pommekate Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I have now been living in Australia for 13 years and it has been 9 years since I have been back. I have booked a 3 week holiday to the UK in November. Not the best time of year but that is the only time of year I could get annual leave. I am taking my 3 children ages 7,10 & 11. Aussie other half is scared of flying so will stay here and mind the pets. I have no idea how much money I will need, or how much things cost over there anymore. I have booked one week at a hotel which is already paid for, and will spend the next 2 weeks staying with family and friends. So the money I take will be needed for food, travel and doing the tourist things. My kids are keen to do a couple of day trips to London, initially they wanted to go to legoland but I have seen this is closed in November. I was thinking about taking 3000 pounds. I notice public transport like trains cost alot. I have booked a coach from heathrow to basingstoke (I don't want my elderly parents travelling to heathrow) then to Aylesbury and then to Cambridge. How much money do people think is enough? It will be a holiday of a lifetime for the kids so i want to have enough to do the tourist things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I have now been living in Australia for 13 years and it has been 9 years since I have been back. I have booked a 3 week holiday to the UK in November. Not the best time of year but that is the only time of year I could get annual leave. I am taking my 3 children ages 7,10 & 11. Aussie other half is scared of flying so will stay here and mind the pets. I have no idea how much money I will need, or how much things cost over there anymore. I have booked one week at a hotel which is already paid for, and will spend the next 2 weeks staying with family and friends. So the money I take will be needed for food, travel and doing the tourist things. My kids are keen to do a couple of day trips to London, initially they wanted to go to legoland but I have seen this is closed in November. I was thinking about taking 3000 pounds. I notice public transport like trains cost alot. I have booked a coach from heathrow to basingstoke (I don't want my elderly parents travelling to heathrow) then to Aylesbury and then to Cambridge. How much money do people think is enough? It will be a holiday of a lifetime for the kids so i want to have enough to do the tourist things. Train tickets vary depending on when you book, discount cards etc. You can get good offers. I'd look at joining national trust if that is your thing. It's always more expensive when you are a tourist, but try and make use of offers and discounts. There's often a cheaper way of doing things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Am I correct in guessing you do not drive? so car hire is out of the question then? Your cheapest form of travel would be 'National express' but I imagine you would end up with a lot of your time travelling as you will not get from 'A to B' without going via 'C', You could google them up for routes , timetables and costs (check for ant special offers too) Cheapest decent hotels would be something like the 'Premier Inns' type thing 30-60 pounds a night. 3000, could be enough, but I would try and have a back-up for peace of mind, when staying with relatives/friends then I would make use of their kitchen and cook meals and make packed lunches/picnics to help keep costs down. London can be expensive but also cheap if you find the right places, like museums and just sight seeing, you could stay a little further out at a Premier Inn which is near to a tube station (riding the tube is a neat experience too) and I think you can get an oyster card for travel on tubes and bus's but others will know better than I on that one. Have a nice trip and enjoy. Keith just read newjez post, I was going to suggest National Trust, but you really would need a car to get around to those places, but yes would be good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 3,000 Pounds with accommodation paid for? Now there's a gal who's forgotten the price of a British pint!! (about 3.50 I think) You'll have heaps!! Can I come? For trains it will probably be worth your while getting a family railcard (use your parents address) even for the short time you're there. For me travelling alone 2 years ago, I couldn't get over the price of things (cheeeeep compared to Australia) but I didn't have to pay for kid's things - google is your friend here. Also because things were so cheap I bought more. I am not a natural shopper but was like a kid in a sweet shop. You are going in the run up till Xmas (starts in August in the UK) so there will be plenty of temptation! Are your parents Tesco club card holders? - seem to remember a lot of bargain discounts re: trips You will have cosy fires, fireworks night? good company and beautiful Autumn scenery - Hope you have a wonderful holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 You could hire a car fairly reasonably , we got one for $500 for two weeks it just took the stress out of moving around, but be aware the roads are a lot more narrow and winding than we remembered. We had a Nissan Qashqai which was just the right