Budget friendly tips to travel to the UK?

[Honeystar120608]

As the dollar is increasingly going down in value, it is becoming less likely that the idea of a Christmas in Disney this year will be a reality.

My dream trip has always been to go to the UK (England and Scotland, Paris if the budget allows it). We are a family of 4, DH 40 me 34 DS 11 DD 10 and soon to be 5... and I would assume instead of Christmas we'd go in March or April. Prefer March because that is our spring break in NB.

So, as far as hotels...I work for a hotel brand (Starwood) and will be able to find reasonable rates through my employee program. I am thinking transportation, and rental car mostly. And flights. Oh yes...those flights. we are in New Brunswick, Halifax is fine to fly out of as well. I've heard Iceland Air to be good. Or is it West Jet...they fly to Ireland and then from there grab a domestic flight to Glasgow, Edinburgh or London...? I have no qualms of flying into Scotland as it is the highlight of the trip for me. (My ancestory-MacBeath and DH's as well-McIntosh)

I understand this isn't a cheap trip. And the GBP is still worse off in exchange than the USD... but I am still toying with a UK trip regardless.

I just need some starting points. I am thinking 10 days (ish). Links, suggestions, advice, experience related ramblings, anything really.

 

[minnie mum]

Can't help you with the airfares, other than to check out sites like Expedia or kayak. I would think that Halifax won't have many airlines flying to the UK. You might want to get a TA to look at flights out of Montreal or Toronto for budget airlines like Icelandair.

Get a really good guidebook to help with your planning. We really like the Rick Steves books. His London guidebook is my Bible any time I'm there. He also has a Great Britain book.

Decide on your itinerary before deciding on transportation needs. You definitely don't want a car in London. If most of your travelling will be from town to town, you may find that you can get around quite well by rail. Their train system is excellent. The only time we needed to rent a car was when we spent a week in a tiny village in the Cotswalds.

Hotel breakfasts are frequently not included, and can be horrendously expensive. We usually would find a shop to pick up a few things for the morning that we would eat in our room. Pret A Manger is a chain of sandwich shops that are great for lunch. Very easy to find in London. They're premade, but delicious and easy on the budget. We had dinner in pubs A LOT.

We haven't made it up to Scotland yet. DD and DSIL spent a week in London, then took the train up to Scotland for another week last summer and had the time of their lives. I hope you do too!

 

[Honeystar120608]

Get a really good guidebook to help with your planning. We really like the Rick Steves books. His London guidebook is my Bible any time I'm there. He also has a Great Britain book.

Decide on your itinerary before deciding on transportation needs. You definitely don't want a car in London. If most of your travelling will be from town to town, you may find that you can get around quite well by rail. Their train system is excellent. The only time we needed to rent a car was when we spent a week in a tiny village in the Cotswalds.

Hotel breakfasts are frequently not included, and can be horrendously expensive. We usually would find a shop to pick up a few things for the morning that we would eat in our room. Pret A Manger is a chain of sandwich shops that are great for lunch. Very easy to find in London. They're premade, but delicious and easy on the budget. We had dinner in pubs A LOT

Thank you!! I will definitely look into Rick Steeves' books.

Depending on which city we fly into will dictate when we get a car. Definitely not in London. I mainly want one for Scotland.

Great info on the prepared meals!! Ty!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Im from Ireland and I have lived in Edinburgh and London and travelled a bit around England.

For flights I always use www.skyscanner.com and book direct with airlines.

London is like New York, the underground and bus system are the way everyone in London travels. Its very easy to navigate and you can get multi day passes which covered both tube and bus.

Great recommendation for food by @minnie mum I used to work for PretA Manger. The sandwiches are actually freshly prepared on the premises through out the day, so while yes they are packaged, they are not on the shelves for that long and are very very fresh

I would start in London, then get the train to Scotland (approx 5 hour journey) I have done that many times, a great way to see the country.

Get a guide book, find out the exact locations you want to see and then come back to me and I will help you put together an itinerary

 

[Honeystar120608]

Im from Ireland and I have lived in Edinburgh and London and travelled a bit around England.

For flights I always use www.skyscanner.com and book direct with airlines.

London is like New York, the underground and bus system are the way everyone in London travels. Its very easy to navigate and you can get multi day passes which covered both tube and bus.

Great recommendation for food by @minnie mum I used to work for PretA Manger. The sandwiches are actually freshly prepared on the premises through out the day, so while yes they are packaged, they are not on the shelves for that long and are very very fresh

I would start in London, then get the train to Scotland (approx 5 hour journey) I have done that many times, a great way to see the country.

Get a guide book, find out the exact locations you want to see and then come back to me and I will help you put together an itinerary

That is fantastic! Thank you!

I am only flexible with my arrival city because of the cost of flights. Whatever we can find cheapest.

