Looking t.o go to the UK... ADVICE?

Here's some advice:

Don't go. Pick anywhere else and go instead.

 

What's your socioeconomic bent?

I went to London on a five-star trip with my work several years ago. Had a blast, but didn't pay a dime but it would have been five figures had I paid.

A good friend of mine also has gone several times, backpacking. He saved a ton by hitchhiking, sleeping in a tent and hostels along the way.

 

Lol. Exactly.

If you don't wanna drop 10k minimum for an amazing time when you could easily have a better experience for 1/5-1/4 the price, avoid the UK/Scandinavia/Switzerland.

 

Go to Lithuania instead! Very cheap (except airport tickets)...

 

dress up as a Muslim. I hear they are practically handing the country away to them

 

British Museum if you have any interest in those types of things. Price is right too.

Lots to do on a shoestring. Lots of other stuff to do with money.

 

It depends on where you go.

There are plenty of affordable areas, especially in Ireland and Scotland.

Honestly the county side is what is special.

The people in Ireland, Scotland and England are better than 95% of the world. Very nice people.

 

I agree- the people there were utterly polite. Except that one Indian waiter who wouldn't give me a second steak when I knew that my company had paid for a pile of them and they were just chilling in the kitchen. b*stard.

 

Well his plan seems to be primarily based on London and Liverpool, with Scotland coming later.

I like the people in the UK. I disagree with that "better than 95% of the world" bit, but I know you have bias because you've spent a lot of time there. That's fine either way, you're right that they're very nice. I haven't spent nearly as much time as you have there, but that's been my experience as well.

A trip to the UK, unless payed by a company (or someone else), is hard to budget unless you've set aside a really good amount for a one week trip.

It's one of the few places in the world where the dollar sucks.
The tube is so overpriced now, which is so lame.

I guess it just depends on what the goals of the person going are.

 

I just got back from 10 days in Barcelona and outside of the plane and hotel at the majestic... the food, beer, etc was amazingly cheap. Plus I won 700 Euros at the casino in 2 hours of blackjack. They give money away there.

One of the best cities I have been to in Europe.

 

That's true, but it's as good as it has been for a while.

Central London is a massive tourist trap, and very expensive, but that's not really a surprise. Lots of museums and galleries in London, which are generally free. Totally depends what you're interested in, but there's lots to do. Don't bother with the Shard, which is expensive, go to Sky Garden instead, which has great views and is free.

Liverpool's a lot smaller, and most of the stuff to see in the city is within walking distance. I've only spent weekends there, so I've less idea of what to suggest.

"Scotland" is very vague! Highlands, islands, big cities? Edinburgh is great, but is very busy and expensive during the Festival (most of August).

 

I must have stayed more than 100 nights in that hotel. I also got to know the owner family. But I am pretty sure those 700 you won came from me at some point .

As to Scotland - check out Loch Ness and the Highlands.

This is where I first learned English:

 

Like others have said, I would try to avoid the uk. If you do, London had a an amazing graffiti tunnel that the city gave to artists to do whatever to prevent graffiti in the city(it's free, nothing's free in London). Also the London tower museum was pretty interesting.

Liverpool was so damn depressing as a city. Everybody was down and seemed like they hated their lives. I would recommend the Beatles museum and a tour of the Liverpool stadium. Not much else. It's a short ferry ride to Ireland from Liverpool as well. Go grab a few guinesses straight from the source.

I agree with Davidio on Barcelona. Surprisingly affordable and has such a laid back vibe to it. I want to tour all of Spain at some point in the future.

 

Whenever visiting a foreign country it helps to learn a little bit of their language before you go. Maybe you can take a night class.

 

I just moved back to Houston from the UK. I did a lot of traveling in the UK as well as the rest of Europe (probably 10 countries and dozens of cities).

There is plenty to do and see in the uk, but if you have time, consider going to other countries as well. As long as you book in advance, flights around continental europe are cheap.

Spain and Germany are my two favorite counties in Europe. I spent about 2 months traveling around Spain. Italy is great, but crowded all the time (I'm heading to the almafi coast next month). Portugal is nice, as is France and Belgium. Not much to do other than ski in Switzerland. I thought Prague has highly overrated, as was Dublin.

London is a great city. Plenty to see and do there. So much so that I don't really feel like listing it out (on my phone). I had a blast driving around Scotland visiting the whiskey distilleries. Amazing courty side. Went hiking in Wales.

I got my masters at Cambridge - I would highly recommend stopping there for a day. The city is small, yet unbelievable. Just Google some pictures of it and you'll see why.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. Trains are great, but sometimes renting a car is easier, depending on what you want to see and do. Cheers!

 

central london is small enough that you can walk to all the sites and parks during the summer months.....as far as airports, i recommend flying into heathrow and taking the express train to paddington station......it's about 16pounds for the express, but there is also a slower train for 1/2 the price

 

Just go buy a Sex Pistols T-shirt, and you'll be just fine.

 

QFT.

So many haters in this thread. Where in Scotland are you going?

 

Get a translator. I couldn't understand **** they were saying.