size for 3 of us with cases. I must be honest we found it vary expensive but we had to pay for all our accomodation ( well chose to technically ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Hi I'm sure you will have a fab time!Enterprise are a good car rental company if you need a car.Britannia hotel group do good deals especially in the cooler months should you need a hotel.I'm with Keith and Linda on the food issue.Take lunches with you if possible,or find a cheap place to eat.Wetherspoons (pub group who have pubs all over the UK)do cheaper meal options with good kids prices.They do deals like a meal with a drink (non Alcoholic adults)for around £5,£6 with a alcoholic drink,can't recall what the kids deals are but I think its around £3.99 with a drink included.Personally I think £3,000 will be enough. If you don't fancy making a lunch to take on outings,head for the local supermarket and buy meal deals......sandwich,pack of crisps or bag of prepared fruit and drink of choice for £2.99. Join Groupon and you might find some great deals for days out/meals etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Though train tickets can be pricey many offer discounts on attractions with tickets into London for example (google South West Trains for example). My main recommendation would be to buy everything online in advance. You will save a fortune as entry on the day is on average 50% more in my experience. You will therefore need to spend time before you go researching attractions. Better check that these advance purchases are covered in your travel insurance package just in case. I wouldn't consider National Trust or English Heritage if you are not going to have a car to get around and so many places are closed in November anyway. You may have to budget for plenty of warm clothing and coats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommekate Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thanks for all your replies. I just thought car hire may be really expensive, will look into it. Don't know how my aussie kids will cope with the temperature, they are use to living in their shorts and thongs. They don't even own any long pants yet so will definitely need to do some clothes shopping. They are so excited about going to the UK, they want to see the Christmas lights, visit Hamleys. Just got their British passports and was very impressed with the speed I received them exactly 2 weeks from the date I sent them, so that time included postage. Shame we will miss fireworks night as that is the date we leave Australia. Two of my kids are hoping to come back with British accents lol. I have always ensured that they are proud of their british heritage, however they can't quite support England over Australia in the cricket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Clothing is cheap over here anyway hon,but you'll obviously need some winter clothing to bring with you.Sports Direct shops do cheap hoodies etc for the kids,fleeces etc (for adults too),tracky dacks (lol)shoes etc. http://www.sportsdirect.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thanks for all your replies. I just thought car hire may be really expensive, will look into it. Don't know how my aussie kids will cope with the temperature, they are use to living in their shorts and thongs. They don't even own any long pants yet so will definitely need to do some clothes shopping. They are so excited about going to the UK, they want to see the Christmas lights, visit Hamleys. Just got their British passports and was very impressed with the speed I received them exactly 2 weeks from the date I sent them, so that time included postage. Shame we will miss fireworks night as that is the date we leave Australia. Two of my kids are hoping to come back with British accents lol. I have always ensured that they are proud of their british heritage, however they can't quite support England over Australia in the cricket. Fireworks night lasts weeks these days so even if you arrive late you are sure to find fireworks displays. Hamleys though is going to be a massive disappointment I suspect. I went last year for the first time in over 40 years and it really has not moved on with the times. I was struck by how cramped it all was. Your average high street Disney Store is way more impressive than Hamleys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Regarding car hire I have of late been getting the best deals from Europcar (6 weeks starting mid May $650 for me), just checked them out for two weeks in November, Vauxhall Astra 5 door MANUAL, under $400 (yes Aussie $) but the automatic is over $1,000 :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommekate Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Learnt to drive in a manual in the UK. Not driven manual in 13 years though, hope it's like riding a bike as in you never forget!