Money-saving tips

Tips and advice for how to get the most out of seeing the sights, museums, and monuments during your British vacation

Sights and experiences you can get for free in the U.K.

Be a sightseeing V.I.P.—Sightseeing passes grant admission to dozens of sights, avoiding the lines and saving money

Online ticket prices can be cheaper than buying them on-site (and will also save you time waiting in line)

Don't use the most famous booking engines; use the ones with the largest selection and lowest rates

How to find and rent a vacation apartment (let a short-term flat) from $40 in the U.K.

Serviced flats, residence hotels, Aparthotels, and other townhouse suite lodging in the U.K.

Comparison-shop dozens of booking engines at once

Stay on a working farm and experience the best of British hospitality and countryside tradition

From B&Bs and farm stays to cottages, castles, and campgrounds, here are lodging alternatives to the traditional hotel

A dozen ways to lower your hotel costs

Hotels try to pad your bill with overpriced extras and ancillary fees; here's how to avoid them

Opaque rates can save you up to 60% if you book a bit blindly

Cheap bunks in shared dorms and a backpackers-of-the-world-unite atmosphere

Get a hotel in the suburbs or next town over to save money

How tourists can stay in cheap university housing in the U.K.

Free lodgings in Britain: Hospitality networks (couchsurfing), home swaps, and house sitting services

Couchsurfing and other hospitality networks allow you to sleep for free in other member's homes

Hospitality networks gather folks who are willing to put up fellow members in their homes for free or for a small fee

A place to call your own for the night or the week—renting a cottage, house, or villa in the U.K.

Camping and campgrounds are a cheap way to spend the night while traveling

The Caledonian Sleeper and other overnight trains between England and Scotland

Avoid the scandalously high prices of the hotel minbar

Avoid the scandalously high cost of making a phone call from your hotel room

The hotel garage will often be far costlier than a nearby public garage or other parking option

Breakfast at a B&B is lovely—but at a standard hotel, you probably won't be getting your money's worth

Hotel laundry services are obscenely overpriced

Hotel sites often feature special sales and promotions you won't find on the booking engines and aggregators

A room with "external facilities" (shared bath down the hall) always costs less for this minor inconvenience

A Full English breakfast is lovely and worthwhile; a dull, continental-style one isn't worth the added expense

Crowd the clan into one room rather than renting two

Shop around, ask lots of questions, even haggle, and you can often get a room for much less

Offer pounds rather than Visa, and sometimes you can get a slight discount

Sleep in a religious guesthouse or retreat at abbeys, monasteries, priories, and convents across the U.K. from just £45

Hotels' official star ratings have nothing to do with how clean, central, comfortable, or charming a hotel is—just how many (often pointless) amenities it offers

All the steps you can take to find the lowest price on the perfect place to stay

Bunkhouses, camping barns, and bunk barns are like rural hostels in the U.K.

Sleep for free on vacation by watching someone's house (and, often, watering their plants and feeding their cat)

Trading spaces isn't just a show on basic cable anymore. It's a way to live life like a local on your travels absolutely for free—so long as you let the local borrow your life (and home) in return.

Programs like WWOOF and Helpx let you barter your services for a free place to stay

If you love sailing, or just have an unquenchable taste for adventure and new experiences, you can sign on to help crew a boat just about anywhere in the world, including the U.K.

Picnic like a king on the budget of a pauper

Prix-fisse, tourist menu, lunch menu—a fixed-price or set tourist menu may not be the best meal you could have at that restaurant, but it's certainly often the best budget option

Tips to save money on dining in Britain and eat better for it

Do not leave 15% when the gratuity is already included

If you cannot avoid the breakfast charge, make the most of it

Be your own chef and you can save money and add an extra cultural experience to your trip

Lunch at a fancy restaurant will often cost less than dinner

Become a street food gourmet

From fish 'n' chip to food trucks, there are many excellent (and inexpensive) British versions of fast food to try

Skip the big slab of meat and order two starters instead—more variety, lower cost

Eat less; save more

Bottled water costs $2–$10. Tap water does not.

Pick the Chateau My-Brother-In-Law, last-year's vintage

Use Skype (and an internet connection) to make and receive free voice and video calls—or have your friends and family Skype your cell in the U.K. for 10¢ per minute or $1–$2 per month.

T-mobile offers the cheapest international roaming—it works in 140 countries and costs as little as $10–20 per month for voice and data.

Using credit cards in the U.K.

Using debit cards to get cash at an ATM (automated teller machine) in the U.K.

How to arrange for a short-term lease on a brand-new car—cheaper than a rental for longer periods, and far better insured

Get your airfare to England and rental car together and save on both

Just what are Duty Free Stores in airports and when is Duty Free shopping a savings?

Which credit card should a traveler take to Britain? #1: Visa

What is a "chip-and-pin" credit card and how can I get one?

What are foreign transaction fees and how can I avoid them?

Where to get a low-fee credit card for traveling

Call ahead to notify your credit card issuer of you travel plans

How to avoid the high fees and charges for credit card cash advances

Top shopping tips for a trip to the U.K. to help you bring home the best gifts and souvenirs from your British travels at the best price

Oh, waiter! There's a scam in my soup!

Not all local advice is honest advice

Aggregators search all the booking engines, airline sites, travel agencies, and airfare discounters in the blink of an eye

How opaque fares work—"Express Deals" on Priceline and "Hot Rates" on Hotwire

Timing is the key to saving a bundle on airfare to the U.K. from North America

Fly across Europe for as little as $25—welcome to the wonderful age of no-frills airlines, the little jet engines that could

London is the cheap airfares turnstile of Europe, so fly cheaply into here and then elsewhere in Europe or North Africa on a no-frills airline for far less

How to get the best deal on plane tickets to the U.K.

When it is high, low, and shoulder season in the U.K.?

Buy at the right time - The sweet spot is 6–12 weeks out

Some flexibility on your travel dates can save you up to 50%

Roundups of deals and sales from many sources

Be notified when the price of a plane ticket to London drops

Don't forget the London Congestion Charge zone

Prepare for REALLY expensive gas

Obey the speed limits of pay the (high) price

How to decide if a rental car is the best choice for your U.K. vacation

A rental car is not always the best choice for a U.K. vacation

How to find the lowest rates on a rental car in the U.K.

How to get the most out of renting a car in the U.K. with the lowest cost and least hassle

How to get the cheapest fares on British trains

Young adults, families, seniors, and couples can get 1/3 off all trains with a £30 railcard

Book your own cruise excursions for up to 40% less than the cruise ships charge

Sightseeing discounts for children, students, seniors, families, and teachers

Things that are free in the U.K.