I wonder if we may want to see more of England than via train. As in fly into London, 3 nights there. Train it to somewhere outside of London and get a rental. But also I wonder about the cost difference of train vs rental and gas.

Would a dbl decker tour bus be recommended for London?

Our kids are big into Dr Who...ideas?

 

[Jon84]

I would assume instead of Christmas we'd go in March or April. Prefer March because that is our spring break in NB.

I'd consider extra luggage, you'll be wrapping up still in early March, wet weather gear for Scotland is advisable so you don't have too many rained off days

Flying into Ireland is a great cost saving idea, if it works for your plans do it. Remember than if you book an internal flight yourself the luggage allowances will be lower.

Trains, book as far in advance as you can, the most obvious ticket is not always cheapest either, sometimes buying two tickets for each half of the journey can be cheaper and you still stay on the same train. Look at Family Railcards too, might save some money there. http://www.raileasy.co.uk/

Rental cars are expensive in the UK compared to the States, Expecially for the size car you'd need. Having said that, moving a family though London with luggage on a weekday won't be fun either. Maybe rent a car from a London location.

In Cities I do like the Bus Tours. They allow you to Hop on and off all day, and then I wouldn't pay for the tube. On a short trip it helps you see sights in one hit which I like. There are a about 5 companies in London. Lots of route choice too.

Dr Who - http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/doctor-who-in-london

Great recommendation for food by @minnie mum I used to work for PretA Manger. The sandwiches are actually freshly prepared on the premises through out the day, so while yes they are packaged, they are not on the shelves for that long and are very very fresh

Most in London don't prep on site, they are too small to have space for that! They tend to have Hub stores that distribute, so if there is a store with no stock, there is probably another around the corner with everything in! Always delicious though!

 

[BadPinkTink]

I wonder if we may want to see more of England than via train. As in fly into London, 3 nights there. Train it to somewhere outside of London and get a rental. But also I wonder about the cost difference of train vs rental and gas.

Yes that is possible, but honestly there is sooo much to see in both London and Edinburgh that Im just thinking of your time scale.
Arrival day
4 days in London
transfer day
4 days in Edinburgh
Departure day

In Edinbugh you can take day trips to places like Stirling (Braveheart / William Walace) Glasgow, Highlands /Lough Ness etc
In London you can take day trips to Harry Potter Studios, Chessington Themepark, Windsor Castle etc

Would a dbl decker tour bus be recommended for London?

Yes I always recommend the hop on hop off tour buses. I did one with my parents when they came to visit, some of them include a boat trip on the Thames[/QUOTE]

Our kids are big into Dr Who...ideas?

You should check out http://visitlondon.gttix.com/productdetails.aspx?productid=2773&_ga=1.255374337.829820466.1452858121 Its a walking tour based on Dr Who filming locations. I have done a Harry Potter walking tour and a Jack The Ripper walking tour and they are great

 

[BadPinkTink]

Most in London don't prep on site, they are too small to have space for that! They tend to have Hub stores that distribute, so if there is a store with no stock, there is probably another around the corner with everything in! Always delicious though!

Thats not correct. Pret A Manager shops ALL have a kitchen on site, I know as I have worked in multiple Pret shops in London. The kitchens are usually located in the basement of the shops. The kitchen staff start work at 6am and by 10am, there is a full selection of food on the shelves. The sandwiches and salads are then made to order and the shelves restocked throughout the day. That is the unique selling point of the Pret A Manger company, that unlike their competitors, their food is made onsite. All the others, Eat, Costa, Starbucks, Nero use distribution centres

 

[Jon84]

Thats not correct. Pret A Manager shops ALL have a kitchen on site, I know as I have worked in multiple Pret shops in London. The kitchens are usually located in the basement of the shops. The kitchen staff start work at 6am and by 10am, there is a full selection of food on the shelves. The sandwiches and salads are then made to order and the shelves restocked throughout the day. That is the unique selling point of the Pret A Manger company, that unlike their competitors, their food is made onsite. All the others, Eat, Costa, Starbucks, Nero use distribution centres

I've seen them transporting produce between the 3 shops in Canary Wharf. Maybe it's just there. There is one huuuge one, and another two that are much smaller. One has the HSBC Branch wrap around the back of it

 

[BadPinkTink]

I've seen them transporting produce between the 3 shops in Canary Wharf. Maybe it's just there. There is one huuuge one, and another two that are much smaller. One has the HSBC Branch Wrap around the back of it

Yes Pret shops transport between shops all the time. Usually its stock like drinks or packaging for example. In the example you have given, they MAY be transporting sandwiches but that would be the exception rather than the rule. I have worked in the Pret shop at Victoria Station, the small one at the bus station beside Starbucks. The sandwiches are made in the basement kitchen

 

[pigletto]

When my sister and I went to Scotland a few years ago we found very reasonably priced packages on AirTransat. I believe we went in October. It was a lovely time to go as there weren't the crowds you would see in the summer at most places. I could have spent days and days in Edinburgh. It was fantastic, and we booked several day tours from there. I agree with the others that I wouldn't spread yourself too thin. It's so expensive for us to fly over I know the urge to see as many places as possible. But I think it's a more meaningful and enjoyable trip if you concentrate on two or three key cities.
So I would check the packages with Airtransat for starters. Ours included the flights, three hotels in three cities, and train tickets to get between them. Couldn't have been easier!

