Vacationers should note that the London Underground is undergoing over $10 million in upgrades, which means closures that may delay or reroute your journeys. There will also be closures as the subway system begins extensive expansion and preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. The Tube’s official website, www.thetube.com, can provide you with the latest news, although here are some highlights to note when planning your trip:

The Waterloo & City Line will be completely closed until Fall 2006. Regent’s Park Station on the Bakerloo Line will be closed until at least July 2007, and Lancaster Gate Station on the Central Line will be closed until at least November 2006. Baker Street and Queensway are nearby alternative stations that can be used. (Queensway recently opened after nearly a year’s refurbishment.) Additionally, there will be fifteen different weekend stoppages on the Central Line in 2006, various weekend shutdowns on the Northern Line in 2006, and six different weekend stoppages on the Circle, District and Waterloo & City Lines in late 2006/early 2007.

When traveling to the U.K. on vacation, you’ll need to prepare yourself in advance to convert your electric and electronic items in order to be able to use them. While the U.S. uses 110-volt electricity, the majority of countries around the world use a 220-volt system. Many items now have dual voltage so, for instance, taking your iPod with you and charging it up while in London won’t be as much of a concern. Switch it to 220 volts while overseas; switch it back when you return to the U.S. If your appliances do not have dual voltage – like a hair dryer, for instance – then you’ll need to use a converter.

Also, plugs in Britain are shaped differently, so you’ll need to purchase plug adapters and pack them prior to leaving. Technically, adapters don’t have anything to do with the electricity – they just help make the plug fit securely into the wall socket. A photo is shown below of the different prongs used in the U.K.

As far as converters go, these are for use with electric appliances such as hair dryers and irons. They can be used for short periods of time. You’ll need something more heavy duty, a transformer, for extended use with computers and battery chargers. There are even products available that can be used as both converter and transformer.

Plug adapters, converters and transformers can easily be found and purchased online, although most travel, luggage and major office supply stores carry these products here in the States. You’ll be hard-pressed to find these appliances while in London, so be sure to handle these matters before leaving.

Since many vacationers now carry laptop computers with them, either to keep up on work or to stay in contact with those back home, you’ll want to know these details in order to stay up and running. Most AC adapters and chargers for laptops are dual voltage, so a plug adapter is all you’ll need. To protect yourself, you may want to purchase a travel surge protector as well if you’re going to be working for extended periods of time.

If you’ll be staying in a major chain hotel while in London, inquire before you arrive as to what is available. While plug adapters are a necessity, you may even find that some hotels provide you with 110-volt outlets for your use while there. In general, “know before you go” and avoid frustration while dealing with your electric appliances. Click below to visit Amazon.com and purchase what you’ll need:

A vacation in the U.K. can be quite costly, especially if you’re taking the entire family. Between airfare, accommodations, and food, you’re likely to spend thousands of US dollars. However, there are still quite a few things to do in London that cost absolutely nothing that you should take advantage of while on your trip. The top ten are:

1. Museums, museums, museums! In 2001, the British government provided the necessary subsidies and tax law changes to allow the doors of many of London’s top museums to be propped open for the general public without any admission fees. You could plan an entire holiday around these locations alone, which include: the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History and Science Museums, the Imperial War Museum, both the Tate and Tate Modern, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden’s Theatre Museum, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Prior to this incredible scheme, it would have been prohibitively expensive to take an entire family for a day-out at a museum. Now you can enjoy all of these and still have money for lunch.

2. The Changing of the Guard. The grand tradition at Buckingham Palace is a must-see for those visiting London for the first time. The music, the horses, the pageantry — it’s all there. Check with your hotel concierge or online for dates and times.

3. Street Markets. Besides Portobello Road on Saturday mornings (which is terrific for peoplewatching as well as browsing), there are over fifty other locations in the capital city to wander through, including Borough Market, Petticoat Lane Market, Camden Market, and Greenwich Market. Most are at weekends.

4. Visit the park. There are dozens of parks in which to stretch out and relax, provided it’s a sunny day! The largest, of course, are Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Green Park and Regents Park. It’s amazing that there is still so much greenspace in the middle of one of the world’s largest cities, and it may be more grass and trees than your children see back home in the States. Take advantage of it.

5. BBC TV and Radio shows. If you have enough advanced time, visit www.bbc.co.uk/whatson/tickets/ and get tickets to see a recording of either a BBC television or radio program. There are several locations in and around London where these tapings occur, and while you may find yourself arriving early and standing in line for awhile, these free events are very entertaining and provide a backstage look at something you would rarely even see back home.

6. London bridges. A stroll along the Thames, both north of the river and along the South Bank walkway, is a relaxing way to spend a day and can often provide you with some of the best photographic opportunities you’ll have during your trip. (Think Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, and the river itself!) Crossing back and forth on the Westminster Bridge, the London Bridge, the new Millennium Bridge, and the Tower Bridge, it’s one of the best self-guided walking tours you can take.

7. Bookstores in Charing Cross Road. Between Foyle’s and Borders and Blackwell, you have enough books and magazines to keep you browsing for an entire day — and Foyle’s has an especially wonderful children’s section as well. A cup of coffee halfway through the day and you’ll have enough energy to explore some of the other smaller independent shops nearby.

8. A Day at a Department Store. While most of us prefer shopping over browsing, there are so many amazing things for sale at Harrods in Knightsbridge or Selfridges in Oxford Street that you could spend a day looking, trying on clothes, and enjoying a cup of tea that you won’t feel badly if you leave at the end of the day empty-handed. It’s also a terrific way to spend some indoor time during one of London’s frequent rainy days.

9. Lunchtime Concerts at St. Martin’s. St. Martin-in-the-Fields, located in Trafalgar Square, hosts small live music concerts (most always classical) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 1PM. While donations are suggested, these are free to the public.

10. Old Bailey Courtroom Galleries. If you’re interested in seeing the British legal system at work, there are free public galleries at the Old Bailey (technically the Central Criminal Court) near St. Paul’s. Children under 14 won’t be admitted, and no recording equipment is allowed — leave it behind because there are no storage facilities.

In the last days of the 20th century, the world’s largest Ferris wheel was built on London’s South Bank. The London Eye, sponsored by British Airways, is more accurately an observation wheel that stands nearly 450 feet high, weighs 1,700 tons, and carries 32 air-conditioned “pods” filled with visitors and locals alike looking for the best views high above the capital city. In just a few short years, it’s not only become a must-see tourist destination – it’s also become the newest London landmark, filmed and photographed and recognized the world over. While Big Ben still stands tall nearby, on the opposite side of the Thames, the symbolic clock tower must now share the spotlight with the ever-turning wheel.

The views are spectacular, and on a clear day visitors are able to see as far away as Windsor Castle – 25 miles away. A complete rotation or “flight” takes thirty minutes, with your pod rotating at about a half-mile an hour. The wheel moves slowly in order to keep passengers moving on and off without having to stop (although wheelchairs and people needing special assistance can enjoy the Eye too – the Wheel will stop just for them in order to make their entrance and exit safely).

At this time, tickets cost £13 for adults and £6.50 for children, with special discounts for senior citizens and the disabled. To save ten percent, you can make advance bookings through the Internet at www.londoneye.com. The lines are long, even with advanced tickets, but there is a way to save some time if you have money to spare. You can get the real VIP treatment if you purchase a £25 “Fast Track” ticket. You’ll be personally escorted from the ticket office to the front of the line, given a photo book as a souvenir of your visit, and step right onto a capsule to the envy of all those queued up ahead of you. Also, there are champagne flights available and even private capsule bookings for very special occasions. There cannot be a more luxurious way to see the city.