Traveling internationally has a mysterious and sparkling allure. Think of all the sights, the history, the museums, the glittering cities you’ll see! But to many, it still seems a mystical and far off possibility, not one they can make a reality now.
Friends and acquaintances come to me a lot saying “I wish I could travel to England [or somewhere else in the UK]. It’s my dream vacation. But it’s just so expensive! It’s a real once in a lifetime thing, huh?” But after living in the UK and taking frequent trips back and forth from the US, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be! With these money saving tips I’ve learned, you can cut down the costs so you can make your dream a reality. So let’s dive into some of the best ways to save money on UK travel!
Contents
Flights to the UK
Often, one of the most prohibitive costs in traveling the UK is the initial flight over there. Who has $1,500 per person to drop on a round-trip flight? Not me, that’s for sure…and probably not you either since you’re reading this!
When I fly from California to the UK, my round-trip tickets usually cost between $350-450…and often I get to travel on my favorite carrier, Delta, for this price! So how do I get these deals? Here are the things I do to make sure I get the best possible deal on my flights:
1. Plan Ahead
If you know you want to travel to the UK, then it’s best to plan as far ahead as you can. This way you have lots of time to check the flight prices and find dates that will work for you that are still a good price!
2. Be Flexible
Flexibility refers both to the times you travel and to where you depart from. Keeping an eye on the flights and leaving in the middle of the week or in a different month than you originally were thinking can mean a difference of several hundreds of dollars! But this doesn’t mean you have to travel in terrible seasons…I got cheap flights in May of 2018 just by planning ahead and watching the flights!
It also helps if you can be flexible on where you depart from. I know I’m blessed to live in California, where my closest airports are San Diego and Los Angeles. This means I have flexibility on what international airport I want to fly out of. Usually, though Los Angeles has better flight prices…but this means I have to drive a lot further to get there. If you have the option, check into some larger airports even if they are a little further away. The money you save may well be worth a longer drive or train ride!
3. Use a Good Booking Site
Using a good booking site will help you see the best dates to fly out. One of my favorites is Skyscanner. When you go to this website, you can enter the airport you’re departing from and the airport you’re flying to. Then for the departure date, I like to click “whole month” and then “cheapest month.” This shows you the current cheapest month to travel and the cheapest prices and days to travel within that month.
Once you’ve brought up the cheapest month to travel, you can navigate through to see other months as well. This is a good way to ensure you get the best possible price for your international flight! You can also download the Skyscanner app to make it easier to check on flight prices from your phone.
Click here to start checking out flights on Skyscanner now!
4. Bonus: Sign up for Scott’s Cheap Flights!
Scott’s Cheap Flights is an amazing service that will email you when there are cheap flights from your airport to any destination in the world. There’s a free version and a paid version, and they find the best deals and make sure you know about them as soon as they’re up! If you’re dreaming about travel, this is a great way to get good deals delivered straight to your inbox.
Accommodation
Once you’re in the UK, accommodation is the next biggest cost that makes people shudder. And yes, it can be expensive! But if you’re looking for ways to keep the costs down, you do have options.
Types of Accommodation to Save Money
Here are some of the top types of accommodation to help you save money on your UK vacation.
1. Budget Hotels
Budget hotels can be a great option, as they are usually basic but clean and affordable. In the UK, one of my favorite budget hotel chains is Premier Inn. They have many different options in London and other major cities across the UK, so you have choices on where you stay and which one of their hotels you choose. There are other budget hotels as well, but I’ve found I’m happy with Premier Inn so if I need an option like this I choose them during my UK trips.
2. Bed and Breakfasts
Bed and Breakfasts have been some of my favorite accommodation experiences during my travels throughout the UK. They come in a range of prices, with some being more high-end and others being more budget friendly. You just have to do a little looking around to find the best place (I like to start by looking at my destination city on this site).
3. Airbnb
I’ve stayed in some amazing Airbnbs during my travels and some terrible ones, so you really just have to read the reviews and know what you’re getting into. But this can be a great way to save money and get a local feel for where you’re traveling. And when you get a great host, the experience is so amazing!
If you have yet to try out Airbnb, I have a code you can use to get $40 off your first accommodation booking and $15 off an Airbnb experience (if you decide to try one of those out on your travels). Just send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to share the code with you!
Click here to start searching for amazing and budget friendly accommodation on Airbnb!
4. Hostels
Hostels are on this list because they can be quite budget friendly…but they’re last on this list because they’re my least favorite accommodation method. I’ve stayed in several across the UK, and while I’ve never had absolutely terrible experiences, I can’t really say I’ve ever thoroughly enjoyed the experience either. If you’re traveling with a group, I think it’s much nicer to find a budget option that you can split between you rather than each booking a bed in a hostel. But that’s just the way I like to travel!
