how much does it cost to go to UK for a week, from the US?

[IndyColtsFan]

I usually start a framework about 10-12 months ahead of time so we can book international travel about 8 months ahead and have everything paid off/saved before we leave for the airport.

That's what we typically do too, with one exception -- generally, the sweet spot for tickets is between 50 and 60 days out. At 63 days out, the plane ticket for my trip to Germany was roughly $1350. At 53 days out, it had dropped to $1024. So we saved roughly $650 in airfare just by waiting.

 

[rcpratt]

Spring break and fall break FTW (they have 2 week breaks here, not sure about there)

Nope.

 

[Exterous]

Spring break and fall break FTW (they have 2 week breaks here, not sure about there)

Spring break won't help much as it seems most people get the same time off. We've looked for the past couple of years and there is always a stretch in April that is significantly more expensive to fly than the others and its always been during her spring break

Salzburg and Vienna will be our bases of operations.

Have fun!

 

[Remobz]

Depends on what you consider cheap but there is a difference between staying on the cheap and getting bed bugs\food poisoning. One of my fond memories of Scotland is getting food from a grocery store and having a picnic-ish style lunch in the Nevis Mountain Range. Since we got food for a couple of different meals and snacks it was only about $3 ea for lunch and we certainly had fun enjoying the scenery

I should of specified where. I meant tourists traveling through Central America where roughing it out makes Scotland look like a picnic..lol!

Scotland is beautiful and what you did sounds like fun actually It depends on where you go I guess. I imagine Europe would be less forgiving in that sense. I guess at my age now I rather just sleep in a decent hotel and eat good food not out of a can.

 

[DigDog]

For budgeting purposes, I like to use the government M&IE rates as a baseline. They vary by city & country (and even month), but I find its a fair estimate for lodging & meals to use as a starting point. Then I generally add about $100/day for local travel and misc expenses and go from there.

So for visiting London it would roughly be $950/flight (assuming travel in May or June) and estimate $573/day total for lodging & meals, and then another $100/day for misc. expenses (local travel, tickets, souvenirs, etc).

So the total would be:
$1900 + 8*573 + 8*100 = $7284 total for 2 people.

So that's what I would save prior to taking the trip. Then I would go on vacation and have the time of my life, and if it ended up being less than that, I'd put the extra in the "new car fund" and if its more then pull it from the "new car fund". (I haven't purchased a new or new-to-you car in 10 years, so its really just a slush fund)

Usually we underspend, mainly on portion budgeted for meals because we don't have huge appetites. Generally pretty close for airfare & lodging because we like to stay in nice places.

In 2014 we've toured 3 different countries, with 2 other CONUS trips completed & 2 more planned. Next year I think we're going to visit Spain & Portugal, but then we'll slow down the travel to start a family. I don't want to be attending PTA meetings when I'm 58 - that's retirement time!

I usually start a framework about 10-12 months ahead of time so we can book international travel about 8 months ahead and have everything paid off/saved before we leave for the airport.

waht

srsly, stahp.

a *good* place to stay in london for 2 will cost ya $250 a night, possibly less for a week.

eating in good restaurants (gordon ramsay's eateries, for example) can cost around $200/ meal for two.
you probably won't go there every day, since thats not really what london's all about.

for example, going to eat at camden market ( a far better foodie experience) and really going wild will cost you fifty bucks. for two.

going to borough market and splashing out on the most expensive pata negra and other imported weirdness will maybe cost a hunner bux for two.

this ain't NYC where a cronut is $20.

so, having seen your budget, i would like to retract my earlier statement that london is expensive and instead replace with "come to london, it's dirt cheap".

still, if i had 5 grand for a holiday, i would WAY rather go to the south of italy (or some other quiet rustic village) and rent a villa, enjoy the local food, and comeback with 2k still unspent.

you can easily live two months in croatia with that money. you could say at four star hotels in paris for that and still have cash left.

