How To Travel The UK On A Budget

We all want to travel more, but it feels like it’s getting more and more difficult as time goes on. With costs rising, figuring out how to afford a trip can feel nearly impossible for some. However, there are ways to save money on travel that can allow us to get away and explore the UK on a budget.

So, whether you want to take a trip or spend an extended amount of time traveling to different areas of the UK, here are the best ways to do it.

From affordable options to options that are entirely free, there is sure to be something that suits you in your question to travel the UK on a budget.

Places To Stay

Accommodation is one of the things that can take a massive chunk out of your budget when traveling, so it can be a great idea to think about alternatives when it comes to where you rest your head. Here are the most affordable options.

Hostels

Hostels are one of the best ways to find a place to stay when traveling. There are tons of these in the UK, from the center of the biggest cities to rural spots in national parks.

Many people may be put off by sharing a room with others; however, for many, this is part of the experience they enjoy. It presents the opportunity to meet fellow travelers and make new friends with people you have things in common with.

Even if sharing a room isn’t your thing, you shouldn’t write them off straight away. Hostels offer a fair amount of privacy, usually providing locked safes, dormitory bathrooms, single-sex spaces, and small dorms.

Many hostels also offer a private room option. These are private rooms that can be far more affordable than booking a hotel, and they often have shared bathroom or ensuite options.

Staying in a hostel can also help you save money on food. Many hostels have breakfast included, and often, they have a kitchen where you can go and make food yourself. This means you will be able to eat there rather than waste money on eating out every day.

YHA (Youth Hostels Association)

One of the best organisations to check out is the YHA, or the Youth Hostels Association.

They have hostels all over the UK, from St. Ives to London to Liverpool to the Lake District. Often, these hostels are in unique buildings, making for a really special stay.

Due to being a registered charity, they often have rooms for affordable prices. Under 26s, or groups where at least one party member is under 26, automatically get a 5% discount on any room they book. The YHA also often runs sales on various hostels.

Not only that, but you can become a member for £2o a year and get 10% off any booking you make. For those who travel a lot, this can mean a lot of money saved.

With dorm beds going from £15 and private rooms going from around £28, it’s a great way to save money. And that’s without discounts applied!

Bothies

If you want an adventurous cross between camping and staying in a hostel, then bothies might be the answer for you. Best of all, they are completely free.

But what is a bothy?

A bothy is a simple, typically remote, and often rustic shelter or cottage in rural areas. Bothies are traditionally used by hikers, mountaineers, and outdoor enthusiasts as a place to take refuge, rest, and seek shelter from the elements during their journeys.

They are usually very basic structures, offering minimal amenities such as a roof, walls, and a fireplace or stove for heating. Many are housed in old huts, stone barns, or even abandoned properties.

You don’t book a bothy; they are simply for whoever turns up and wishes to use them.

They are most common in Scotland, especially the Highlands. However, there are also some in places like Cumbria and North Wales. Often, they are in remote locations, which makes them ideal for hikers.

If you don’t mind minimal amenities, then this free option could be a great way to get out and travel in the UK on a budget.

House Sitting

This is one for the animal lovers among us.

There are always pets who need someone to come and look after them when their owners go away, and that someone could be you!

This is a great way to travel and see different parts of the country and, once again, it’s entirely free.

With this option, you may not have as much freedom as some of the others. For instance, some animals may not be able to be left alone for long periods of time, dogs will need walking, and all animals will need feeding.

However, this is a great way to spend a bit of time in another part of the world, without having to pay, as well as making some new furry friends. Plus, dog walking can be a great way to have some company for those who like countryside trips.

Many housesitting websites allow you to search for stays based on location, pet types, and length of sit. Lengths can range from a couple of days to months at a time. This means that there is the perfect stay for anyone through housesitting.

Work Exchange

Another great way to get free accommodation is to volunteer work in exchange for a place to stay. This is a great way to build skills, meet new people, create memorable experiences, as well as seeing different parts of the world.

There are many different types of work available. From DIY, eco-farming, animal care, IT development, or simply helping to keep hotels and hostels clean.