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 For warm clothes, what we've done in the past is head for a charity shop and stock up on warm winter coats etc (or your parents could do this for you and the kids in advance of your arrival). When it's time to come back again, just donate them back. That way you don't end up bringing coats and stuff that you will never wear here - and in the kids case that they'll probably have grown out of by the time it's 'winter' here, and you haven't spent a load of cash on stuff like that. Make sure in London you go to the Science Museum - the kids will love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 3000 should be enough, you will probably notice many things are cheaper here which will be a nice surprise as it was for us so the money will stretch well. Rail travel is expensive if you just rock up at the station on the day, book in advance and there are lots of deals to be had. Accommodation can be cheap, as mentioned the chain hotels are great value. If one of you can drive maybe hiring a car would be best and again can be done cheaply. Also it is a joy to drive here out of the cities. Have a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 We've got friends here from Perth at the moment. They're travelling from north to south, mostly staying with friends or in youth hostels, which are incredibly cheap. They've hired cars for the big journeys, but are currently in London and travelled from the west country by train. They bought winter coats for the kids when they got here from a charity shop (couple of £ each) and cheap waterproof boots for their daughter from Aldi. They've since had to buy tshirts as the weather has warmed up considerably since they arrived a couple of weeks ago! Clothes are very cheap in supermarkets too. As others have said, it's probably worth you getting a family and friends railcard (£30) if you're going to be travelling mostly by train. Check redspottedhanky/trainline for discounted rail fares. Also sign up to wowcher (theyll send a separate email for London offers) for discounts on attractions etc. Look up discount codes for things like Pizza Express, Zizzi, Wagamama (sometimes these are on the back of cinema/admission tickets, so worth looking at those too. In London, there's so much to do that's free (My friend has just updated her fb status to say that she thinks the natural history museum is possibly her favourite place on earth) and there are lots of 'multi attraction' tickets which cuts costs by quite a bit. I wouldn't other with the London aquarium if you've done either Sydney's or Melbourne's - I don't think its a good as those, especially Melbourne's. I think you'll find you have plenty of money - travel can be expensive, but with three young children I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how being under 16 cuts the costs! Its a shame it'll be November (my least favourite month :wink:), but I'm sure you'll have a great time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 3,000 Pounds with accommodation paid for? Now there's a gal who's forgotten the price of a British pint!! (about 3.50 I think) You'll have heaps!! Can I come? For trains it will probably be worth your while getting a family railcard (use your parents address) even for the short time you're there. For me travelling alone 2 years ago, I couldn't get over the price of things (cheeeeep compared to Australia) but I didn't have to pay for kid's things - google is your friend here. Also because things were so cheap I bought more. I am not a natural shopper but was like a kid in a sweet shop. You are going in the run up till Xmas (starts in August in the UK) so there will be plenty of temptation! Are your parents Tesco club card holders? - seem to remember a lot of bargain discounts re: trips You will have cosy fires, fireworks night? good company and beautiful Autumn scenery - Hope you have a wonderful holiday £3.50 a pint chortle ? .....try £2.49 a pint of worthingtons at my local .....£2 at the social club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 £3.50 a pint chortle ? .....try £2.49 a pint of worthingtons at my local .....£2 at the social club I think £3.50 is the London price, we pay up to £3 at most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisella Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Do you know anyone in the UK who collects Tesco Clubcard points as they can be a good way of getting into attractions at a discounted rate? As already mentioned, train companies often offer two for one tickets (we used ours for one of us to free entry into Hampton Court - we just had to show a train ticket with that day's date on). The Oyster card (for travelling round London) used to do two for one offers as well - may be worth checking to see if they still do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Tips for cheaper fun Avoid shopping malls with kids! Eat in (when with family and friends) Get food and wine etc at Aldi Museums are often free (e.g. MOSI in Manchester) and good on rainy/cold days Xmas vibes in November are nice - just being in busy areas. proper Xmas (chilly) £3k is plenty. you'll be fine on that anyway - but no point paying over the odds for stuff. In some ways, there are certain things that will cost you a lot of money. If you eat out, you'll get charged a lot for drinks (soft and alcoholic), so watch out for that kind of thing. Parking in city centres can be expensive, so might be better with public transport, or looking out for a less convenient but cheaper car park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.