A UK Vacation is Great Value Right Now!

Exchange rates are finally down!

Save money on UK vacations

Its been a long time coming, but the exchange rate between the Dollar and the British Pound has finally come back down to the levels it was at 5 or six years ago. Thats great news for me! Now I wont be breaking the bank every time I go back to the UK to visit family and friends. Its also great news for anyone who had wanted to take a vacation there, but has been put off by how expensive everything has been when you get there.  Until recently, purchasing an item for 10 GBP would have cost you 15 USD. But now, you’ll only be paying around 16-17 USD for the same thing.

Not only that, but the economy has caused a lot of price reductions in the UK, so everything is more affordable than it has been in the past. That includes food, hotels and any fun stuff you might want to  buy when you’re over there. There are great deals on flights too. The flights I just booked to visit my parents are the cheapest I’ve ever had in the 5 years since I moved to the US. So if you are lucky enough to be able to afford it, right now is a good time to plan a UK vacation.

Cheap flights

If you are booking your own flights, think about trying the ‘Name Your Own Price’ feature at Priceline. You’ve all seen the ads with William Shatner for this but some people might be nervous about auction format and be concerned that you will get flights at bad times or to unpopular airports. You specify the airports and dates that you want to fly and your flights will depart between 6am and 10pm unless you agree to off-peak flight times. Flights will have a maximum of one connection unless you specifically agree to 2.  Remember that your credit card will be charged as soon as a matching flight is found. You do not get to reject it as I’ve had some great results using this service for flights and hotels, both for international travel and domestic.

Also remember that you can save money planning your own tour instead of purchasing an escorted tour. But also make sure that you look at package deals on the big websites. you often save money at sites like Priceline or Hotwire if you book hotel and air together or even hotel, air and rental car.

Tours and attractions

Another good way to save on your UK vacation is to pre-book attractions and excursions using a company like Viator. Not only do you save money over purchasing at the entrance, you also guarantee that you have tickets to all the sights that you want to see and you won’t have to wait in line. Its a great way to arrange some of your itinerary before you leave so that you don’t miss out on stuff that you really want to see. Take a look at London tours and activities on Viator.com. Also Check out Viator’s suggested itineraries to help plan your trip.

You can also by combination passes in many cities. These allow you entrance to a number of top attractions for a single price. Make sure you look at whats included to make sure you will get your moneys worth. If you only want to see a few of the included attractions, it might be cheaper to buy tickets separately.  The Great Britain Heritage Pass
is a good option if you are planning to venture outside London. It includes 580 attractions across the UK. If you will be staying in London for all or most of your trip, the London Pass
might work better.

Budget accomodations

If you are a little adventurous, there are some great ways to save money on accomodation. An increasingly popular option is home swapping. You swap houses with a family in Britain who wants to come visit the US, meaning your accomodations are free. You can also choose to stay on a college campus during the summer when the student accomodations are empty. For example, you can get a double room at the London School of Economics in the very center of the city for around 50 GBP per night. Accomodation is basic, but clean and safe and very well located. You can get even better deals later in the summer. Check out Venue Masters for a list of locations.