Travel to England

[konkrypton]

I am very fortunate, in that I have a friend who has offered to take me with her to England in November for the 50th anniversary celebration for Doctor Who. While I'm used to flying, and have been to Mexico, I have never traveled overseas. Will I have any problems entering the UK with my meds? Is there anything I need to know/do? Are shots required?

Any help/info appreciated!

[Miss Philicia]

You won't have any issue entering with medication and don't need any shots.

One suggestion I would make is to have a debit card/ATM with EMV chip technology, which is what is standard in Europe. Most US cards do not yet have this. It's not a problem when using an ATM over there, or charging something in a store, but if you want to use it to buy fares on public transportation you will need it. So when I was recently in France I had to make sure I always had cash on me for the subway. Wells Fargo now has debit cards with EMV chips but you have to specifically request one I think.

http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/178_99/wells-fargo-introduces-emv-compliant-commercial-cards-1059333-1.html

ps: I also recommend the use of two valium for the overnight eastward travel segment, so you arrive fully rested

[Tool man]

Some countries require you have at least 90 left on your passport or they will not let you enter. Never have we had an issue traveling with meds that are not fun.

Lucky you to see Dr. Who anniversary. My husband used to disrespect everyone who watched Dr Who when he worked with PBS until he got to spend a few days traveling with one of the doctors. He still looks at me funny if he ever catches me watching the show.....

TM

[konkrypton]

Thank you Tool Man and Miss Philicia!

I had read that the UK (and US) had lifted travel restrictions for POZ folks. I'm really looking forward to this trip. I've always been an Anglophile. As a teen I read all the Sherlock Holmes and Lord of the Rings books, then discovered Doctor Who in the early 80's. I have wanted to visit England my whole life, so I can't wait!

I'll see about the debit card, too. Not sure if my bank offers that or not.

[Ann]

I'll see about the debit card, too. Not sure if my bank offers that or not.

If you do get a chip-and-pin card (as they're known over here), you will need to make sure your card company/bank KNOWS where you're going and how long you'll be there. Otherwise, there's a good chance that your card will be blocked after a couple uses. This is to guard against theft and fraud, not to piss you off.

It's probably a good idea to let your card company/bank know this anyway if you plan on using your card a lot - like to get cash from hole-in-the-wall cash machines.

You really should try to get one (C&P) if you can, as many places in the UK now only cater for this type of card. Some places will still have a swipe machine (usually part of the till) for the magnetic strip on the back, but these are becoming fewer and farther between. In my experience anyway.

I'm surprised you Yanks haven't caught up with this (C&P) technology yet.

[Miss Philicia]

Actually, at least in France, everyone accepted my non-chip plain ole debit card. Even tiny seaside towns on the Mediterranean. Only public transport was the one issue, and it's not a big deal to pay for that with cash.

But yes, definitely call your bank's customer service phone line and tell them which countries you'll be in and a date span. Add on a couple of days in case of travel issues, and if you're making connecting flights include that country and possibly a couple other main ones (meaning if you're making a connection in Munich it's always possible that a flight delay will cause them to put you on something going through Paris or London and then you can at least use your card at the airport, etc.)

And unlike some American tourists I never bother using travelers cheques or obtaining foreign currency stateside -- too much trouble and no longer necessary though everyone did this 20 years ago. The exception would be if perhaps your bank card in the US is from a small bank. I also don't change currency at those currency exchange places in the airport -- the rates employed at an ATM will be better even with the service charge.

[Souledout]

Are shots required??? We're not third world you know! Also, kindly don't bring any rabies with you as we don't have any here.

Did the UK ever have travel restrictions on HIV folk by the way?

[Tool man]

I made the mistake of taking euros when we were in England.
Yes we are stupid North Americans..... What the hell do I do with all those pound notes in my wallet?

TM

[konkrypton]

Are shots required??? We're not third world you know! Also, kindly don't bring any rabies with you as we don't have any here.

Did the UK ever have travel restrictions on HIV folk by the way?

I wondered if anyone would catch the shots joke!

Apparently the UK & US, along with a lot of other countries, once had travel bans, but most are lifted now. Some Middle East & African countries still do, I hear.

[Ann]

What the hell do I do with all those pound notes in my wallet?

Send them to meeee!!!

Actually, at least in France, everyone accepted my non-chip plain ole debit card. Even tiny seaside towns on the Mediterranean. Only public transport was the one issue, and it's not a big deal to pay for that with cash.

Even "tiny seaside towns" would accept non C&P cards because the magnetic strip swipe technology is an older technology. If France hasn't done what the UK did and make C&P a requirement on cards issued from British concerns, then of course they would still have the swipe technology everywhere.

IIRC, the UK was the first to roll out mandatory C&P, and it's been an established method for quite a few years. Nowadays it's a bit hit-or-miss (in the UK) whether or not an establishment will have a till (cash register to you Yanks) that still has magnetic strip swipe capabilities.

