GABIT attendees thread

[AmberMoon]

i must have got it backwards, but yeah, just convert it at double...but honstly, dont' convert it at all. you start to think about paying two dollars for a soda and thirty dollars for dinner and you'll go nuts

the brit pound is worth more than the euro, but so few places really take it that you're better off getting the pound

It's easy to get confused on the whole exchange rate thing. I cringe every time I check the exchange rate which is just about everyday. This year, if I don't have the cash on me, it's not getting bought. My credit card ain't going whacko like it did last year.

[rderoch]

I'm in E 17--wonder who's between us.

donamac

They should be afraid. Surrounded by all us GW'ers and Samandans.

[AmberMoon]

LOL - no, the fish'n'chips you're likely to get from a local chippy will not have the head still attached. It will be breaded and deepfried within an inch of its life. And oh so very, very good - just make sure you either bring a buddy or one heck of an appetite!!!

Sky - I gotta move down there... don't suppose you happen to have a teacher shortage atm, eh? Mmmmmm .... red meat .......then again, we've got our fair share of moo-age up here (Southern Ontario) too, it's just the bulk of them belong to the dairy industry instead

Right, back to GABIT... if it's a Tesco's that you're on about (the shop at the petrol station), they have great pre-packaged sandwiches in a variety of flavours, as well as juice/soda/water and crisps/chocolate, etc. for a very reasonable price. I often stopped in there on the way to school to grab a packed lunch when I was lacking in the leftover department. They often have bulk deals going too, for the soda and crisps.

When it comes to prices, don't try to convert while you're over there - the sheer expense will drive you crazy. Simply pretend that the £ is actually a $, and your stress levels will decrease exponentially As for the taking out of money, on average stuff costs twice as much as it would at home (S. ON prices ... not sure how exactly that compares to the various states). You can survive fairly well on a fiver for lunch and then a 20 for a nice dinner ... so that's going to work out to approx. $50/day. Another thing to remember is that the tax is already in the price of things, so it may seem more expensive, but the price you see is the price you pay! *yay for no surprises at the checkout!*

I don't remember if the gas station is a Tesco's or not but I do remember they have a little deli in the back corner where you can order a sandwich along with a salad (pasta, chicken, etc). I think I had a pasta salad and it was pretty tasty.

[ShimmeringStar]

I don't remember if the gas station is a Tesco's or not but I do remember they have a little deli in the back corner where you can order a sandwich along with a salad (pasta, chicken, etc). I think I had a pasta salad and it was pretty tasty.

Yeah, I don't think it was Tesco's either. (And I loved Tesco's.) Methinks it was like a BP petrol station with a convenience mart component to it.

Yep. xe is a good site, we use it at work when we need to do a quick conversion. Here's what it says for today 1.00 GBP = 1.98170 USD. At least it's not 1 GBP to 2.05 USD like it was recently!

I do a general budget in pounds for food/entrance fees/whatever else I plan to do, and then multiply that by 2. Last time it worked well because then I overbudgeted (the exchange rate in 11/06 was 1 pound to $1.80) and had a small cushion.

Celandine, I can understand where Sky and ames are coming from - you can't be thinking "well that's really $14 or $30 or $40" while you're there or it will drive you crazy and maybe even lessen the pleasure of your London experience. But you do need to do a budget before you fly - estimate in pounds what you think your daily costs will be and budget a nice little bit for the auction and then check the site AmberMoon shared for the latest rate - then you'll hopefully be able to use the debit card without melting the card!

Which would be a question for the G4 re: the charity auction ---- credit and debit accepted or just credit? (cash a given if we have it )

[Skydiver]

in your carryon, i woud toss a few granola bars or something...just because it sucks to be hungry or have low blood sugar (even if you're not a diabetic) and have no food to eat.
I also buy a bottle of water at the air port just in case, cause i'd ratehr lug it and not drink it than wish i had some

[JuliaR]

Which would be a question for the G4 re: the charity auction ---- credit and debit accepted or just credit? (cash a given if we have it )

I'm going to get Sue to come over and answer this one. She's our Charity coordinator who knows all things charity wise. I know credit definitely accepted.

She'll be here soon....

Julia
G4

[Tracy Jane]

Last year it was just credit cards (Same with Legends). I'll be interested to know if the policy has changed.

