Planning a British Vacation
Your British vacation can be a memorable trip of a lifetime, but you need to put in a little planning and research before you go if you want to get the most out of your trip. Even if you are an adventurous ‘free spirit’ type of traveler who doesn’t want to be constrained by a strict itinerary, it still pays to research the region that you will be visiting for information about accommodation and places that you want to see.
Choosing a Region
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
The most popular destinations for visitors from the US are London and the surrounding region or Edinburgh in Scotland. Scotland is particularly popular with golfers, who enjoy visiting the many world class courses in St. Andrews and nearby areas. London is a great place for your first trip to the UK. It has a wealth of famous attractions right there in the city and there are plenty of amenities and guidance available for tourists. Other famous sites, including Stonehenge and the cities of Bath and Oxford are only a short drive away. Other UK regions also make great vacation spots. Wales is famous for its amazing scenery, fascinating history and unique Welsh language and culture (almost all Welsh people are also fluent in English and all signs are in Welsh and English). The north of England offers the picturesque Lake District and vibrant, modern cities like Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds and historic walled cities such as York and Chester. Ireland, with its rich cultural heritage is always a popular vacation destination especially the capital city of Dublin and the beautiful countryside of Co, Cork.
What Type of Vacation?
The type of vacation that you choose depends on a few factors:
- Whether you want to plan your own itinerary or want an expert to plan it for you based on your criteria
- Whether you want the services of a professional, local guide during your trip or you would prefer to explore on your own
- how much money you have to spend
Escorted Tours
Big Ben, London
If you purchase an escorted tour for your British vacation , everything about your vacation will be pre-planned, from flights and hotels to attractions and transfers and you will have the services of a professional tour guide with local knowledge. You can purchase an ‘off the shelf’ tour with a preset itinerary or you can work with a company that will arrange custom tours. Escorted tours are the most expensive options and, of course, custom tours are more expensive still. The advantages are that everything is taken care of and you won’t have to worry about where to go, what to do or where to stay when you get there. However, some people may prefer to have more freedom to be flexible. Escorted tours may be single or multi-center vacations. Multi-center vacations are a great way to pack more into your trip to the UK. You can also take an escorted tour planned around a specific theme, such as a history and heritage tour or even a Harry Potter themed tour.
Vacation Packages
If you purchase a British vacation package, your flights and accommodation are pre-booked before you travel but you will need to organize your own activities while you are there and you will probably not have the services of a local guide, although your travel agency may have local representatives available if you have any questions. Vacation packages can offer the best value. You can get flight/hotel packages for less than it would cost to book these separately.
Independent Travel
You can choose to book everything individually or to just book flights and your first night hotel. This will give you total freedom to explore when you get there. This problem with this is that you don’t get the peace of mind of having accomodation reserved for every night of your trip, although this won’t usually be a problem. This is a great option for the more adventurous traveller. However, is you are a less experienced traveller wanting to give independent foreign travel a try, a British vacation is a good destination to try first. US visitors will find many thing familiar and there are no language barriers to overcome.
UK Immigration and Customs
Entering the UK for your British vacation is pretty straightforward. US citizens do not need a visa to enter the UK for a vacation. You will need a valid US Passport. Make sure that you apply for this well in advance if you do not hold one already. Airport security restrictions are generally the same as in the US but you should check before you travel. However, many UK airports enforce a strict one carry-on item rule. Unlike in the US, a purse or laptop bag will count as your one item and you will not be allowed an additional bag.
Get Informed!
Remember, a little planning will go a long way towards making your British vacation perfect. The internet has plenty of information available for travelers to the UK. Some useful sites are listed in the links section of the side bar. There are also many great guidebooks available. Don’t miss out on all the amazing attractions, events, sights and sounds the Britain has to offer!