heck, you can probably find a good B&B in london .. srsly, use the google-fu.
http://www.londonbb.com/homes/kennington-sancroft-street/
kennington is a nice area, i lived there; this double is £75/night, thats a hunner-fiffy bux. for two.

probably less for a week.

transport is almost exclusively via tube (thats the subway for you foreigners), via Oyster cards, which puts travel at the most at forty bucks a week, each. add a cab ride each night for a whopping ten pounds each night.

travel from and to airport will also be by tube.

aside from the two aforementioned, borough and camden, there's a few other places to go have street food, which is what you will probably be having the most as you go around the city.

having lived a few years in the states, i doubt you will find london interesting on the foodie side. we have primarely small establishments, and here a fruit smoothie is considered "fancy".

btw, i would avoid the early months for london, it tends to be quite "wet".

i used to travel a lot. i have visited.. hmm.. italy, croatia, the US, morocco, spain, portugal, brazil, mexico, dominicana, france, the UK, the canaries, netherlands, austria, jamaica .. canada.. and thats it. i think.
some more than once.
oh yes and belgium.

anyway, the point is, i wouldn't go to london. BUT, if you want to , sure. it will not cost you seven grand.

 

[mmntech]

I need to go visit to the mother country. A friend of my mom's got a huge cottage in Scotland for something like 400 Pounds for the week. Think that's the way to go unless you plan on traveling around. I have family I can stay with though, so that cuts costs for me considerably.

Ideal trip would be to fly over there, spend two or three weeks, then sail back on the QM2. I figured it out once and the base cabin on the luxury liner isn't much more than airfare. Plus you don't get treated like chattel.

 

[IAteYourMother]

dang thats crazy, i would have to keep it under 3$k for sure

You could easily get it under 3k and eat/drink decently well by staying in hostels.

 

[brianmanahan]

You could easily get it under 3k and eat/drink decently well by staying in hostels.

i will have to check into these hostels. never stayed in one before.

 

[RossMAN]

i am budget conscious in every aspect of life, i have never spent more than about 1.5$K on a vacation. never even flown before if i had to pay for the airfare (always used reward points or a work-related flight).

maybe when i save up 1$M or 2 i will let myself live it up a little.

Grasshopper, you will never reach RossMAN status.

 

[sportage]

Food is high. Eating out is high. Even the fast food is high. Two fish n chips at fast food = $32. Big mac @ $8, and thats NOT the combo. Sandwich only.
But the museums are mostly free if I remember, and the famous wax museum is not free but worth the cost. Plan on wearing drab. Everyone seems to prefer drab colorless attire.
Interesting culture to say the least.

 

[JEDIYoda]

we live in poverty, here.

which means, if you want to go cheapo, you can, but you will live in a dump.

inversely, if you want to stay in a place that is "nice", you'll be gouged.


also, london sucks donkey balls, its wet, smells, a veritable ghetto. if your idea of fun is being on a bus, wet, sandwiched between two polish moms yelling in polish at their children and a bunch of wannabe jamaicans listening to drum n bass on the speakers of their phones, london is paradise.

but as soon as you start to eye a "bed and breakfast" (with hot OR cold water, not both at teh same time) then the prices go up.

having lived a long time in teh states and well aware of the standards of living there, i'd say you would be horrified at what we call "cozy" here.

my advice - pick a better holiday location. you really would't enjoy london anyway without someone guiding you.

You forgot excessively muggy!!

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

dang thats crazy, i would have to keep it under 3$k for sure

It's probably going to be 3k for him too if you exclude the shopping his wife will do

 

[rcpratt]

transport is almost exclusively via tube (thats the subway for you foreigners), via Oyster cards, which puts travel at the most at forty bucks a week, each. add a cab ride each night for a whopping ten pounds each night.

You must be getting some magical tube rates, because that is not even close to what we paid.

 

[WelshBloke]

i will have to check into these hostels. never stayed in one before.

If you're young and travelling alone hostels can be a lot of fun.

