like mikel51 and millionaire2, i highly recommend the purchase of a "pay as you go" phone. even if you're only going to be there for five days, it still may pay, especially when you consider the convenience factor. and if you're considering renting, the expense for owning will almost definitely be equal or less for this one trip. any subsequent trips you may make simply amortize the cost even further.

we bought a siemans phone last year from one2one and specifically chose their "pay as you go" plan because you only have to use it once a year to keep it active (most other providers, including vodaphone and orange, require you to make a call at least once every six months to keep the account "live.") while, on average, we're in the UK at least twice a year, it isn't always within a six month period, so this was the single most important factor to us. they also require no UK address (some of the others, even with a "pay as you go" account, require a valid UK address.)

our rate is 30p per minute for the first two minutes each day and then 5p for each minute thereafter for calls anywhere in the UK. these charges apply to calls made to landline phones and to other phones on the one2one network. (higher rates apply when calling mobile phones on other networks, so if you have friends in the UK who have mobiles affiliated with other networks, it may work out better to get a plan with the same provider. this is a similar feature of all providers, by the way). customizable voicemail and text messaging options are included in our plan. (text messages are 10p each, i think.)

the phone itself cost about £49 and you can purchase "top-off" cards for as little as £5 or £10 (or you can use a credit card to top-off). we rarely use more than £10 or £12 of stored value in a trip of about ten days. your mileage may vary.

if you're unsure of what to buy, head to carphone warehouse., a popular chain of mobile phone shops. they'll answer all your questions, provide impartial advice and steer you in the right direction. or simply head to any other mobile phone shop... you'll find them dotting the high streets like starbucks in large american cities.

a word of caution: i'm guessing when you say you want to "stay in touch," you probably mean calling the USA. in general, you won't want to make international calls from these phones... even a rental. you'll almost always do better by getting a high-value BT phone card and making your calls from a phone box. alternatively, dial MCI, Sprint or AT&T direct from within the UK... they all have toll free numbers.

one big benefit of having a mobile in europe, however, is that, unlike the USA, there is no charge to receive calls (regardless of where they originate). so, whenever possible, have people back home phone you.

one last word of caution: while you can use the phone in other european countries, that's also pretty expensive, as much as £1.50 or more a minute, if i remember correctly.

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Take Me 2 London!

[This message has been edited by UK Stages (edited 04-30-2001).]