From my childhood, Britain had always seemed to cross my path in one way or another. Be it the stories recounted by my relatives who had been there or the regular canning I received from a British nun at my convent. Thus, my fascination with Britain began long ago, and it only got compounded by the numerous story books, TV shows and films I have come across ever since. So about a year back I decided to visit the place physically for once and not just through other’s eyes and/or minds.
But as we all know, an overseas vacation is rarely cheap, especially if you are a student. So after doing a year’s worth of odd jobs and breaking out my savings I saved up a decent amount. Even a few friends decided to tag along, as it is always cheaper to travel in groups. But just to be on the safer side I checked online to see if there were any deals or discounts for overseas travelers like us, and what I found was the Golden ticket to Britain on a Budget. This was the ‘English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass’ which is a Sightseeing discount pass for overseas travelers to Britain. So once we reached London (our first destination) we hired a car from one of the local services and just started sightseeing.
‘The English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass’ provides limitless free admission to a number of British Heritage sites. It offers 9 to 16 days worth of such unlimited access to over 100 Britain’s landmarks which are in the care of English Heritage from only £24.00 (per adult).These can be purchased online, over the telephone, in person or through agents, whichever is convenient for the traveler.
Our trip was for about two weeks so we selected a number of places to visit from the extensive heritage trust brochure. And with the money we had saved because of it, we could visit a number of other places that we otherwise either couldn’t have afforded or could have burnt a hole in our wallets.
• Travel– When visiting the landmarks, getting around Britain can also be managed on a budget. There are a number of cheap car services, bus services as well as train services. Sixt offers cheap rental car services, while Megabus provides bus services throughout Britain. If you have time and want to enjoy the sights while you travel without having to cramp yourself in a bus or car, you can approach Britrail for their train services too.
• Food– Apart from sightseeing, Britain’s culinary delights should not be missed out on. Though before we reached our destination we thought we would have to survive on pub food, but once we started our trip we found out a number of swanky restaurants offered plenty of affordable meals. And when you’re travelling in a group, costs always seem to come down as it is always shared. There are number of Michelin starred restaurants all over the Britain which offer delectable food like Heston Blumenthal’s ‘Dinner’ or Tom Kitchin’s ‘The Kitchin’. Then there’s the ‘Harbor Inn’, ‘The Warrington’ and many more. Ask some locals and other travelers for reference and look for online reviews, when looking for the best places to eat and on a budget.
In short, if you’ve ever thought of visiting Britain and money is the only thing holding you back, don’t lose anymore sleep over it. Check these deals for yourself and tally them with the cash you can come up with, you never know you might already have the means to afford a trip right now.