Yes, I'm working on it, Julia. I've even found a native German speaker to proof read when I'm done.

[JuliaR]

Last year it was just credit cards (Same with Legends). I'll be interested to know if the policy has changed.

Yes, I'm working on it, Julia. I've even found a native German speaker to proof read when I'm done.

Bless you!

Julia
G4

[Tracy Jane]

Bless you!

Julia
G4

Don't thank me yet. You don't know what I've written!

"We'd like to remind attendees that they may shower Amanda with gifts, take as much video footage as they wish and, most importantly, they must wear morris dancing outfits and pull faces at Julia at all times."

The last bit was incredibly difficult to translate, given the cultural implications.

[antoa]

in your carryon, i woud toss a few granola bars or something...just because it sucks to be hungry or have low blood sugar (even if you're not a diabetic) and have no food to eat.
I also buy a bottle of water at the air port just in case, cause i'd ratehr lug it and not drink it than wish i had some

I've stocked up on the dried fruit bars, cliff bars and dried mango for the trip. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, that's a great place to get snacks and such.

The dried fruit bars I get are 100% fruit and are only $0.49 each (and fat free and 50 calories).

[Skydiver]

rotflolol

somehow, i see the seating chart being rearranged

[JuliaR]

Don't thank me yet. You don't know what I've written!

"We'd like to remind attendees that they may shower Amanda with gifts, take as much video footage as they wish and, most importantly, they must wear morris dancing outfits and pull faces at Julia at all times."

The last bit was incredibly difficult to translate, given the cultural implications.

Aww..and you were doing so well......

<shudder> "morris dancing outfits"..........

Julia
G4

<trying to plot revenge but too tired.......>

[ForeverSg1]

Another thing to keep in mind when using a credit or debit card is the fact that if the card is a Mastercard or Visa card ( regardless of the Bank ), you will more than likely be charged a 1% international transaction fee for every use of the card. This is not a charge by your bank. I've been informed this is a fee Mastercard and Visa charge for all international transactions.

My husband and I bank with a credit union and last year we called to make sure we would not be charged additional fees for using our debit card overseas. They assured us they would not charge us anything for using our debit cards at any foreign ATM( though they could not guarantee there would not be an ATM usage fee); however, they forgot to mention the transaction fee Visa/Mastercard would charge. So I was slightly shocked when I came back and had a page and a half of transaction fees on my bank statement.

Granted we were on our trip for over two weeks and we used our debit card for everything (meals, hotels, souveniers, ect ), but it's definitely something to keep in mind if you are on a budget.

You're best bet if budgeting is an issue is to figure out how much you think you are going to be spending per day and get traveler's checks or cash (if you're not worried about losing it) and avoid the credit/debit cards all together.

As for the charity auction, please keep in mind that while it's for a truly wonderful cause, it's also an auction in the UK where the American dollar is worth half the value of the British pound. And while there are some very good deals to be found, if this year's charity event is anything like last year's it will be bursting with high volumes of energy and excitement. So when you are bidding on that gorgeous hand-made item that Amanda made with her very own hands, you might want to do a little mental math to remind yourself that price you are bidding is actually doubled.

*Still can't believe I let Ambermoon talk me into bidding L2500 pounds for an auction item at Avalon last year, but believe me you get wrapped up in the excitement!* We lost by the way.

I would really loved to have participated more at the auction, but the bids quite frequently went over my bidding limit. And if I remember correctly, they raised over L20,000. So if you are limited on funds, like many of us are, please do not allow that to prevent you from participating in the fun.

I think there's still time to donate a few dollars to the Quilt of Hugs Fund and the raffles are inexpensive so everyone can participate. Because in the end every little pound helps.

[t_2]

<shudder> "morris dancing outfits"..........

Julia
G4

<trying to plot revenge but too tired.......>

You'll never get us back for the morris dancing <insert mocking evil laughter>

Tracy

[t_2]

For all you AT3 goers, there's a really nice interview regarding Gabit up on a German website. Don't panic it's not in German and so doesn't need translating!

It gives a bit of history on the how and why Gabit was formed. So if you're interested follow this link!

http://synapse-design.de/amanda-tapp...view/gabit.php

Tracy