Florida Facts

• State Capital: Tallahassee
• Language: English
• Time difference: 5 hours behind GMT
• Flight Time: Approx 9 hours flying time from the UK
• Currency: US dollars

Getting to Orlando:

Orlando International Airport (MCO):

• Provides 41 scheduled airlines with non-stop service 72 domestic and 19 international cities.
• Ranked among the top 25 airports in the world.

Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB):

• Located 29 kilometres north of Orlando and approx 45 minutes from area attractions.
• Serves 28 domestic and 20 international destinations with five airlines.

Visa (with UK passport):

International travellers who are seeking to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are now subject to enhanced security requirements and will be required to pay an administrative fee.

All eligible travellers who wish to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program must apply for authorization. Have you applied for your Visa – if not you can do it here.

Our Handy Travel Tips

So much to do and so little time! As the typical Florida holiday is between 10 & 14 days, it’s important to plan out your trip, so here are our top tips.

• Rent a car – Sounds obvious but Florida is massive and the public transport is not feasible for a holiday.
• Get some maps – Try & familiarise yourself with the basic highway maps, so that you don’t waste time getting lost on the 192.
• Know your compass – Directions and signposts in Florida assume you have a good understanding of East and West. It is very easy to get lost if you are unsure which direction you should be heading.
• Schedule your trip – Nobody wants a precise, military style detailed plan – after all it’s meant to be a holiday! But a rough idea of what you want to see and do in Florida is useful so you can get the most from your time.
• Pace yourselves – Walking around the parks can be intense so make sure you give yourselves a day off, a day in an air-conditioned shopping mall can seem like heaven after 3 days of walking around exhausting theme parks.
• Remember where you parked – Disney parks and others have a seemingly endless array of car parks and forgetting where you parked your rental car isn’t going to give you magical memories of Magic Kingdom! – Write down the name of the parking area (e.g. ‘Film Goofy’ at MGM Studios)
• Tip the Waiter – In the UK we don’t tip waiters or taxi drivers, in Florida – its expected! A lot of staff will be expected to earn much of their wage via tips or ‘gratuity’ – Tip between 15 & 20% of the total cost.
• Wear Suntan Cream – It’s hot in Florida, walking around the parks all day will leave you very exposed to the sun, so ensure you have good protection and keep some with you to apply as the day goes on.

Our tips for the Theme Parks

If you’re heading to one of the big parks Disney World, Universal Orlando, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, or SeaWorld, our tips are to:

• Arrive Early – If you are driving you will want to get there early so you can get a good parking space! Also, you will be able to get on the more popular rides with lower queue times.
• Take Drinks – Orlando can get very hot! If you don’t want to spend all your money on drinks when inside the theme parks, make sure you have plenty of liquids with you.
• Take a plastic rain mack – If you like riding the water rides you will need something to keep you dry, purchasing the rain overalls at the park can be expensive.
• Ride Early – The more popular rides are easier to get onto earlier in the day.