Get active—walk, bike, hike, paddle, ski, sail, swim, ride a horse, or play a local sport

Roman-era remains other ancient ruins

Rent a flat on vacation and you can often get more space and more facilities for a lower cost that at a hotel (though less maid and concierge services)

All about the fine arts

Bed and breakfasts are the quintessential British lodging: Small, family-run, with a proper English breakfast and often a lovely afternoon tea.

Have tent, will travel... to these shady spots to pitch a tent or park the campervan

Many of those medieval castles you came to see will actually rent you a room—often for the same or less than local hotels charge. You can even stay in the Royal Family's Scottish castle (when they aren't at home).

Cemeteries, tombs, funerary monuments, and other graveyards are the final resting places for the famous and commoner alike

From magnificent cathedrals to humble parish churches, holy sites are often also temples of art, architecture, music, and deep history—and where the mighty and famous are buried

Using mobile phones, how the postal system works and other communications issues

From safety and crime to any issues concerning race, gender, orientation, etc.

Get thee to a nunnery! A save money by shaking up in convent-run pilgrims' hospices. No, they are not fancy, but they are cheap and they come with a side of piety.

Rent a cottage of your own and live life like a local for a few days or weeks

Sleep for free in the spare bedrooms and fold-out sofas of friendly folk around the world

From river cruises to powerboat rides to relaxing lake cruises

Cooking classes and market walks, guided pub crawls and food tours—plus visits to vineyards, breweries, and distilleries

From cooking classes to market walks, foodie tours to vineyard visits, special meals to pub crawls, these are the best culinary experiences

This intriguing new lodging concept manages a number of rooms and apartments scattered all around a small town or village —the best of local living and centralized service

How they eat in Britain—meal times, dining customs, and other national quirks

Industrial sightseeing can be fascinating, from movie sets to manufacturing plants

Stay on a working farm for country-comfy lodgings, low rates, and unique cultural insight (also: usually fabulous breakfasts)

Fish and chips are Britain's original fast food

Everything to do with food, wine, beer, spirits, and other typical comestibles

Topics of general interest

Topics of historical interest

Trade places with someone in Britain and you both get a place to stay for free and someone to watch the house while you're gone

Hostels, shared dorms, backpacker hotels, bunks beds, and other cheap lodgings

Hotels are the most familiar (but rarely the cheapest or most interesting) places to stay

Opportunities abound to stay for free at someone's home or apartment while they, themselves, are on vacation (often pet sitting or plant-watering are the only requirements)

Tourism information offices, helpful websites, and passports and other travel bureaucraies

How to see the most and the best even if you only have 1, 2, or 3 days in town (or 1 or 2 weeks in Britain)

Get some skills on vacation, from cooking classes to tours conducted by PhDs

Repositories of the most beautiful and precious books, from first editions to illuminated manuscripts to the handwritten pages that became literary classics

British culture in all its wonderful quirks, traditions, and oddities

Where to stay: From hotels and B&Bs to alternative accommodations—castles, cottages, college dorms, campgrounds, and nearly two dozen other options that don't even start with "c"

Stay in a monastic cell (well, in the monastery's hospice for pilgrims) and get an amazing cultural experience along with your huge savings

Currency conversions, credit cards, ATMs, VAT tax refunds, bargaining, and everything else to do with spending money

Just like in America, these cookie-cutter, cut-rate lodgings by the sides of the motorway (and in the cities) offer cheap, reliable rooms—if not a particularly memorable stay

Mountain huts range from staffed lodges to honor-system cabins and the chance for walkers, trekkers, and hikers to sleep cheap or for free in the backcountry

Art galleries, collections of antiquities, historic homes, and museums devoted to history, culture, personalities, and other themes

Sometimes an entire neighborhood is a sight in and of itself

A potpourri of random experiences

Overnight trains offer an inexpensive berth and the chance to cover long distances while you sleep, saving valuable vacation time

From packing lists to luggage requirements, how to pack light and how to deal with electronics and converters

From pubs and clubs to festivals and discos

Historical figures and modern celebrities, pop cultural icons and famous fictional characters, artists and writers and composers and more

From the theater (er, theatre) to the concert hall, the opera house to the church organ recital

Rides and theme parks, local sports and getting in the game

Public houses, taverns, and bars—places to drink, yes, but also to eat and meet the locals (families are welcome in most pubs outside the big cities)

Spas, beaches, and other ways to kick back and relax on vacation

Renting a room in someone's flat or house is a wonderful way to save money and get to know a local in ways you never could at a hotel

ApartHotels, townhouse suites—whatever you call them, these modular rental flats with a front desk balance some degree of hotel-like services (concierge, housekeeping) with the benefits of having your own apartment

Reid's favorite restaurants and other places to eat

The ancient watery arteries around which many of the world's cities were built offer deep historical insight and scenic beauty

Rent a campervan to explore Britain and take car of your transportation and lodging all at once

From Ferris wheels and cable cars to scenic drives and river cruises

The best in British shopping, from souvenirs to handicrafts, everyday needs to haute couture

Get out of town and explore the nearby sights

Travel tips, hints, and advice

The best guided walks, bus tours, escorted excursions, and private guides to help turn deepen your vacation experience

Everything from airfares to public transit, train stations to taxis

Local favorites, seasonal specialties, and traditional dishes

Colleges and universities across Britain offer inexpensive lodging in the student dorms when school is not in session

Panoramas and scenic views

Renting a house or villa can easily save money for groups of four or more—plus you get all the comforts of home away from home, including a kitchen

Learn how the humble grape becomes fine wine—with plenty of chances to taste the outcome

Swap manual labor to live on a farm or your handiman or other talents to stay in a B&B for free