If you’re traveling solo or decide hostels are for you, then you can check out a lot of options on Hostelworld. You’ll be able to see prices and reviews with the click of a button, so you can best determine where you want to stay!
How to Book Accommodation and Save Money
Now that we’ve talked about different types of accommodation in the UK, let’s get down to the practical information about how to book and save money!
1. Booking.com
When I’m booking hotels or bed and breakfasts, Booking.com is my favorite way to explore options in different cities and find the best deals! Their interface is super easy to use and helps you to see reviews and prices easily. I’ve found some really great gems on here that are still budget-friendly, so I highly recommend taking a look here before booking your accommodation!
Check out Booking.com to start exploring your accommodation options today!
2. Use Hotel Points
If you’ve been loyal to a specific hotel in any other travels for work or for vacation, or if you’ve opened or want to open up any credit cards with hotel point deals, then you can use hotel or credit card points to book your accommodation for free or cheap. So check into those rewards programs and see if you have any unused points waiting around!
Transportation
Next up on the list of heavy-hitter costs for UK travel is transportation. It can be quite expensive, especially if you plan to travel to many cities and locations across the UK. But while it can be expensive, never fear—there are still ways to save money!
1. Rental Cars
If you’re traveling with a group, getting a rental car can be a great money-saving option. If you all chip in, it costs less for each of you individually! (And for families, it’s often much cheaper and easier than buying individual tickets for everyone).
If you think you want to get a rental car in the UK, here are a few things you need to know:
- They drive on the “wrong” (aka, left) side of the road
- Manual transmission is far more common than automatic transmission. If you can’t drive manual, be sure to ask for an automatic when you book (it will likely cost extra to drive an automatic).
- Renting cars from airports can be more expensive than renting a car from somewhere else nearby but not at an airport. It can be cheaper to book from a nearby place and take an Uber to/from the airport.
- It can be cheaper to rent a car for a week or two at a time than it is to rent for just a few days, so try out some different dates to figure out what is the best time amount to book for.
If you plan to rent a car, the company I trust and use the most on my UK travels is Enterprise. They’ve always had good customer service and reliable cars (although I once did have a snafu with them while traveling Ireland, which is a place notoriously bad for rental cars, but in the end they did resolve the issue).
Check out the prices for rental cars from Enterprise and start booking now!
2. Rail Travel
My second favorite way to travel around the UK is by rail. Everyone says this is super expensive—and sometimes it is—but I’ve also frequently booked tickets for very cheap around the UK (like £3 from London to Oxford) so today I’m here to share all my rail travel hacks with you!
National Railcards
If you plan to do a lot of traveling by train, one of the best ways to save is by getting a national railcard. These national railcards save you up to 1/3 off the normal, full price fare! There are rail savings cards for many different demographics of the population so hopefully one of them will work for you. Here are some of your options:
- Two Together Railcard: The two named adults on the pass get 1/3 off standard and first class anytime, off-peak, and advance fares throughout Great Britain. Must travel together and after 9:30am Monday to Friday or anytime on weekends and holidays. Cost: £30 for a whole year (£15 per person).
- 16-25 Railcard: If you are between the ages of 16-25, you can get a railcard that allows for 1/3 off most rail fares throughout Great Britain. Cost: £30 for a whole year or £70 for three years.
- 26-30 Railcard: Save 1/3 off most rail fares throughout Great Britain if you are between the ages of 26-30. This card is digital and can only be bought online. Cost: £30 for a whole year.
- Family and Friends Railcard: This railcard gives you 1/3 off most adult fares and 60% off kids’ fares throughout Great Britain. You can use it with up to four adults and four kids. You cannot use this card during the morning peak period or for journeys wholly within the London & South East network on Mondays to Fridays (check out the time restrictions for more details). Cost: £30 for a whole year.
- Senior Railcard: If you’re 60 or older, then you can get this railcard for 1/3 off fares throughout Great Britain. Cost: £30 for a whole year.
If you plan to get a railcard, some are available to buy online or you can buy in person at the rail station on the day of your travel. If you choose to buy in person, make sure to bring a printed photo with you for them to place on your card. Also bring proof of age for any railcards that are for specific ages only.
While at first it seems crazy to spend money to save it, these railcards only cost £30 and will quickly pay for themselves if you are traveling a lot around the UK! With 1/3 off of each fare, you could even conceivably make back your railcard purchase with just one train ride.
