Budget Travel Tips

Budget Travel Websites and London Websites

We can not urge you enough to do a bit of research before you go on any trip. While we encourage you to ‘get a little lost,’ the more you know about where you’re going, the better your trip will be. Below is a list of useful websites that can help you plan your trip. If you have any questions that you can’t seem to find an answer for, stop by the Activities Office on either campus. Our staff will do their best to help you.

Budget Airlines(from the UK to Europe)

www.ryanair.com - An Ireland based airline that flies out of Stansted Airport. Many of its destinations are to smaller airports around Europe that are a short train ride away for major cities.
www.easyjet.com - Flying mainly out of Luton Airport, but also Stansted and Gatwick.
www.flybmi.com – an airline with “frills” that flies out of Heathrow.
www.ba.com – British Airways has slashed prices to most of its European destinations in order to compete with the budget airlines. With departures out of Heathrow and Gatwick, flying BA is definitely more convenient than the budget airlines.

Also check the national carriers like Lufthansa, Swiss, Alitalia, Aer Lingus and others. Like British Airways, they have also lowered their prices to compete with budget airlines.

Airport Parking

Big discounts are available for advance purchase airport parking. The golden rule is never to arrive at the airport car park without pre-booking. Even booking online on the day of travel will save you money. Try these:
Holiday Parking UK - Cheap airport parking and discount airport hotels at 28 UK airports.
Gatwick Airport Parking Discounts - Parking for both North and South Terminals, with Summer Specials and big Winter discounts. Undercover parking also available, plus a range of good value airport hotels.
Heathrow Airport Parking Discounts - Parking for all 5 Terminals plus a range of good value airport hotels. Off-airport parking deals close to the airport, make the best savings.
Luton Airport Parking Discounts - On-airport and Off-airport parking deals. Good discounts up to 25% off at Luton Airparks.
Stansted Airport Parking Discounts - Cost savings at Pink Elephant Parking plus other on-airport deals and local hotels.

Other Travel Websites

www.statravel.co.uk - has an interactive site for pricing flights and availability. It also sells Inter-rail passes, International Student ID cards, package holidays, and can arrange accommodation.
www.eurolines.com - Eurolines connects over 500 cities in 25 European countries by bus. More economical than train passes, but a bit slower, obviously.
www.raileurope.com - a US-based website that’s for getting rough ideas about train times and prices.
www.eurostar.co.uk - Everyone should ride the Eurostar at least once! Eurostar travels to Paris, Disneyland Paris, Calais, Lille, Brussels and Avignon. During the winter Eurostar also runs trains to ski areas in France. Students can buy a return ticket on Eurostar for as little as £79.
www.roughguides.com - A good start to finding out information about where you’re going. This site can give you information on how to get around, where to sleep, what to eat, etc.
www.timeout.com - This website is constantly updated to bring you the latest on what’s going on in cities around Europe as well as practical information about where to sleep and what to eat.
www.whatsonwhen.com - An excellent site for finding what’s going on when in the world. Simply enter the date and destination.
www.iyhf.org - The International Youth Hostel Federation is a network of youth hostels around the world that offers budget accommodation for all - not just the young - with a hostel card. The card costs about £15 and is valid for one calendar year.
www.hostelworld.com - This site is a reservation service that lets you book independent hostels all around the world.
www.casamundo.co.uk
This site provides accommodation throughout Europe and the USA at a discounted price for students.
www.youngpersons-railcard.co.uk - The Young Persons Rail Card gives students and youths 1/3 off most rail fares in Britain. It’s valid for one year and is a bargain at £20. British rail is not cheap so it’s well worth investing in this card. It practically pays for itself after one trip!
www.the-backpacking-site.com - This website contains useful information, from advice on passports and visas, travel insurance through to what to pack. There is also specific gap year advice, information on working abroad and tips on transport too. Visitors can browse country guides which give an introduction to the location and gain advice about working there, you can also browse hostel listings to help them find the right budget accommodation.

Obviously there are many, many more websites you can visit to find out more information. If you are planning to backpack around Europe over the summer, we highly recommend getting a rail pass and a good guidebook before you go. If you want information specifically about London or the United Kingdom you might try these:

www.londontown.com This is the official website of the London Tourist Board and can give general information on the sights and attractions of London.
www.visitlondon.com The London Mayor's office manages this site. It's full of ideas of places to visit and has an events calendar so you can check out what's happing in the capital city.
www.thisislondon.co.uk The on-line edition of London’s own daily newspaper is a wonderful source of information about what is happening in the capital.
www.visitbritain.com If you plan, as we hope you do, to step outside the boundaries of London, the British Tourist Authority present an excellent starter guide for you.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/s/353.aspx