Traveling is always fun, but we must admit that it can be quite costly. For this reason, many cities in Europe have developed packages for tourists to make sightseeing more affordable and convenient.

“The London Pass is the ultimate sightseeing package that has been tailor-made for visitors to the city. It allows holders to make the most out of their trip, saving them both time and money.”

When you purchase a London Pass, you get free entrance to “over 55 popular attractions, tours, sights and museums”.  You can skip lines at selected attractions and avail of special offers too. Once you purchase a pass, you will receive a 160+ page travel guidebook about the city. Read on the attractions and helpful tips.

The Thames River cruise, Tower of London, London Zoo, Westminister Abbey, The London Bridge Experience, Windsor Castle, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Tower Bridge Exhibition, Hampton Court Palace and Churchill War Rooms are all within reach. There is no need to worry about entrance fees or going over budget because they have all been paid for in advance.

As an added bonus for 2012, “each London Pass comes with a specially made 2012 commemorative pin badge”. You can also get a London Pass insurance option with a money back guarantee. It also comes with an optional Travelcard which can cover all of your transportation needs.

Make sure you have a wonderful holiday with the London Pass, where you can save on money, time and stress. Visit http://www.londonpass.com for more information.

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Visit A Museum

Britain has wonderful museums, and London alone offers more than 240 museums within its city limits, giving you ample opportunity to take in some culture and history without getting damp If you’re interested in World War II, check out The Britain at War Experience or The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, which show life in London during WWII. London is also home to some very niche museums, such as the Cartoon Museum, London Transport Museum, London Motor Museum, and Pollock’s Toy Museum, just to name a handful.This means that whatever your tastes are, there is definitely a museum for you to check out.

Visit the Gorgeous Estates

Britain is home to many beautiful estates that you can visit. Pretend you’re Elizabeth Bennett traveling the countryside and seeing Pemberley for the first time, and you’ll feel like you’re in a Jane Austen tome. The Chatsworth House is a can’t-miss if you’re into touring gorgeous homes.

Culture via Theatre

What is a trip to Britain without seeing a Shakespeare play? Taking in a theater matinee is the perfect way to spend a rainy day in Britain. Check out a play in Stratford-upon-Avon or Manchester’s Royal Exchange. You’ll feel cultured, entertained, and dry.

Spend Some Dough

You can let your wallet do all the work without feeling a drop of rain. Check out London’s covered Borough Market for scrumptious British produce or the Bull Ring Shopping Centre in Birmingham for high-end goods. You could also visit the south coast and check out the wonderful boutiques in the city of Brighton. Just don’t spend so much that you find yourself having to apply for loans when you get home because you don’t have enough left to pay your real bills!

Go Underground

A totally unique and different Britain excursion that’s also incredibly family friendly is a tour through Britain’s many caves. Many visitors don’t even think to check out all the natural underground wonders the country has to offer, but it’s a perfect way to stay out of the drizzle. Wookey Hole is a wonderfully spooky cave that’s sure to entertain the whole family.

As you can see, you can have plenty of fun in Britain even if you’re dodging rainclouds. Make sure to pack an umbrella and waterproof shoes, and you’ll be able to have the perfect English holiday

London Zoo

Founded in 1828, London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo The London Zoo houses 755 different species of animals with a total of 16,802 animals. Along with its famous claim for being the world’s oldest scientific zoo, the London Zoo is also the first zoo in the world to open a Reptile house, Aquarium, Insect house, and Children’s zoo to the public. The London Zoo boasts 36 acres, and you’ll need the whole day just to take it all in. Don’t leave the zoo without checking out the daily penguin and lion feedings or visiting the monkeys in the recreated Bolivian rain forest.

Paradise Wildlife Park

This family-owned zoo is the perfect chance to get up close and personal with exotic animals. Located in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, at the Paradise Wildlife Park you can even feed Rocky the tiger At this zoo, you’ll definitely want to visit their big cats as recent additions to the park include their Big Cat Territory, where you’ll see awesome cats like white lions, snow leopards, and jaguars. They’ve also recently added a cool Birds of Paradise Arena that is sure to dazzle your little ones.

Whipsnade Zoo

Located near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, Whipsnade Zoo opened in 1931 and is home to 227 different species with 6,405 animals in total. The most notable feature of Whipsnade Zoo is their roaming elephants. The herds of elephants freely roam the zoo grounds and make for cool family photos Whipsnade Zoo has the distinction of being Britain’s largest zoo with its 600 acres, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to visit.