It can be a problem sometimes when the C&P device is broken, or the system is down due to heavy traffic. It happens sometimes at Christmas, and you have to pay cash or you're out of luck. I know of quite a few places both here on the Rock and in Liverpool where you can only pay by C&P or cash.

It's a bit like when the magnetic swipe strips first came out. For a while you would find places who had the technology in place to deal with them, but quite a few places still had the old-fashioned gizmos that made an impression of your card details on a receipt, and you got (or the shop kept?) a carbon-copy of the receipt.

I bet a lot of our younger members have no idea what I'm talking about! I haven't seen one of those contraptions for a long time. Does anyone know/remember what they were called?

Now (in the UK anyway) the swipe machines are going the way of the card-impression thingies. Some places have kept their swipe capabilities for the times when the C&P system is down, but the system has improved over the years so the swipe system is going by the wayside.

Most places prefer C&P because if you don't have enough money on your card to pay for the goods, your card will be rejected. I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen with the swipe method, but I could be wrong. IIRC that was the main reason behind the switch to C&P.

From what I understand, the newest technology is to pay for stuff via an app on your smart-phone. I wonder if that will eventually replace C&P, particularly as C&P doesn't seem to be world-wide?

[mitch777]

It's a bit like when the magnetic swipe strips first came out. For a while you would find places who had the technology in place to deal with them, but quite a few places still had the old-fashioned gizmos that made an impression of your card details on a receipt, and you got (or the shop kept?) a carbon-copy of the receipt.

I bet a lot of our younger members have no idea what I'm talking about! I haven't seen one of those contraptions for a long time. Does anyone know/remember what they were called?

Now (in the UK anyway) the swipe machines are going the way of the card-impression thingies. 

I'm not sure what they are called but we just call it the card swiper thingy and still use it on the rare occasion when the system has a problem.

What is this chip thingy all about anyway? I'm not familiar with it so I'm not sure what it does that a magnetic strip card doesn't.

[Ann]

What is this chip thingy all about anyway? I'm not familiar with it so I'm not sure what it does that a magnetic strip card doesn't.

These two links explain it better than I could without me getting all long-winded. Again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_and_PIN

http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/

That second link may be useful for the OP as it has a section dealing with cards from overseas (non-UK) banks.

Along the same lines, here's a recent article from the LA Times about an American C&P Travelex card that can be loaded with other currencies, including the British pound. I don't know if he'll have time to get one before he goes, but it sounds like a good solution for him.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-travelex-preloaded-chip-pin-card-20130821,0,1140501.story

[Ann]

Some other good links the OP may find informative:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/chip-and-pin.htm

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/are-chip-and-pin-credit-cards-coming-1.aspx

http://blog.usa.gov/post/56155583987/traveling-abroad-consider-a-chip-and-pin-credit-card

[Ann]

Most places prefer C&P because if you don't have enough money on your card to pay for the goods, your card will be rejected. I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen with the swipe method, but I could be wrong. IIRC that was the main reason behind the switch to C&P.

I was wrong about that, soz. The main reason behind the switch was to do with identity theft and fraud. Drug -haze! Old age! Faulty memory!   

[mitch777]

Thanks Anne. 
I guess us Yankees would prefer to have fraud happen for a bit longer. Great idea.

[newt]

Old-style (non chip-and-pin) cards work in ATMs  (or cashpoints as we Brits say) so you can get cash if you have a PIN code for your card, the real stuff, out a hole in the wall. Major retailers will not have an issue with old-style cards, but if you are a queue people will tut at you in a just audible manner as the assistant gets out a credit card transaction slip hidden somewhere in a drawer. You can also buy sterling at foreign exchange bureaux, travel agents, post offices and banks.

For London buy a pay-as-you go Oyster card and put some cash on it, this will let you breeze round our capital's very good public transport system cash-free.

For meds, put them in your hand luggage in the original containers. Border control/customs will not be interested. They will be interested in you showing means of support ie a credit card and a return ticket.

The UK has never had any HIV travel restrictions, for we are land of the moderately free and a restriction on travel is immoderate.

- matt

[PozBrian]

The only thing I'll add is that I'm SUPER JEALOUS that your going to the Doctor Who 50Th! Like most Yanks my Doctor is the 4Th, Tom Baker. Currently working through all the episodes. I'm in 1968.

[Tool man]

PozBrian,
Get into the 21st century and a cuter doctor.
The 10th doctor, Davie Tennant, is really attractive with makeup.
Also during that time they get very PC and gays are accepted as normal.

TM

[PozBrian]

Yes David is a much cuter Doctor, and in many ways he is really my favorite. However, I have fond memories of my first.  Many "firsts" actually 

[PozBrian]

Then there's Captain Jack,

[Tool man]

Yummy Caption Jack!

TM