 

[Honeystar120608]

Is there a better rental car company to rent from? Also how pricey is it to drive from Ireland to Scotland? I know there are fees and such just wondering. ..

Another thought is the month. I am going with March, April or possibly may.. does cost vary for anything based on month?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Also how pricey is it to drive from Ireland to Scotland?

You cant exactly drive from Ireland to Scotland as Ireland is an island country. This is what you would have to do

1. Land in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
2. Rent a car at the airport
3. Drive to Belfast,Northern Ireland, approx 2 hour drive, includes a toll road
4. Get the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan http://www.stenaline.ie/routes/belfast-cairnryan travel time approx 3 hours
5. Drive from Cairnryan to Edinburgh approx 3 and a half hours travel time

If you do this you are basically looking at around 10 hours or more to get from Dublin airport to Edinburgh via car and ferry

 

[Honeystar120608]

1. Land in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
2. Rent a car at the airport
3. Drive to Belfast,Northern Ireland, approx 2 hour drive, includes a toll road
4. Get the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan http://www.stenaline.ie/routes/belfast-cairnryan travel time approx 3 hours
5. Drive from Cairnryan to Edinburgh approx 3 and a half hours travel time

If you do this you are basically looking at around 10 hours or more to get from Dublin airport to Edinburgh via car and ferry

Lol yes that is what I meant. I knew there was a ferry, just knew nothing about it. Thank you! Definitely something to consider. We would be travelling to the Highlands regardless at one point. Wondering if this is our cheapest option. Vs flying from Ireland to Edi or Lon

 

[BadPinkTink]

Lol yes that is what I meant. I knew there was a ferry, just knew nothing about it. Thank you! Definitely something to consider. We would be travelling to the Highlands regardless at one point. Wondering if this is our cheapest option. Vs flying from Ireland to Edi or Lon

ah ok, lol, some people don't realise you need to cross water between Ireland and Scotland / UK

The drive from Dublin airport to Belfast is very straightforward. You get on the motorway at the airport and its straight motorway all the way to Belfast, except for the toll booth stop. Takes about 2 hours, I have done it twice on a bus. There is no border crossing between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

 

[SugarRush]

Rail travel in the uk can be expensive, but so is gas. i agree with the others, make a must do list then plan an itinerary around that. I would advise a car if you want to explore the Trossachs, Stirling etc whilst in Scotland. Be aware March will be rainy and cold still (that's all it's been for months round here) but wrap up warm and you'll be fine. We have a stunning country, often overlooked by us locals.

London as others have said I would do by foot, tube and bus. A car in London is a nightmare as it is with most cities.

A plan could be to visit London, train/fly it up to scotland, spend some days in Edinburgh then hire a car to explore for a couple of days? That way you get a mix? There are car hire firms in the city in Edinburgh or you can nip out to the airport to pick one up

 

[Honeystar120608]

Does anybody have a preferred Double Decker bus tour they could recommend for London?

 

[kuhltiffany]

We did 6 weeks in the UK a few years ago, 4 weeks in England (1 in London), a week in Scotland, a week in Ireland. We had planned on renting a car and driving around but once we tried it, it was awful! The roads aren't like here, often there is no highway, one lane so no passing, they are winding and it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. We found it much easier to take a train or even a short flight (very cheap, check out RyanAir) to go any distance...

 

[ginkybiloba]

We travelled to Europe with our children (ages 10 and 12 at the time) in July 2014. We used Airmiles for 2 tickets, and paid cash for the other two. We flew into Paris and spent 4 nights there. We then took the Eurostar to London, and spent a week in London (found an apartment in the Islington area through HomeAway). We then took a train to Edinburgh and spent the next 10 days in Scotland. We stayed in Edinburgh for 7 nights, then Inverness for 3 nights. We flew home out of Edinburgh.