Learn more about the various railcard offerings here!
BritRail Pass
Another option for visitors to the UK is the BritRail Pass. This pass offers access to all the trains on Great Britain’s National Rail Network (in England, Scotland, and Wales) for a flat fee depending on how many days you want to use the pass. You can hop on and off trains as you wish without having to book in advance, or you can stop by a rail station to make seat bookings for free to ensure you have a seat on all train journeys.
This pass comes in two options: consecutive days and flexipass. Consecutive means you can travel however many days you choose (1, 2, 3, etc.) but only consecutively (e.g. Monday and Tuesday on a 2-day pass). Flexipass means you can travel the number of days you choose total out of a month-long period (e.g. on a 2-day pass, you could travel the first day on the 27th of April and the second on the 3rd of May).
The price will be higher the more days you choose and it is higher for Flexipass as well, but it can be worth it depending on how much rail travel you have planned and how far the distances are that you will be traveling on those days. There are also discounts for families, groups, seniors, and youths 16-25.
The BritRail Pass can only be purchased before you get to the UK, so if you want to use this option be sure to buy yours before you leave your country! You can check out the BritRail Pass options and decide which one to buy on Trainline.
Where and How to Buy Train Tickets
Now that you know the best ways to save money on train tickets, let’s take a look at the best ways to book your tickets! My favorite website to use is Trainline as it is super easy to use and even has an app for on-the-go use.
To book tickets via Trainline, all you have to do is go to the website or app and put in your departure and destination, choose one-way or return, plug in your date and time of departure, and click to add in a railcard if you decided to purchase one.
Once you’ve entered this information, a screen will come up with all of the times and prices for train travel on your chosen date and time. Once this screen comes up, you will be given several options to book. Some of the ticket options you’ll see may say Anytime, Off-peak, Super Off-peak, and Singles.
Anytime tickets are nice because, as the name suggests, you can use them anytime. This means you simply pay one price and can get on any train leaving your departure station at anytime. No need to choose a specific time or train to take!
Off-peak and super off-peak are a little more complicated, but are also a little less expensive so it can be nice to know what these tickets signify. If you choose an off-peak or super off-peak ticket, you don’t have to choose a specific train (just like with anytime tickets) but you can only travel at certain times of day on the trains. Usually this means you cannot travel during commuter hours, but depending on your departure station the hours for off-peak travel can vary quite widely (I found that usually trains are off-peak by 9-9:30am in the morning, and that you usually can’t travel on an off-peak ticket around dinnertime). But the best way to know for sure if you can travel on an off-peak ticket is to plug in your desired route to Trainline and see if they give you the off-peak option for the train you want to take. If they do, then you’re good to go!
The last ticket type is singles, and this is usually the least expensive option–especially if you book in advance. This is how I would get my £3 train tickets! However, with single tickets you do have to take the exact train you purchased at the exact time you chose. And if you miss it, you have to buy a whole new ticket. So if you know you will be traveling on a specific train and that you won’t accidentally miss it, then this is the best choice…but if you prefer flexibility or are worried that you may accidentally miss your train, then it can be better to go with a slightly higher cost ticket that allows you to take any of a variety of train departures.
Check out the departing trains on Trainline and start figuring out your bookings now!
3. Coach Travel
Coach travel around the UK can be another great way to get around, although it can take a LOT longer than train travel. It is, of course, also often less expensive than train travel (especially if you didn’t plan your train travel ahead of time!)
A lot of people don’t like the idea of coach travel because it takes so long and for some reason people equate low cost with lack of quality…but all the coaches I’ve been on in the UK have been quite clean and comfortable, so there’s really no reason to be prejudiced against coaches on this account.
If you think bus travel might be for you, then National Express has some good options where you will pay full price (which, for instance, from Oxford to London could be anywhere between £7-30 for a return ticket depending on what time of day you go).
Megabus may also be worth looking into, as I have sometimes found really cheap fares there (around £3-5 for the same ticket from Oxford to London mentioned above). Other times, though, Megabus really isn’t any cheaper (especially if you’re booking close to your departure date) so I prefer to book direct through National Express or another similar company when this is the case as their customer service is usually better if anything goes awry.
4. London Underground
This method of transportation is specifically for if you plan to spend time in London. The Underground is usually the cheapest and quickest method of travel around the city (even better than buses or taxis because it’s so crowded above ground!)
