I have not been to Wales! Last time I was to Britain was 1996, so things may have changed some in the last 10 yrs, but I will tell you what I was told then: Yall gotta forget about "England" and think "British". It is the "British Isles". The English are from the southern area of the Isles, and calling someone up north "English" is insulting to them, kinda like us in Yankees and Rebels! They told us not to bring pounds with us. We would get a better conversion rate once we got there than in the U.S. Similarly, we tried to end our stay with a minimum amount of pounds to bring back to be converted in the U.S. There are money exchanges in many places, and there is no standard. They each try to get your business by competing with the exchange rate. The bank exchanges at the major airports will always be at a good expected average. I am surprised that Wales does not take travelers checks. In other places, I was always able to cash travelers checks at our motel or hotel. I was always a little bit leery of doing too much on credit card, because you will be charged by your credit card company at some exchange rate that is determined at the end of each month, so you may pay more than you expect for an item if the exchange rate is in a varying period. You are talking about jewelry a lot... be wary of U.S. Customs. Have a good list of the things that you are taking with you, so that you don't have to hassle with U.S. Customs when you come back. They will try to claim you bought it out of country and then charge you fees on it if you exceed your allowance. Especially stuff like Cannon cameras, that are inscribed with "made in Japan" etc. Keep up with your sales receipts on things that you buy and are bringing back, so that you have evidence of value for Customs. Cuz Gary