Chester Zoo

The Chester Zoo is home to over 7,000 animals representing over 400 species with half of the species listed as endangered, meaning that conservation is a huge mission for this zoo. The biggest attraction at the Chester Zoo is the Black Rhino Experience, where you can visit Chester’s seven Black Rhinos.

Drusillas Park

While Drusillas Park is one of the smallest zoos in Britain, it is one of the most kid-friendly zoo and gives your little ones the chance to come practically face-to-snout with some of the zoo’s residents. Located in East Essez, Drusillas Park boasts a playland for children that includes the Monkey Kingdom and a toddler’s indoor village.

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Bargain shopping doesn’t end when you’ve purchased your plane or train ticket. Understanding the culture and economy of your host country can prove beneficial in unexpected ways. For example, many countries’ markets and retail operators strictly adhere to bartering principles that dictate no one ever pays the advertised price. That is, of course, unless you don’t know any better.

Research can also turn up local secrets. These tips can range from dinner recommendations to taxi-scam warnings to guidance in finding the best “for-free” attractions and activities a locale has to offer.

To help wade through the flotsam and jetsam of the sea of information available on the Internet, we’ve compiled some of the best resources available for conducting research.

You can’t go wrong with these travel resources:

Wikitravel – The vagabond cousin of Wikipedia, Wikitravel is a user-based compilation of travel-related information about just about any location you can think of. Information includes history, economics, public transportation tips, food and drink, and attractions.

Lonely Planet Travel Guides – Still one of the best sources for country-specific travel information, Lonely Planet covers all of the bases in an easy to use format that includes maps and color photos.

Free research papers – That’s right, the plethora of sites on the Internet hawking term papers can be fantastic travel resources. Many of these sites offer free-to-download research papers on various countries that cover geography, history, culture and so on.

CIA World Factbook – The United States government’s spy agency, surprisingly, is a wealth of information that can be used to your advantage when planning a trip. The factbook has exhaustive information on 267 countries that include information on history, people, government, economy, geography, communications and transportation.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office – Britain’s diplomatic service maintains an extensive “Travel and Living Abroad” website at www.fco.gov.uk. Here you can find – literally – anything you might need to know in the course of planning a trip. It’s all covered from news to staying safe and healthy to being a responsible tourist.

With the massive amounts of information readily available on the Internet, there is no reason at all to go blind when taking a trip. Key information can enhance a trip where ignorance can cost you money, time and maybe even your freedom. Do the research and know the possibilities – bon voyage!

The Dorchester

Located at Park Lane, Mayfair The Dorchester has been serving up excellence for over 80 years. A great way to treat yourself at The Dorchester is to enjoy afternoon tea, which includes a variety of finger sandwiches served on fresh baked bread. That isn’t all though. The tea also includes a variety of French pastries, scones with homemade jams and clotted cream, and a selection of grand and rare teas. It’s truly one of the best ways to experience a spot of tea in England.

Helene Darroze at the Connaught

If you want to feel like royalty, Helene Darroze is happy to please. Also located in the Mayfair District, the restaurant features French-inspired cuisine that is based on seasonal and regional ingredients. Guests of the restaurant can dine on such delicacies as duck foie gras from Les Landes poached in sangria wine or roasted loin of venison with Jamaican pepper.

The Ivy

Located in the heart of London’s theater district, on West Street, The Ivy is the perfect place to visit after taking in a show. While there, you’ll experience such dishes as beetroot, apple & chickweed salad with goat’s cheese nuggets and steamed syrup pudding. Guests may also like the fact that all the fish in the restaurant comes from sustainable sources.

HIX Oyster and Fish House

Want authentic fish and chips that doesn’t come from a street cart? Then this is the place to go. HIX is also another restaurant that practices sustainable fishing in its efforts to serve the best seafood in London. Located on Cobb Road, HIX Oyster and Fish House overlooks the beautiful harbor and offers a relaxed atmosphere.

The Brasserie at the Tower Hotel

If you want decadence in a more traditional form, your best bet is The Brasserie. The restaurant offers such dishes as pan fried pork #fillet with polenta cake, apple puree, stilton sauce and roast rump of lamb, wilted pak choi, garlic mash, and thyme jus. Located at St. Katherine’s Way, the restaurant is sure to please any meat eater.

London is filled with gourmet restaurants to suit almost any palate. If you’re looking for decadent choices, you cannot go wrong with these choices. All of the restaurants offer a taste of London with an abundance of class. My friend highly recommends Brasserie.

