Two To Three Weeks In The Uk

[theoldgit]

I, and others, have mentioned that Travelodge, whilst not The Ritz, are reasonable and can be a bargain if you can grab one of their sale prices.

They are actually having a sale next week with rooms at £12, £19 and £25, the rooms are for stays from 1st September until 30th December, they go on sale on 12th April from 6am UK time. I have always been lucky with these deals, you often find they are loaded a tad early.

http://email2.travelodge.co.uk/12poundsale/

Edited April 5, 2012 by theoldgit

[MsClueless]

i will travel before September

had a look..some dates are around 55 pounds or 60 pounds...

still better than 100 or more

I need to decide on towns soon if I want to book early. isnt it

Edited April 5, 2012 by MsClueless

[lovelaos]

i will travel before September

had a look..some dates are around 55 pounds or 60 pounds...

still better than 100 or more

I need to decide on towns soon if I want to book early. isnt it

55 -60 sounds like a good deal to me. Time to decide and get them deals I think.

You really don't want to be spending your time and money looking for somewhere to stay when you get there. Especially in London.

[monsieurhappy]

I think the OP is looking for a less expensive holiday than he is telling us!

He's mentioned less expensive hotels and meals. Some posters have been giving him false information as regards the costs of such like. Hotel deals do come up but are usually for out of the way places that can't sell their rooms at the normal price and are of no benefit to the OP. A hotel near where I used to live was advertising their rooms last summer for less than half their usual price. Why? Well for one thing there was the recession and another the place is out of town. The OP must remember these hotels are not going to be next door to the railway station or even convenient for the bus so without a car he's going to be spending time and money just getting to his accomodation.

As for travelling by rail! Cheap day tickets are available but it is a well known fact that buying rail tickets on the British rail system is like walking into a Cambodian mine field. There are so many companies involved with none of them helping the passenger to get the best fare. This has been well publicised in UK newspapers. One of the "horror" stories published recently was about someone who paid for a cheap ticket from A to C ( sorry,don't remember the actual place names) Anyway as the train stopped at station B which was closer to their home than C they decided to alight at B. They were instantly told they would have to pay the full fare from A to B which was much more than the cheap ticket they had bought from A to C. Sorry to digress!

If this is the case ( expenses ) the OP should choose 4 or 5 towns/cities he'd like to vistit and forget about anything in between. He could spend a week in London without seeing half of it although hotels will be a good bit more expensive.

York and Edinburgh are 2 cities where the railway station is in the centre and both have good hotels nearby. Then Liverpool and Bristol although I don't know if they are so easily accessable by rail. Finally back to London.

The OP won't see as much of the UK but he may be able to do it cheaper.

He could of course spend the whole 3 weeks in Blackpool where he may find a guesthouse for less than 30 quid a day, buy cheap fish & chips and tasteless pizza and spend all of his holiday walking up and down the prom. looking for shelter from the British summer rain!

[cardholder]

I think the OP is looking for a less expensive holiday than he is telling us!

He's mentioned less expensive hotels and meals. Some posters have been giving him false information as regards the costs of such like. Hotel deals do come up but are usually for out of the way places that can't sell their rooms at the normal price and are of no benefit to the OP. A hotel near where I used to live was advertising their rooms last summer for less than half their usual price. Why? Well for one thing there was the recession and another the place is out of town. The OP must remember these hotels are not going to be next door to the railway station or even convenient for the bus so without a car he's going to be spending time and money just getting to his accomodation.

As for travelling by rail! Cheap day tickets are available but it is a well known fact that buying rail tickets on the British rail system is like walking into a Cambodian mine field. There are so many companies involved with none of them helping the passenger to get the best fare. This has been well publicised in UK newspapers. One of the "horror" stories published recently was about someone who paid for a cheap ticket from A to C ( sorry,don't remember the actual place names) Anyway as the train stopped at station B which was closer to their home than C they decided to alight at B. They were instantly told they would have to pay the full fare from A to B which was much more than the cheap ticket they had bought from A to C. Sorry to digress!

If this is the case ( expenses ) the OP should choose 4 or 5 towns/cities he'd like to vistit and forget about anything in between. He could spend a week in London without seeing half of it although hotels will be a good bit more expensive.

