Buy them there in any hardware or variety store for a dollar or two.