Hours of operation. Tube lines are open between Monday and Saturday, from 5 AM to midnight, and operate on a limited schedule on Sundays.

Maps and guides. London’s transport department provides free maps and tourist guides for use with the London Underground transport system. You can find these at London Tube stations, London Travel information centres, Heathrow Airport terminals, and the Britain and London Visitor Centre.

Tips for traveling via the tube. If you can avoid traveling during rush hour times (before and after work, and during lunch breaks), then do. Before you board a train, always check the front for destination information, just to verify that you are getting on the right train.

Cheaper traveling. Save a considerable amount of money riding the tube by purchasing an “Oyster Card” or a “Travelcard.” These are like frequent traveler passes that you purchase up-front, and that can be used any time you ride the tube, from any tube station.

Sightseeing. Riding the tube, it is possible to see every tourist hotspot London has to offer, including Waterloo, London Bridge, the Manor House, Finsbury Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Wembley Park, Oxford Circus, and much, much more. Plan for several days’ worth of sightseeing via the London Underground, because most of London’s attractions will inspire you to invest some real time.

Accessibility. If you have mobility problems, then it is important that you grab a map and plot out your tube travels before embarking on your trip. Many of the tube stations must be reached by escalators or stairs, so use your map to find the ground-floor handicap accessible stations.

There is so very much to see and do in London, and the best way to explore it all is to take the world-famous London Underground railway system. It’s even safe to say that the tube is a tourist attraction in itself. Be sure to get your maps and to plot out your trips so as not to miss out on one morsel of what London has to offer.

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Jade Mitcham enjoys traveling and exploring other parts of the world. She’s currently working with unemployed individuals and enjoys using sites like Accounting Principals finance staffing agency to help others find new career opportunities.

One of these is a floating picnic at the River Thames. The best online resource for this kind of outing is Visit Thames, which compiles most anything that you can do related to the river. There are lots of restaurants by the river, from the outskirts of London to the Cotswolds. The Guardian recently had a feature on these floating picnic outings and suggests these:

The Beetle & Wedge Boathouse in Moulsford near Goring (beetleandwedge.co.uk) makes up hampers of cheese, salads, gravadlax, baguettes, melon and strawberries, then puts you in a wooden launch that seats up to 10 people (one hour boat hire £50, hampers from £15pp).

Or cruise the Thames in style from Marlow on the Compleat Angler’s Edwardian-style electric launch, while tucking into poached salmon, sandwiches, salads, scones, cheese and biscuits and strawberries and cream (macdonaldhotels.co.uk/compleatangler, boat hire £75-£95 per hour, hampers £25-£36).

If you want to pack your own hamper the website also lists boat hire companies such as Cotswold Boat Hire (cotswoldboat.co.uk), based in Lechlade, which has open-top motor boats from £80 for four hours for up to five people, and rowing boats from £15 per hour.

Now that sounds pretty good to me. What about you?

One of the best things about calling cars are free calls – those come with various extra conditions outlined about them, but in most cases you should be able to score some completely free calls to predetermined destinations, allowing you to manage your budget a lot more flexibly and efficiently. Calling cards don’t have to be limited to travelers and businessmen – even if you make phone calls just occasionally, you should still be able to net some good savings from the whole ordeal.

Just remember that free calls aren’t everything to look for in a calling card – there are various other factors that can define a good deal, like convenience of recharges (this is especially good if the card can actually be recharged instead of having to be replaced), usability, coverage, as well as accumulating bonuses (which is becoming a very popular feature among calling card providers lately).

Nowadays, you actually do not have to increase your risk for getting skin cancer just to get a tan. A kind of tanning lotion, called sunless tanning lotions or self-tanners, now offer a safer alternative to sunbathing. By using this kind of tanning lotion, you can get the skin tone you want without even having to sunbathe. This means that you can sport a great tan year-round as well. With such tanning lotions you do not just avoid increasing your risk for skin cancer, but if you stay out of the sun, you actually end up lowering your risk!

Even tanning lotions that still require you to get a good dose of the sun now offer safer options. The best tanning lotions now contain skin moisturizing ingredients and anti-oxidants, which may not protect you from UV rays, but at least takes care of other skin issues. With healthier options these days, people do not really have to choose health over beauty, but get to have their cake and eat it too. Perhaps, that is why tans continue to be popular, After all who wouldn’t want to sport a great tan sans the cancer?