York and Edinburgh are 2 cities where the railway station is in the centre and both have good hotels nearby. Then Liverpool and Bristol although I don't know if they are so easily accessable by rail. Finally back to London.

The OP won't see as much of the UK but he may be able to do it cheaper.

He could of course spend the whole 3 weeks in Blackpool where he may find a guesthouse for less than 30 quid a day, buy cheap fish & chips and tasteless pizza and spend all of his holiday walking up and down the prom. looking for shelter from the British summer rain!

I doubt you will ever make the grade as a travel agent !!

[MsClueless]

I'm not a millionaire so yes I want to find good deals and plan so it does not cost crazy expensive. Is that wrong?

I guess it will be hard to go to small towns without car.... But if I can see fewer places I don't mind. I think being in new country different weather is already exciting. Yes I want to visit tourist place too but some day just sit relax enjoy nature is also a nic e day for me.

Food I said before fish and chips not my favorite but I can eat. I like pizza. It's bad and cheap food? I don't care. I don't like Chinese food so no need. Thai food I can eat everyday here so why find in England. Steak I don't like. I eat what I like.

Thank you.

[chiang mai]

I'm not a millionaire so yes I want to find good deals and plan so it does not cost crazy expensive. Is that wrong?

I guess it will be hard to go to small towns without car.... But if I can see fewer places I don't mind. I think being in new country different weather is already exciting. Yes I want to visit tourist place too but some day just sit relax enjoy nature is also a nic e day for me.

Food I said before fish and chips not my favorite but I can eat. I like pizza. It's bad and cheap food? I don't care. I don't like Chinese food so no need. Thai food I can eat everyday here so why find in England. Steak I don't like. I eat what I like.

Thank you.

I'm not a millionaire so yes I want to find good deals and plan so it does not cost crazy expensive. Is that wrong?

I guess it will be hard to go to small towns without car.... But if I can see fewer places I don't mind. I think being in new country different weather is already exciting. Yes I want to visit tourist place too but some day just sit relax enjoy nature is also a nic e day for me.

Food I said before fish and chips not my favorite but I can eat. I like pizza. It's bad and cheap food? I don't care. I don't like Chinese food so no need. Thai food I can eat everyday here so why find in England. Steak I don't like. I eat what I like.

Thank you.

Don't be put off by some posters negative comments but recognise there is an element of truth in what is being said. The food in the UK is expensive, even for silly small meals, mostly the qulaity is not the same as you might find in a small eateriy in Asia, sometimes it can be very bad and usually unhealthy. But you will be able to find food to eat that is not too expensive and will fill your stomach - you keep mentioning pizza, a decent pizza at Pizza Express, figure about 12 Pounds for one person.

Here's an idea: there's loads of really neat places to see and things to do within an hour of London, you realy don't have to travel the entire country to see a lot of the UK. You could perhaps find a base in a town an hour outside London and then travel from there. Within an hour of London you could easily get to Oxford and spend a day ther (lots of Universities and old buildings): Leeds castle, one of the finest castles in England: London, seeing all the major sites in London will take you three or four days and potentially as long as a week (you don't have to stay there); Cantebury, a superb cathedral and nice town centre that's very old: the cotswolds, wonderfull scenery and lots of small villages with tea shops. My concern is that you will spend a lot of time and money travelling the length of the country to get to another place, just to see somewhere that could equally be seen closer to London. I would guess that you can see as much of what the UK has to offer within an hour of London as you can if you travelled the legth of the country, except for the scenery/countryside which changes in the North.

[monsieurhappy]

I doubt you will ever make the grade as a travel agent !!

Nor you as a diplomat!

Anyway, why doesn't the OP just tell us how much he wants to spend on this holiday? That way we can tell him what is feasible and what isn't. Would have saved some of us a lot of time on Google etc. from the word "Go."

[chiang mai]

Can I ask if the OP went to the British Council yet to check out what information they have regarding bus and train travel passes? Also, you'll need to factor in to your plan the fact that the Olympics in London might make hotel room scarse and some costs higher than normal, when do you plan to travel?

[chiang mai]

I doubt you will ever make the grade as a travel agent !!

Nor you as a diplomat!

