Jetsetters
London
February 14 – 18, 2007
NOT JUST FOR THE UPPER CRUST
“Jet Set” is the term once used to describe an international
social group of wealthy people who traveled from one stylish or exotic
place to another via jet airplanes. Although airline service in the
1950s was primarily marketed to the upper class, its introduction eventually
resulted in a substantial democratization of air travel. Today travel
is readily available to the masses, so the term “jet set”
no longer carries quite the same cachet it once did. However, it still
implies the ability to get away on an impulse to someplace far from
home, without having to worry about the cost.
Studies show that Americans are working
harder and taking even less vacation time than ever before. Who among
us doesn’t yearn to escape from our ordinary routine for a few
days on a sudden, irresistibly romantic urge?
Airlines fares and hotel prices can be expensive,
but not if you know when to go. In the off-season (typically defined
as the least desirable time to the greatest number of travelers), you
will find much cheaper flights, and hotels are practically begging people
to stay with them. Another benefit is that usually hard-to-get tickets
for sold-out theatre shows, concerts, operas, or museum events are often
available. For London, England, the off-season is the winter, when the
weather is no worse or no better than back home, but may actually be
a little milder than many American cities during the same time.
London is one of the world’s greatest
cities, and one of its largest, with a population fast approaching 10
million people. Located in the southeast of England, on the River Thames,
it is the capital of the United Kingdom and has been the heart of its
political, cultural and business life for centuries. The city has developed,
expanded, and thrived, despite such perils as plague, fire, civil war,
a plot to blow up Parliament, and German bombing during WWII. Although
vast, this huge city is surprisingly easy to navigate with an extensive
subway system, known as the Underground, taking you to each of its small,
distinct neighborhoods or districts.
Tourists may come for the iconic landmarks,
like Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and the enormous ferris
wheel called the Eye, but the breadth of London’s cultural life
is equally amazing. There are fine theatres, world-class art galleries,
a thriving music scene, countless neighborhood pubs, and buzzing nightlife,
both gay and straight. This outing will appeal to everyone, whether
you are a first-time visitor to Europe or whether you regularly make
the hop across the Pond (a phrase jetsetters use to describe the trip
across the Atlantic).
This tour coincides with Valentine’s
Day weekend. If you have a honey, surprise him with plane tickets for
a romantic three-night weekend getaway in London. If you are currently
without a beau, you might just find him waiting for you when you arrive
in one of the gay capitals of the world. Become one of a new generation
of Jetsetters and join us in London this February!
ITINERARY
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine’s Day Getaway
Today is a travel day. Arrange your flights to depart your home city
today, arriving in London tomorrow morning.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Arrive in London
Upon landing in London, transfer on your own to our hotel in the Kensington
district, a short tube ride from all the city’s main sights. Details
on transportation within London from the airport to downtown are included
at the end of this itinerary. Check in, then relax and get familiar
with the hotel and its amenities and the location of the nearby Gloucester
Road Tube Station.
This evening Toto Tours provides a Hospitality
Desk where our representative will discuss touring options and help
you make sightseeing and theatre-going reservations. You will already
be familiar with your fellow tour participants via an email chat forum
we set up before departure, but now we meet face to face during a welcome
cocktail party then head out for our first evening in the exciting city
of London. (Cocktail Party)
Friday, February 16, 2007
London Sightseeing
Enjoy a continental breakfast at the hotel, followed by a half-day
sightseeing tour of London. Our driving overview tour includes most
of the major sights, including Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace,
Covent Gardens and Prince Albert Hall. We disembark the coach for photos
stops and also a guided tour of Westminster Abbey.
Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the
day is free for you to do what Jetsetters are famous for doing—exactly
as you please. You may want to catch a show in London’s West End
theatre district, go shopping at Harrah’s, or sample the nightlife
at one of London’s many popular gay venues. (Continental
Breakfast)
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Free Day with Optional Tours
Today is entirely free. Toto Tours has organized two of the most popular
sightseeing tours for you to enjoy today if you wish. In the morning
we offer a half-day tour of Windsor Castle. In the afternoon we will
take a group to see the Tower of London, including the Crown Jewels.
These will be private tours for our group only. Other activities booked
through our Hospitality Desk will be aboard tours offered to the general
public. Each tour costs $85.00. Please indicate your desire to take
one or both of these tours on your reservation form, and enclose full
payment at the time of booking the tour.
If neither of these tours strikes your fancy,
you might consider taking in a matinee at the theatre, strolling through
one of London’s many art museums, or seeking out tickets for a
concert or opera. Our Hospitality Desk will also give you the opportunity
to book full-day tours outside of London, including the village of Bath
and the mysterious citadel of Stonehenge, or Shakespeare’s hometown
of Stratford-upon-Avon. Your evening is once again free to enjoy London’s
expansive array of nightlife. (Continental
Breakfast)
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Departure
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. Transfer on
your own to the airport for flights home, or choose to extend your stay
in London. We will be happy to extend our special rate at the hotel
to you both before and after the tour. (Continental
Breakfast)
ACCOMMODATIONS
(Click hotel name to read description)
London: Holiday
Inn London — Kensington Forum
The Holiday Inn London - Kensington Forum is a modern 4 star hotel,
situated in the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Ideally located just 2 minutes walk from Gloucester Road Tube Station,
the hotel gives excellent access to the heart of London’s many
attractions including Harrods, the Royal Albert Hall, Earls Court and
Olympia Exhibition centres, the Natural History, Science and Victoria
& Albert Museums, Kensington Palace and Gardens.
