SAFEGUARD YOUR VALUABLES
Your most valuable items are your passport (without which you cannot get back home), your airline tickets, your money, and your credit cards. Do not leave these in your room. Do not carry these items in a pocket or handbag. Your passport has a black market value of two or three thousand dollars. While violent crime is low in the United Kingdom, pickpockets abound–and they are skilled.
The best place to carry your essential travel items is in a pouch that hangs invisibly around your neck, under your clothing. Pickpockets can get into a waist pouch, even one worn in front, but an under-the-clothes neck pouch is almost impossible to penetrate. Purchase such a pouch at Pearson’s on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge, or on line through Magellans.
COMPUTERS
A computer is not necessary for any of the courses being taught. One question, therefore, is whether even to bring a laptop. There are computers on campus available for use during normal working hours, and there are numerous cybercafés in the area. Laptops are heavy, but may be carried on most flights as hand luggage. Rooms at Ifor Evans Place are equipped with Internet connections.
If you are planning on making frequent and lengthy telephone calls to the United States, and if you have microphone-and-speaker capability or headphones, Net2Phone could prove an economical mode of telephoning the United States. For other telephone options, see the Telephone Instructions page on this web site.
Due to voltage differences, there are electrical issues. Please see the Electrical Considerations page on this web site.
TRAVELERS CHECKS AND CREDIT CARDS
Your best bet is to buy your traveler’s checks here in the United States, but denominated in British pounds. Banks charge one per cent of face value of traveler’s checks (a ripoff, for when you buy a traveler’s check, you are loaning money to American Express, a bank, and they have nerve to charge you for lending them your money!).
The American Automobile Association (on Bluebonnet in Baton Rouge) will sell traveler’s checks at no fee to AAA members. If you have a friend who is an AAA member, ask him or her to accompany you. AAA has British-pound traveler’s checks and traveler’s checks in Euros. Most of your money needs will be for British pounds, but if you are planning on going to France or Ireland, a few Euro traveler’s checks won’t hurt. While at AAA, also ask for a travel guide to Europe, free to members.
An empty credit card (not near its limit) is also a fine way to pay for things in the United Kingdom and throughout all of Europe. VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are all widely accepted.
Remember that a pound is not a dollar, and that a pound costs about US $1.65 plus an exchange commission. A Euro costs about US $1.50. Exchange rates do fluctuate slightly from day to day.
OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS TO TAKE
Casebooks should be purchased from Claitor’s prior to departure. You will not be able to get your American-published casebooks in Europe.
The course syllabi should be checked for any items (such as selected Civil Code articles) which need to be photocopied and taken. Also print out copies of your course syllabi. A couple of notebooks, a couple of pens, and a couple of highlighters should complete your academic needs. You are not required to have a laptop for your courses.
Prescription medications should be carried in sufficient supply for six weeks or longer. Take all medications in your carry-on luggage, so there is no possibility of loss in transit.
You will need a travel alarm clock for morning wakeup. It should be battery operated or spring wound, since an electric clock or clock radio will not keep correct time on European electricity, not even with a voltage converter.
Your student ID may come in handy in obtaining student discounts in England. For student discounts in other European countries, obtain an ISIC (International Student Identification Card) from STA Travel at LSU.
IMPORTANT ITEMS NOT TO TAKE
Leave your cellphone at home unless you are prepared to pay outrageous international roaming charges or have a tri-band phone and plan to obtain a British prepaid account (see Telephone Instructions).
Pepper spray is classified as an illegal firearm in the United Kingdom. Possession carries a minimum of five years’ imprisonment. A pocket knife may be transported only in checked luggage, and it may not be carried on the street in England.
For other items, see the Transportation Security Administration web site.
LUGGAGE
You are allowed two pieces of checked luggage and one carry-on item. If you decide to bring a laptop (see Electrical Considerations), it should be in your carry-on items. Check your airline’s size and weight limitations for international travel. These limitations are strictly enforced.
Avoid buying expensive new luggage for the airlines to kick around. Get a large, sturdy, used suitcase at Goodwill or at a garage sale.
Be aware that checked luggage may only be locked with a TSA-approved lock. To use an old lock that is not approved is to risk the Transportation Security Administration cutting your lock or breaking into your luggage for a security check. TSA-approved locks may be purchased at Pearson’s on Jefferson Highway, or online from Magellans.
PACKING PHILOSOPHY
The idea is to have enough room to return with your purchases. Pack light. If you go to England with two bags packed full, you will have no room left to bring back–much less to bring back without breakage–any gifts or souvenirs. One way to handle this is to pack only one checked suitcase when going to England, and to include within it a collapsible duffel bag. This duffel can then become your second checked bag on your return trip. The duffel can also be used for side trips on weekends.
Remember that you will have to carry what you pack once you get to Europe. England is not a third-world country. If you find you need something, you can always purchase it there.
CLIMATE
Be prepared for cool weather and some rain. The average high temperature in London in July is 72° F, with an average low of 55° F. Statistically, there will be a shower at some point in the day on 14 of your 42 days in London, so do bring an umbrella.
London is at 51½° North Latitude–approximately the same latitude as Goose Bay, Labrador, or Calgary, Alberta. Paris is at 49° North Latitude–approximately the same latitude as Gander, Newfoundland, or Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The average high temperature in Paris in July is 76° F, with an average low of 58° F. Parisian skies are almost always blue with scattered clouds. Showers will occur in July less often than in London.
Europe tells temperature in degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit. To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, take the Celsius temperature and multiply by nine, then divide by five, then add 32 to the result. For example, if the Celsius temperature is 25°:
25° C × 9 = 225° ÷ 5 = 45° + 32° = 77° F For more meteorological information, visit the World Meteorological Organization web site.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PACK
You will need one suit and a dress shirt or blouse for visits to the courts, the inns of court, et cetera. Be sure to have neckwear and footwear appropriate to those occasions.
Dress for class will be casual. Shorts are acceptable in England, but the weather can be chilly. Do not overpack. Coin operated laundry facilities are available in your residence hall.
Breaking in a new pair of shoes on a trip abroad can be an unwise and painful experience. With all the walking you're going to be doing, it’s best to bring old-but-reliable footwear.
You’ll need a light robe and flip flops for trips outside your room to the toilets and showers. And you will need facecloths. While towels are provided by the university, the general philosophy in Europe is that washcloths are too personal an item for any innkeeper to provide. Bring your own cheap washcloths. Bed linens are provided by the university.
African-American students are advised to bring any needed hair care products. While hair care products are available in England, they are more expensive and the products are not as good. Female African-American students are also advised to bring any needed cosmetics.
Bring a laundry bag for your dirty laundry.
A few zip-lock baggies can be helpful to avoid spillage. If you are traveling with plastic bottles that are less than full, squeeze some of the air out of the bottles and then recap snugly. This will help avoid leakage. Then put each bottle in a zip-lock baggie, just to be sure.
Be sure to bring an address list of family and friends back home to whom you wish to send post cards. Add to that a list of important phone numbers back home.
Finally, consult one or more online sources for suggested packing lists, but remember that you will need appropriate courtroom attire for your visits to the inns of court and the Royal Courts of Justice. You will not be visiting any beaches in London, so you can forget the beach wear.
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