Anyway, why doesn't the OP just tell us how much he wants to spend on this holiday? That way we can tell him what is feasible and what isn't. Would have saved some of us a lot of time on Google etc. from the word "Go."

I doubt you will ever make the grade as a travel agent !!

Nor you as a diplomat!

Anyway, why doesn't the OP just tell us how much he wants to spend on this holiday? That way we can tell him what is feasible and what isn't. Would have saved some of us a lot of time on Google etc. from the word "Go."

I may be wrong but I have reason to suspect the OP may not be a "he"!

[Ricardo]

Staying with friends is always a good way to save money ! Family even better !

Agree with the advice to use day-trip tickets, to save money on short-range trips, from a convenient base for several-days, it also saves a lot of repacking/unpacking.

To save on food, which I agree is an expensive item, there are cheaper takeaways/cafes, you don't have to use the more-expensive restaurants, and you can buy reasonable food-to-go at supermarkets & convenience-stores. But might get a little tired of sandwiches, by the end of the trip, just as I used to get tired of fried-rice when I used to visit here for a couple-of-weeks only.

Traveling (in Greece) with my kids a few years ago, we'd start with a late picnic-breakfast in-the-park or on-the-beach, purchased at the local bakery, fresh and tasty ! There are also reasonable carveries, for several pounds per-person, plus drinks, at pub-chains, and pubs are another source of reasonable meals for under-a-tenner. Perhaps follow a 2-meals-per-day regime ?

It's a balance between cost & having-fun, saving on travel but seeing as much as possible, for many a trip-of-a-lifetime, so Remember To Have Fun !

[chiang mai]

Staying with friends is always a good way to save money ! Family even better !

Agree with the advice to use day-trip tickets, to save money on short-range trips, from a convenient base for several-days, it also saves a lot of repacking/unpacking.

To save on food, which I agree is an expensive item, there are cheaper takeaways/cafes, you don't have to use the more-expensive restaurants, and you can buy reasonable food-to-go at supermarkets & convenience-stores. But might get a little tired of sandwiches, by the end of the trip, just as I used to get tired of fried-rice when I used to visit here for a couple-of-weeks only.

Traveling (in Greece) with my kids a few years ago, we'd start with a late picnic-breakfast in-the-park or on-the-beach, purchased at the local bakery, fresh and tasty ! There are also reasonable carveries, for several pounds per-person, plus drinks, at pub-chains, and pubs are another source of reasonable meals for under-a-tenner. Perhaps follow a 2-meals-per-day regime ?

It's a balance between cost & having-fun, saving on travel but seeing as much as possible, for many a trip-of-a-lifetime, so Remember To Have Fun !

Indeed, the more I think about it this is the better option in most ways. A base in a nice town/city outside London, Oxford perhaps and then day trips, rent a car perhaps for one or two days, as needed, not for the entire holiday. BTW, the OP appears to be Thai so probably no relatives in the UK.

[MsClueless]

Thank you again for all advice. It is helpful

We have budget of about 4000 pounds. If it is enough for more two weeks then better. Or we only stay two weeks. Can stay witha friend for three or four days. In Bristol.

I looked on britrail pass ticket but if I don't know which city I want to go then hard to check how much will cost me

Yes I am slow and don't plan quick enough. I want to travel early May or end of May. Because don't want be there during Olympics

[chiang mai]

Thank you again for all advice. It is helpful

We have budget of about 4000 pounds. If it is enough for more two weeks then better. Or we only stay two weeks. Can stay witha friend for three or four days. In Bristol.

I looked on britrail pass ticket but if I don't know which city I want to go then hard to check how much will cost me

Yes I am slow and don't plan quick enough. I want to travel early May or end of May. Because don't want be there during Olympics

I think that Britrail has a pass that is countrywide and can be used for several days or weeks, maybe check it out?

Train tickets in the UK are cheapeest outside of commuting hours, after 10am and before 4 pm etc.

4000 Pounds for two people for two weeks may be tight, if that includes airfare? If not, it's dooable, other posters may view things differently.

EDIT: just checked and a two week Britrail pass for tourists (standard class) costs 309 Pounds, look for the Britrail flexi pass for 15 days - 8 days costs 209 Pounds and since you wont be travelling everyday, perhaps that's the one to get?

http://www.britrail....il-england-pass

Edited April 6, 2012 by chiang mai

[MsClueless]

Does not include flight

But local travel food and room

[chiang mai]

Does not include flight

But local travel food and room

See my earlier edit regarding 15 day Britrail pass. Note, the prices are in Euro's and NOT Pounds.