TRANSPORT FROM HEATHROW AIRPORT TO CITY
Most international flights to London arrive at Heathrow Airport, which
has easy transportation access to the city. The Heathrow Express (website:
www.heathrowexpress.co.uk)
has train service to Paddington station every 15 minutes every day from
5:00 am to 12 midnight from Terminal 4 (journey time – 23 minutes)
and from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 (journey time – 15 minutes). Single
tickets cost £14, while a return ticket costs £26. Tickets
can be purchased from Heathrow Express desks or self-service ticket
kiosks located at the station; tickets are also available for purchase
on the train, for a £2 premium, or online, with a 10% discount.
The airport is also on the London Underground
Piccadilly line (website: www.tfl.gov.uk)
with trains operating on Monday through Saturday from 5:00 am to 11:45
pm and on Sunday from 5:45 am to 11:15 pm. Tickets to the city center
cost £3.80 (journey time – 45 minutes).
TOUR PREPARATION
Entry Requirements—For U.S. Citizens a valid
passport is the only document required to enter Great Britain for stays
of up to 60 days.
Exit Requirements—There is currently no separate
departure tax required of visitors leaving Great Britain other than
that included with the cost of your airline ticket.
Suggested Viewing
- Bridget Jones’s Diary with Renee
Zellweger
- Love, Actually with Keira Knightley
- Notting Hill with Julia Roberts
- Four Weddings and A Funeral with Hugh
Grant (who’s in every movie on this list)
WHAT TO BRING
In February, average daily temperatures range from a low of 34 degrees
Fahrenheit to an average high of 45. Since you decide what you want
to do when you want to do it, your wardrobe, whether casual or classy,
depends entirely on your interests. However, this is winter, so you
will need to remember the basic outer gear of coat, hat, gloves, and
muffler.
MONEY MATTERS
The English monetary unit is the Great British Pound or GBP, which
is denoted by the sign “£”. The pound is made up of
100 pence (p) exactly like the dollar is split into 100 cents. The singular
of pence is "penny". The symbol for the penny is “p”;
hence an amount such as 50p is often pronounced "fifty pee"
rather than "fifty pence". Although some shops accept the
now standardized Euro (EUR), it is rarely used in England. The interbank
exchange as of August 21, 2006 was .53167 GBP to the U.S. $1.00.
To reserve a place on this tour, click on the “Reservations”
link above. Type in the information requested in each field, print the
form, then sign and mail it to Toto Tours with your full payment. Tour
registration is not complete until we have received both the signed
form and your check for the full cost of the tour (plus any optional
tours).
Toto Tours does not accept credit cards
as a form of payment. An installment plan is possible. Our mailing address
is: Toto Tours, 1326 W. Albion Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60626-4753.
Make checks payable to: Toto Tours, Ltd.
LIABILITIES / DISCLAIMERS
Making a reservation with a deposit shall be deemed to be consent to
these conditions: Toto Tours does not accept responsibility in whole
or in part for any delay, loss, accidents, personal injury, sickness,
medical expenses, or property damage occasioned by fault of any person
from whatever cause. All tour participants are required to sign a standard
liability form.
The tour operators reserve the right to accept
or decline any person as a member of the tour at any time and to make
whatever changes become necessary with or without notice. Guaranteed
departure with a minimum of 10 participants. Toto Tours is
not responsible for airline cancellation or change penalties incurred
by individual tour participants for air tickets purchased prior to notification
that the tour is a confirmed departure.
THE BOTTOM LINE
(tour prices per person)
Price: $395.00 per person in double occupancy
hotel accommodations.
Single Supplement: $200.00 (Not required.
Toto Tours will try to match you with a roommate if you are traveling
alone and prefer to share a room.)
Deposit: Full payment required at time
of booking.
Optional Tours:
- Windsor Castle: $85.00
- Tower of London: $85.00
Included: Three nights London hotel accommodations;
continental breakfast daily; two-hour Hospitality Desk from which you
can purchase theatre or music tickets and arrange optional day tours,
Welcome Cocktail Party on the first evening; London Highlights sightseeing
tour.
Not Included: Round-trip air transportation to/from
London, England; lunches and dinners; activities not specifically included
in the itinerary; insurance; bar drinks; soft drinks; bottled water;
laundry; telephone calls; faxes; transfer to/from airport to our London
hotel; any other expenses of a personal nature. Tips to sightseeing
guides are not included.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We recommend you purchase travel insurance with AIG Travel Guard to
cover for unforseen events prior to and during your trip. Please follow
the link below or call us for more information.
Please click on the above link to load in an Adobe Acrobat file. The
PDF file will enable you to print the tour details in a much more compact
version.
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