Travel is something that is important to me and since I love to travel, I had to make room for it in my budget. A visit to the UK is high on my wish list.
It turns out I’m not the only one who would love to visit the UK! 2,791,000 Americans visited the UK in 2013, making it the third largest market for UK tourism, and accounting for 12% of total spending by tourists within the UK (by far the largest share from a single country). These numbers are growing, with US visitor numbers to the UK up 4% in 2014 from the previous year.
Here are some tips I’m going to use on my trip to the UK to save money and still enjoy all the best bits!
Accommodation
Lastminute.com has a secret hotels feature, featuring their top 4 and 5-star rated hotels, sometimes at ridiculously low prices. The information about a given hotel is limited – so you won’t necessarily know exactly which hotel you’re booking (although there are ways to find out if you search for recent ‘Top Secret Hotels Revealed’ articles!). But this could be a good option if you are up for an adventure. SecretEscapes.com is also a good site to check out. Sign up for free to receive members’ rates of up to 70% off on top hotels. Airbnb has some gorgeous (and affordable!) offerings throughout the UK too, on both rooms and entire flats and houses.
Attractions
If you’re staying outside of London, you should definitely consider hopping on a train into the capital. One of the great things about the UK is you can travel pretty much anywhere in the UK in less than a day. You should also consider taking advantage of the 2FOR1 London attractions offer which can be combined with your train ticket. There are an enormous number of attractions included in the offer, like the Churchill War Rooms, Harry Potter London Tour, entry to Kensington Palace and a trip on the London Eye. If you’re looking for evening entertainment, you can snap up cheap show tickets by heading to theatres on the night and hoping that some extra tickets are available. Returned and unsold tickets get discounted, and you’ll avoid booking fees this way too. Also, for those of you with kids, the VisitBritain website also gives a top 10 list of family days out for £15 (around $23), like the Dinosaur Farm Museum on the Isle of Wight!
Parking
Another option if you’re staying outside London is to drive into the capital, which can more comfortable than the train. Parking in the city can be difficult (and expensive), but you can pre-book car parks and private spaces in London in advance of your visit. The private parking spaces on offer are often cheaper than the official car parks. If you just drive into London and park in any car park then you could be in for a shock at the cost of parking for the day!
Dining Out
The UK restaurant scene, and London in particular, is incredible and there are constantly new restaurants popping up. Eating out though can be costly, and a lot more expensive than here in the US, so it’s worth checking out vouchers to save money. MoneySavingExpert’s list of restaurant deals is updated frequently with current offers, giving a wide variety of restaurant vouchers that can be printed off. Purchasing a tastecard also gives you 50% off at over 7000 restaurants across the UK. And for London specifically, you can check the Time Out Restaurant Deals page, for huge savings on top eateries. You can also view hundreds of restaurant reviews and recommendations on the site if you’re stuck for ideas.
Vayable
Vayable is a great way to see your travel destination like a local – you can choose from a number of activities all planned by a local resident, who’ll meet you and show you the ropes. Prices are reasonable, and it could give you a real feel for the place you’re visiting. For starters, you could try exploring the Yorkshire Dales for $50, or a London graffiti tour for $30.
With all these money-saving tips, I’m really excited to get started planning my UK visit!
What other ways do you know of to save while in the UK?
Photo courtesy of: J. A. Alcaide