My tips:

1. Book an open jaw flight so that you fly into one airport and out of another (saves backtracking)
2. Consider using public transit instead of renting a car. We used public transit in every city we visited. It was clean, safe and convenient. We also bought a Family and Friends railcard for around £30 which gave us discounted train fares in the U.K. If you book your train journeys early, they can be very inexpensive. For example, a return trip from Edinburgh to Inverness was under £40 for the four of us. A one-way trip from London to Edinburgh was also £40 for the four of us. We also did a number of day trips from Edinburgh on the train (Stirling etc.).
3. Look into the Days Out Guide for discounted attractions in London (some of these have blackout dates, particularly in the summer)
4. Food can be very expensive, but doesn’t need to be. We usually had breakfast in our room/apartment and then a small lunch on the go (i.e. take out sandwich from a bakery). Dinner was usually our only sit down restaurant meal.

Here are the attractions we considered/priced out:

Paris

*Eiffel Tower (€15 per adult; €10.50 per child)

* Louvre ($17.69 USD per adult; kids free) closed Tuesdays. Open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (9:45 p.m. on Wed & Fri)

*Seine river cruise (Vedettes du Pont Neuf) (€10 adult, €5 kids if purchased in advance – valid for one year)

*Catacombs (€8 per adult; kids free - closed Mondays. Walking distance from hotel. Open 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.)

*Army Museum (open 10:00 – 6:00, €9.5 per adult, kids free)

*Luxembourg gardens (free)

*Musée D’Orsay (closed Mondays)

*HOHO bus (L’Open bus = €96 per family one day pass or €104 for 2 day pass) – runs 9:30 a.m. until 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. (depends which route).

*Marché Raspail (on Boul Raspail near Rennes metro station, 12 minute walk from hotel. Tuesday and Friday, from 7.00 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and Sunday, from 7.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

*Musée de L’Orangerie - € 9 adults

*Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature - 62 Rue des Archives, 75003 Paris, France (30 minute walk from the Louvre, open 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.)


London

*Buckingham palace (no tours in July - can only visit the outside)

*Tower of London (£22 adult, £11 children) Tues – Sat opens at 9:00 a.m. (Sun-Mon opens at 10:00 a.m., 2 for 1 offer)

*Tower Bridge (£9 adult, £3.90 children) http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/index.htm

*Hyde park/Kensington Palace (2 for 1 offer) - £16.50 adult, kids free

*Madame Tussauds (2 for 1 offer) – £30 adult, £25.80 children (open 9:30 – 5:30 Mon-Fri, 9:00 – 6:00 weekends)

*London Eye – standard ticket, £19.95 adult, £14.00 child, (or £67.91 family rate - £54.33 if booked online) (open 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.)

*day trip to Manchester for Corrie Street tour (booked)

*funlondontours.com – private Essential London tour £80 (Saturday, July 5 @ 1:00 p.m. – booked)

*Hoho bus: Original Tour £72 for family (booked online valid for 6 months, otherwise £86) – check to see if there is a public transit bus that covers some of the same ground (routes 11 and/or 26?)

*British Museum vs. Museum of London? Natural History Museum and/or Science Museum (located next door to each other)? Museum of Zoology (open 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday)

*Thames Clipper river cruise (https://booking.thamesclippers.com/thames-clippers-tickets/river-roamer.html) - £32.50 for all day family ticket (HOHO) – 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.


Edinburgh

**Buy castle explorer pass online in advance (£76 for family – valid for 7 days over 14 days) – skip the line at Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle

*HOHO bus (http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/united-kingdom/edinburgh.htm) £30 family (24 hour ticket)

*Edinburgh castle

*Camera Obscura (Every day 09:30 - 21.00. Admission £12.95 adult; £9.50 child)

*day trip to Stirling (castle open 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

*day trip to Glasgow (hoho bus - £26 per family)

*Rabbies tour

*tour of Parliament (free)


Happy planning!

 

[Honeystar120608]

We travelled to Europe with our children (ages 10 and 12 at the time) in July 2014. We used Airmiles for 2 tickets, and paid cash for the other two. We flew into Paris and spent 4 nights there. We then took the Eurostar to London, and spent a week in London (found an apartment in the Islington area through HomeAway). We then took a train to Edinburgh and spent the next 10 days in Scotland. We stayed in Edinburgh for 7 nights, then Inverness for 3 nights. We flew home out of Edinburgh.


Happy planning!

Thank you so much!! That's a great reference for me.

You do make me question train vs rental car. My only thing is that we will have a 1 year old as well. If it were just the older kids I know we'd be completely fine travelling solely via train. I still have to piece together how travelling with a baby will all work out. But it will. He's due any day.

My only thought is to perhaps fly in to Glasgow as there is a direct flight from Halifax and get a rental car for 4-5 days to spend in Scotland. I say this for the only reason because we are going to want to loop up to Inverness and do many stops along the way. We have a lot of ancestory near Inverness and a little north into the Highlands. Then loop back down to Glasgow on the 5th day. Train it from there to London for 3-4 nights then head to Paris. We were just discussing that last night. We want to do a day at Disneyland paris and 2 days in and around the city.