London lodging for only $27 a night
Budget rooms. You thought staying in London was going to be expensive. So, how does 18 (about $27) a night - including breakfast - sound? It's possible if you stay at the London School of Economics.
A number of British universities offer value-priced rooms for individual travelers and groups. And they're in cities - such as Bath, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and York - that tourists want to visit.
For more information, request a brochure from British Universities Accommodation Consortium, Box H00, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England; e-mail buac@nottingham.ac.uk; or visit the Web site at www.buac.co.uk.
Only slightly more expensive is lodging offered by Bed and Breakfast (GB), which has rooms in Britain and Ireland beginning at 18.
For details, write Bed and Breakfast (GB), 94-96 Bell Street, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. RG9 1XS, England, or check on the Internet at www.bedbreak.com.
TRIP BOOKS
One winter, writes Patricia Sturm of Bonita Springs, Fla., she and her husband joined a Good Sam caravan of 48 RVs and spent 58 days touring Mexico.
How to keep up with film and notes from such a long trip? Mrs. Sturm wrote daily about her experiences "as though I was talking to our youngest daughter in the US and mailed [her] the pages every three or four days when a post office was available.
"When we arrived [home]," she continues, "I took the letters, rewrote them on scrapbook-size paper, correlated the photos, and had a wonderful record of our trip."
Sturm repeated the procedure for a 17-day European trip and adds that her "trip books" have enabled her to "spend many hours reliving the happy memories of our trips."
GOOD GUIDES. When you want your trip to include more than standard tourist spots, turn to a guidebook devoted to your special interests. "The Getaway Guide to Agatha Christie's England," by Judith Hurdle, reveals where to buy the Belgian chocolates so beloved by Hercule Poirot and what to see in Torquay, Christie's childhood home.
"Kids' London" (Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides) is filled with colorful drawings and photos of sights - including the new Millennium Dome - sure to be popular with the peanut-butter-and-jelly set.
Art lovers will find a treasure-trove of information in "Art Sites Contemporary Art and Architecture Handbook Britain & Ireland." The commentary is in-depth, but the approach is accessible
Coming in July is "London for Lovers," by Larry and Barb Lain, who have sought out the city's most romantic walks, intimate restaurants, and charming hotels,.
*Share your Trip Tips. We're looking for recommendations of outstanding vacation spots and ways to make traveling easier or more rewarding. E-mail your tips to Lowej@csps.com or mail them to Travel Editor, The Christian Science Monitor, C-17, One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115. Please include your name, city, and a phone number or e-mail address.
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