If you're not a social type they can be a pain in the arse though.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Sorry, lost track of this thread. First, it isn't hard spending that kind of money. No, we've never been, but we are flying non-coach into London, staying several days at the Shangri-la hotel in The Shard and the Egerton (sp) hotels, taking a two day trip to the southern coast (Brighton, Hastings and onward through Dover), a two day excursion by rail into Paris.

We plan on trips to museums, parks and other attractions, day trips to the Doctor Who and Harry potter exhibits, planning on a couple of days shopping (easily spending as much as $4-5K). Then there are the meals, which eating out 2-3 times a day for 18-21 days can add up.

Still undecided about whether to fly premium economy or business class. BTW, the Edgerton and Shangri-la will be on the order of 450-650 pounds per night--that's US$700-1K/night for us Yanks.

We were going to go up to Scotland but decided we would put that off until the following May so the weather will not be so challenging for the wife. Keep in mind the costs are really dependent on where you lay your head at night. This isn't a college days student travel plan for us and we have no kids to afford.

 

[rcpratt]

Make sure you pay the 25 GBP or whatever it is to go up to the Shard platform. Best view in London.

 

[xaeniac]

3k you are done with. brian stay home.......

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Sorry, lost track of this thread. First, it isn't hard spending that kind of money. No, we've never been, but we are flying non-coach into London, staying several days at the Shangri-la hotel in The Shard and the Egerton (sp) hotels, taking a two day trip to the southern coast (Brighton, Hastings and onward through Dover), a two day excursion by rail into Paris.

We plan on trips to museums, parks and other attractions, day trips to the Doctor Who and Harry potter exhibits, planning on a couple of days shopping (easily spending as much as $4-5K). Then there are the meals, which eating out 2-3 times a day for 18-21 days can add up.

Still undecided about whether to fly premium economy or business class. BTW, the Edgerton and Shangri-la will be on the order of 450-650 pounds per night--that's US$700-1K/night for us Yanks.

We were going to go up to Scotland but decided we would put that off until the following May so the weather will not be so challenging for the wife. Keep in mind the costs are really dependent on where you lay your head at night. This isn't a college days student travel plan for us and we have no kids to afford.

More power to you, but you really can easily cut the cost of that vacation in half (and probably more) and still have a great time without it being a "college days student travel" if you're interested.

IMO, spending a lot of money on hotels in Europe isn't a wise choice and doesn't make a lot of sense - the only time you really should be at your hotel is to sleep and take a shower. When we travel to Paris, for example, we pay $150-$200/night and are gone from early morning until mid-day, usually take a nap, and then are back out until 11 PM or so. We're doing the same in our upcoming vacation to Germany except Munich, where the cost is higher due to Oktoberfest.

Flying business class is great but the tickets are 3x the cost of coach. I let my company pay to fly me to Asia and South America in business class, but they wouldn't pay for flights to Europe. Coach isn't too bad if you can have a row to yourself; if the row has 3 seats, it is usually cheaper buying all three seats than buying a single business class ticket. Not sure what the markup is on premium economy but that sounds like something I need to look into on my next trip.

A couple more tips:

1. If you are really going to buy $4K-$5K worth of stuff, don't forget that if you're charged VAT in the UK, you can get it refunded.
2. Check out the city passes, such as the London Pass and Paris Pass. I'm not familiar with the London Pass, but we each get a Paris Pass every time we go. In the case of the Paris Pass, you'll save over paying individual admissions to all those places and most importantly, you can skip the long ticket lines which is a huge help at the Louvre (PRO TIP: With a Paris Pass, always enter the Louvre through the side entrance off of Rivoli, not through the glass pyramid. You will literally walk right in after a very quick security check).

 

[BarkingGhostar]

More power to you, but you really can easily cut the cost of that vacation in half (and probably more) and still have a great time without it being a "college days student travel" if you're interested.

IMO, spending a lot of money on hotels in Europe isn't a wise choice and doesn't make a lot of sense - the only time you really should be at your hotel is to sleep and take a shower. When we travel to Paris, for example, we pay $150-$200/night and are gone from early morning until mid-day, usually take a nap, and then are back out until 11 PM or so. We're doing the same in our upcoming vacation to Germany except Munich, where the cost is higher due to Oktoberfest.

