How to Travel the UK on a Budget
15 Jul, 2024
Eva Mitchell
Is it possible to travel the UK on a budget? Yes!
The United Kingdom is such an easy place to DIY your own travel itinerary thanks to the well-connected intercity transport and the fact that it is an English-speaking country. The UK is not typically a budget travel destination, but it is possible to travel the UK cheaply with careful planning. In 2023, Tim and I travelled the UK for almost three months and spent roughly £2000/AUD$4000/USD$2700 per month as a couple. Here’s how we did it.
Chapters
How to save money on food in the UK
Eating out can be very expensive in the UK and often the food is rather boring for the price you pay. Here’s how to save money on food while travelling the UK.
- Cook at your accommodation: Buying groceries in the UK was surprisingly affordable. For example, a huge 1L tub of Greek yoghurt was only £2. We saved a ton of money cooking during our housesits or when we had self-contained accommodation.
- Check out the supermarkets for ‘grab and go’ meals. They tend to be super affordable and easy to heat up with a microwave or there are plenty of cold meal options also.
- Dine out at a Wetherspoon's Pub: If you want to travel the UK on a budget but don’t want to miss out on experiencing an authentic English pub, Wetherspoon’s is the place to go! There is a Wetherspoon’s is almost every town and their menu is loaded with cheap standard English fare, the drinks are cheap and the venues are always iconic buildings.
How to save money on accommodation in the UK
When you are travelling the UK on a budget, one of the most important areas to save money is on accommodation because it can be priiiiiceyyyy. Here's a few ways we saved money on accommodation in the UK.
- Consider Housesitting: We saved thousands of dollars on accommodation by housesitting around the UK thanks to Trusted Housesitters. Not only did we get to explore everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to the Cornwall coast because of our housesitting gigs BUT we also got to meet some incredible locals (people and pets!) and stay in some unbelievable homes.
- Travel during shoulder season: Accommodation in the UK can be very expensive for what you get. Your best chance of securing accommodation for a reasonable price is to travel during shoulder season.
- Travel to less touristy areas: If you steer clear of London, it is much easier to travel the UK on a budget. The UK has a lot of hidden gems and cute towns to explore that are less touristy than say Edinburgh and London. Getting a little off the beaten path will help to reduce your accommodation costs and will open you up to a more local experience. We found that the small towns had a real community feel and we were welcomed with open arms at any small local events that popped up or pub quizzes we attended.
How to save money on transport in the UK
One of the cheapest ways to travel the UK is on public transport. The UK has a relatively well connected public transport system but be warned! It can be expensive to get around the UK if you book last minute tickets. Here’s how we saved money on transport while travelling the UK.
- Travel by Train for cheap with a UK Railcard: There are many different types of Railcards to choose from depending on whether you are travelling solo, as a couple or as a family, so check out the website to see what the best option for you would be. Tim and I opted for the Two Together Railcard that cost us £30 and saved us 33% off train tickets across the whole UK. After taking into consideration the initial cost of the Railcard, we saved ourselves more than AUD$200.
- Hire a car with Turo: Turo is a little different to traditional car rental agencies, it is more of a car sharing app. You essentially input all your details into the Turo App and then search the area you want to hire a car from and see who has a car available to rent. It is usually a local who you hire the car from. We found Turo super helpful for when we needed to hire a car urgently in the UK because the car we brought in the UK only lasted six days before it broke down. We picked up our Turo car in Glasgow and took it for an adventure around Scotland for a few weeks before returning it back to Glasgow. The other bonus of Turo is many owners will allow pets in the vehicles which is perfect for pet sitters.
- Book your intercity transport in advance: Intercity transport via trains and buses can get very expensive last minute. We almost choked when we had to pay over AUD$200 to purchase last minute tickets from Manchester to the Lakes District then a $100 taxi to Keswick from the train station. 😱 Not our finest moment during our year of travel! So don’t be us and make sure you book your intercity travel well in advance to get the best deal.
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How to save money on activities in the UK
There are so many cheap and free activities to do in the UK thanks to it’s natural beauty and long history. Here’s a few activities that we absolutely loved and were super affordable.
- Go for a hikes and enjoy nature: When you get away from the cities, you will find that the UK is a naturally beautiful place from the Lakes District to the rugged coastal isles and the Scottish Highlands. There are hundreds of hikes you can do around the UK varying in length from an hour to multiple days. We prefer hikes that take a few hours so one of our favourite hikes in the UK was the Old Mann of Storr on the Isle of Skye. The landscape and views were insane!
The other cool thing about the UK is that there is a network of public paths that you can walk over farmland and through forested areas freely. These are ideal paths to take a day walk out to a local pub for a cheap pint.
- Visit a free museum: In London you have to visit the Natural History Museum and the British History Museum. Both have an incredible collection of historical pieces (largely thanks to the Brits who stole it from other countries around the world!) We were nerding out at the history and collections that these museums had and ended up spending almost a whole day exploring each museum for FREE!
- Go op shopping: The op shopping culture in the UK is top-notch! In most towns and cities you will find clusters of charity shops in the central shopping areas that have some great wee gems waiting to be found! We arrived in the UK at the start of October after spending almost 4 months travelling Europe over the summer and were in desperate need for a wardrobe change. The op shops were ideal for our winter clothing needs, I even found myself a blue ski suit for £12 that came in super handy for our first white Christmas at the home of Santa in Rovaniemi and our Iceland Tesla road trip the following January.
- Wander around the cute towns: There are so many cute towns in the UK so make sure to add at least one to your UK travel itinerary. Arguably the most famous cute towns are the in the Cotswolds. Wandering around the cute towns of the UK is an activity in itself. Grab a cream scone for afternoon tea or call into the local bakery for lunch. There are always many boutique shops to nosey around and talented local artists showcasing their works.
As you can see, it is possible to travel the UK on a budget and have an amazing experience. We can’t wait to go back another day to explore more of the Scottish Isles and the coastal towns around Southern England.
About Us
Hello, Hola, Ciao! We are Tim & Eva, a couple of kiwis who have spent the last few years saving for and planning our epic year-long adventure around the world. Our goal is to inspire fellow wanderlust souls (just like you!) to Make Cents Of Travel by sharing our experiences and strategies we used to turn our dream of long-term travel into a reality.