If you will be spending any time in London, it’s very worth picking up an Oyster Card at an Underground station. There is a £5 deposit to get a card, but it is refundable so when you are finished at the end of your trip you can return the card and receive the balance and your deposit back. When you load up your Oyster card with some funds, then you can simply tap it on the turnstiles as you go in and out of the Underground stations (or on the city buses). This means you don’t have to buy individual Underground tickets, which becomes super expensive very quickly, and instead you’ll be joining in on transport like a local.
There are also some discounts you can get depending on your age (and children under 5 always travel free with an adult!) so be sure to check out those discounts in case you want to apply for any of them.
5. Uber
Although Uber has had some difficulties in London, as of now you can still use it in this city and in many other cities around the UK. I prefer Uber to normal taxis as I like knowing the rate I’ll be charged and being able to follow along on the GPS. It also frequently feels safer to me, although of course you should always verify your driver before getting in! (Just like you should never get in an unmarked taxi).
City Attraction Passes
One of the best things about the UK is that there are lots of things to do for free. Parks and gardens are free, museums are free, it’s free to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and even all the national parks are free to enter!
However, in big cities especially, there are also lots of tourist attractions that are not free. In situations like these where you will definitely want to see some of these attractions, it can be a good idea to buy a city/attraction pass rather than paying for admission to everything separately. By doing this, you can save a lot of money if you plan to visit 2-3 attractions or more. Here are a few of the best passes you may want to consider depending on your itinerary:
London Pass
The London Pass includes all sorts of amazing attractions that you will want to see! I often recommend using the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus during your first day in the city so you get acclimated to the layout and hear a lot of fun historical and current facts about London. While this bus is normal £34 per day, if you buy the London Pass it is included in your ticket price.
Other fun attractions include the Tower of London (£28), the view from the Shard (£32), a Thames River Boat Cruise (£19), Westminster Abbey (£23), St. Paul’s Cathedral (£20), Kensington Palace (£20), and the Churchill War Rooms (£22). Of course, there are tons more…but these are just some of the highlights!
For a one day ticket, the adult price is £75 and the child price is £55. You can already see how quickly you can get a great value for your money! It’s also possible to choose a pass for two days (£99/£75) or even more days if you have several days in the city and want to get the most out of your pass and money.
Check out the options for the London Pass and book your tickets online now!
York Pass
If you plan to go to York or North Yorkshire, the York Pass is the perfect pass to choose. On the York City Pass (£45 per adult and £30 per child) you get access to attractions like York Minster, the York Sightseeing Bus, the National Railway Museum, York’s Chocolate Story, the City Museum, and more.
There is also an option to choose a York & Beyond Explorer Pass (£60 for adults and £35 for children) which includes all of the above as well as lots of nearby houses, gardens, and castles. There are also plenty of wildlife and museum attractions on this pass including the National Centre for Birds of Prey, SEALIFE, and the Yorkshire Air Museum.
You can learn more about the options and buy tickets here.
Heritage Passes and National Trust Passes
The final category of pass I recommend looking into are the Heritage or National Trust passes. If you plan to visit a lot of historical sites or famous houses and gardens, then these passes could save you a lot of money. (You only really need to visit three different properties to get your money’s worth!)
The Heritage Pass and the National Trust pass have a lot of overlap on their properties but are not identical, so if there are specific attractions you want to visit then you will want to ensure it’s on the pass you choose. Both passes have common tourist attractions like Stonehenge and Hadrian’s Wall, as well as plenty of other amazing properties!
For reference, though, the English Heritage pass boasts access to over 100 historic places for £35-42 per person depending on the option you choose. A lot of English castles are included with this pass. Check out more information or purchase this pass here.
The National Trust Touring Pass, on the other hand, offers admission to over 300 locations (mostly houses and gardens). It costs around £33-38 per person depending on the ticket length you choose. Click here to check out the Touring Pass and buy tickets.
There are also plenty of options for passes in other parts of the UK like Scotland, such as the Explorer’s Pass and the Scottish Heritage Pass. Using passes like these and the ones for England allow you to visit so many amazing places for much cheaper than you would pay if you paid for them all individually! So it is really worth taking a little time to figure out the places you want to go to determine if it is worth buying a pass to help you save money.
Looking for UK travel inspiration? Check out a few of my favorite places and activities:
- Blenheim Palace
- University of Oxford
- Harry Potter Tour of Oxford
- Fossil Hunting in Lyme Regis
- Balloch Park Fairy Trail
Save for Later
One of the best guides I’ve ever seen on the topic! Thank you so much for sharing all the useful tips and info!
I’m so glad you found it helpful! I’m a big fan of saving money whenever I can, and I love it when I’m able to help others do the same! 🙂
Omg this is incredibly helpful!! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Allison! I hope you have an awesome UK trip!