Flying business class is great but the tickets are 3x the cost of coach. I let my company pay to fly me to Asia and South America in business class, but they wouldn't pay for flights to Europe. Coach isn't too bad if you can have a row to yourself; if the row has 3 seats, it is usually cheaper buying all three seats than buying a single business class ticket. Not sure what the markup is on premium economy but that sounds like something I need to look into on my next trip.

A couple more tips:

1. If you are really going to buy $4K-$5K worth of stuff, don't forget that if you're charged VAT in the UK, you can get it refunded.
2. Check out the city passes, such as the London Pass and Paris Pass. I'm not familiar with the London Pass, but we each get a Paris Pass every time we go. In the case of the Paris Pass, you'll save over paying individual admissions to all those places and most importantly, you can skip the long ticket lines which is a huge help at the Louvre (PRO TIP: With a Paris Pass, always enter the Louvre through the side entrance off of Rivoli, not through the glass pyramid. You will literally walk right in after a very quick security check).

Thinking a hotel room is only for sleeping and showering is just wrong. Sure, if your time is so limited that is all you can do with the room, but that isn't my case. I do not plan on having every waking hour of the day trotting around Europe. This is a relaxing vacation meant to progress at the pace I am comfortable with.

Regarding VAT ... I emailed the VAT/revenue office in the UK and they responded back to me with some information. My initial email to them explained exactly what I had planned on doing, and why I was seeking clarification on their website's limited information.

Their response was to explain the concerns of the given VAT officer reviewing your VAT refund paperwork and explained a need to tie item to store tag to receipt. In no way did they suggest there was no refund. Unless you can provide information from the same office countering what I have just said then I question the authenticity. :biggrin:

As such, I already made plans to video record in the stores items planned for purchase, including price tag close-ups, with the receipt taken in the store. This will be made available to the VAT refund officer along with items in a carry on bag (or two), their tags and the physical receipts, and a copy of the email exchange from their own office.

And I am not trying to dissuade anyone from being more frugal in their adventures while traveling abroad. Someone asked a broad question and I offered an example of what I was planning on spending. I am sure folks are spending considerably less, and considerably more.

 

[mikeford]

The UK has some interesting and even very good food, but when in London last we ate:

Snacks out of the local Tesco, goodies as well as packaged sandwiches.
Sunday roast at pub near the hotel, George something, excellent food.
Twice at Pizza Hut buffet lunch.
Twice at Chinese place down the street from E ho fooks, second floor not touristy.
Restaurant in the Tower Bridge Hilton, some very tasty stuff.
Full English breakfast at the Marriot.
Three times Fortnum and Mason, food is good, ice cream insanely good, just the cafe, not main dining room if they have, don't recall.
Family Polish restaurant in the now gone Elephant and Castle mall, couple times, great soup, cheap.

 

[Exterous]

If talking about food there is a great food market right in the downtown area close to things like the Eye and Big Ben. Lots of amazing food vendors there with all kinds of options:

http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/market/

 

[DigDog]

You must be getting some magical tube rates, because that is not even close to what we paid.

oyster costs about half as much as any other ticket.:hmm:

 

[rcpratt]

oyster costs about half as much as any other ticket.:hmm:

We paid much more than that with Oyster cards :hmm:

 

[alkemyst]

i am budget conscious in every aspect of life, i have never spent more than about 1.5$K on a vacation. never even flown before if i had to pay for the airfare (always used reward points or a work-related flight).

maybe when i save up 1$M or 2 i will let myself live it up a little.

I think you try to do the whole 1$, %1, thing any chance you get.

Just 7 days of vacation is about $700 in a cheapish room. Add in tickets and the like, and you triple it. Then add in nice meals and relaxing things.

Many cruises make this much cheaper though.

 

[RossMAN]

tagged for out upcoming trip.