[smokie36]

On your budget I suggest you stay in Youth Hostel places

http://www.yha.org.uk/places-to-stay

For getting around use buses as posted before and for local day trips get yourselves some hire bikes

http://www.cyclehireinfo.com/

You can only do it cheaper really if you bring camping gear. Or couch surfing!

Good advice on cafes there too. You can usually pick up a salad or sandwich and drink for under £5.

Edited April 6, 2012 by smokie36

[smokie36]

Not sure if anyone posted this already. Some useful info on hotels and cheap travel.

http://www.backpackers.co.uk/

[MsClueless]

Thanks

So England is much more expensive than I know

[MrRed]

There is always the pound shops for an hour or two....Thais love a bargain.

[smokie36]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

[theoldgit]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

SShhhhh, my girlfriend loves Primark, I told her it's a well known brand, which it is.

I do think people are being a tad alarmist, with proper planning you can get some good deals in the UK.

[chiang mai]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

I do think people are being a tad alarmist, with proper planning you can get some good deals in the UK.

I agree, the UK is probably more expensive than you think it is but don't let that put you off your trip, just be aware and try to take advantage of travel/hotel discounts where ever you can.

[Ricardo]

BTW, the OP appears to be Thai so probably no relatives in the UK.

Understood, although there are many Thais living in UK now IME, but how about staying with friends ? We always used to get snowed-under, with Thai students/friends, during the college-holidays, when we did live there. It's one more option, for saving money towards more-important things, is all I'm suggesting.

By-the-way boot-fairs are always popular with Mrs R and her sister, whenever we go back to visit, excellent shopping at bargain-prices, with haggling-fun thrown-in for free !

[MsClueless]

If I have friends there yes I will like stay with them. But only have one friend. Cannot stay there all two or three weeks.

My idea if I have 4000 pound, spend 100 for one night, 10 nights = 1000 pounds. Buy rail pass 300 pounds two person = 600 pounds

Mean I have 2400 left for 14 days for food and entrance fee to tourists places. If not enough then I eat mama noodles

[onionluke]

Sight seeing on a tandem is the way to go . A tandem can be transported by train anywhere in the uk . It is possible to get off the well beaten track on a tandem . Discover Achnasheen and Kiddieminster . Forget about Stonhenge , head north to Callanish or Brainport . Buckfast Abbey is well worth a visit and Blackpool is a must , the holyday town where you can pick up souviner fake pound coins . Then there are the pubs , oh the lovely pubs , and beer .

[monsieurhappy]

Well! I'm happy to tell MsClueless that I think her/his trip looks quite feasible! Now it needs some careful planning.

I was surprised to see how cheap a rail pass is considering we read nearly everyday that the rail companies are always putting up their fares. If you buy passes make sure you read the small print as for times of travel etc. I noted that the English pass is for use in England only so if you were to cross the border you would have to pay extra. I still think that a lot of the small, out of the way places will not be possible to get to unless a local coach trip can be found but considering the towns I mentioned before - London, York, Edinburgh, Liverpool & Bristol, the OP should find enough to see and do in each place to take up 3 or 4 days in each. The cost of the rail passes can be reduced by making London ( presumeably the arrival will be LHR ) the first or last city on the trip. So maybe a 15 day pass only is needed.

I have also been looking at cheap hotels in all the said cities, mainly this company Premier Inn - Book Cheap Hotels in the UK and Worldwide from 29 pounds Although basic with no meals, it's a big chain and will probably offer better value than searching for a little one off hotel. With London being a little more expensive and Liverpool quite cheap, I think you could easily average 50 GBP per night. Add about 50 GBP per day for food and you should be well inside your budget.

The rest is "up to you" remember Google is your friend.

[cardholder]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

Now pronounced Primarche - my daughters tell me

[transam]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

Not for long, wash it once and it will fit someone many years younger.

[roamer]

And the clothes shops....a Thai girl will have a party in Primark!

Now pronounced Primarche - my daughters tell me

Really ? my daughter calls it Primarni