They are also held in many locations, from the rural Isle of Skye to hostels in central London.

Many of these opportunities require part-time work, such as 20 hours a week, for your stay, meaning you will have plenty of time to enjoy the local area.

Many of these work stays also offer perks such as days off, free meals, free laundry, and free access to events or facilities. They may also offer a certificate at the end to show completion of work.

Workers are often required for at least a couple of weeks, with some only accepting stays for a minimum of a month. This makes this a great option for anyone wanting to stay somewhere for a longer period of time.

Camping

Another great way to save money whilst traveling in the UK is to go camping. This can significantly cut costs on your travels and is a perfect way to enjoy the UK’s beautiful rural landscapes.

Generally, pitching up a tent is a cheaper option than booking a hotel. However, there are ways you can camp for extra cheap or even for free!

The first is to consider “nearly wild” campsites. These are campsites that are in very rural locations with a low number of amenities. This way, you can enjoy the safety of staying at a designated site without having to pay quite as much. Pitches often cost as little as £12-20 a night.

Camping For Free

If you want to camp for free, you should consider wild camping. This is where you camp out in the wild without booking a pitch. Whilst this is illegal in much of the UK, there are places where it is absolutely allowed and accepted. Here is where you can camp for free in the UK:

• Scotland. You can camp anywhere you like in Scotland, except Lock Lomand and the Trossachs National Park between March – September.
• Dartmoor National Park. It’s the only place you can legally wild camp in England!
• Lake District. Authorities generally tolerate campers here who leave no trace.
• Brecon Beacons. You can camp here as long as you receive the landowner’s permission beforehand.

Planning your camping trip around one of these locations means you can have entirely free accommodation during your stay, making it a great way to travel the UK on a budget.

Food On A Budget

It can be really easy to overspend on food when traveling. However, there are absolutely ways to cut cost of food while traveling so you have more to spend on something else.

Head to the supermarket

One of the best things you can do is to stock up. Do a proper shop and plan for your stay. This way, you won’t need to eat out or order in, as you will already have everything you need.

Try to think about buying dry food and things that will last. This means that there will be no food wasted, and you will be able to store them anywhere.

Bring a cooker

Bringing your own cooker means you will be able to make hot meals just like you would at home. Bringing a slow cooker to your accommodation can make a huge difference in how much you spend. Also, bringing a portable stove to your camping trip can make life so much cheaper and easier.

Book accommodation with a kitchen

Booking accommodation with a kitchen means you will be able to cook cheap meals with minimum effort with the ideal use of a stove, kettle, microwave, and toaster.

Also, look out for accommodation that offers breakfast included, as this can save a lot of money too.

Carry snacks

A great way to save money on food is to carry snacks. If you keep things such as protein bars or fruit on you then you will be able to eat these when you get peckish rather than go to a cafe and spend £3 on a slice of cake!

Carry a waterbottle

Buying drinks out can account for a surprising amount of money. This is why it’s always best to carry a waterbottle with you. If you want something more exciting than water you can always invest in a big bottle of whatever you like a fill your portable bottle up before you go.

Often, cafes will also fill your bottle with water for free meaning you never have to worry about spending or going thirsty.

Sign up to Too Good To Go

Do you want to save money and help reduce waste?

Too Good To Go is a scheme that allows supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants to sell food in bulk at the end of the day for a discounted price rather than throwing it in the bin.

Often, you can get an entire bag of goodies from your favourite shop for a fraction of the price.

All you need to do is download the app and then keep an eye on offers from shops when it gets near to closing time.

While this works better in cities, Too Goo To Go is now spreading to more and more locations across the UK. It is always worth checking if there’s a scheme wherever you’re traveling to. You might be surprised at how much you can get for a cheap price.

Getting Around

Getting around in the UK can take up a surprising amount of your travel budget – especially for shorter trips. With train prices getting astronomical, it can be a great idea to look at alternative options. Here are some of the best.

Coach

The difference in price between a coach and a train in the UK can be shocking, with coach trips sometimes costing less than 1/5 of their train counterparts. While these journeys may take a little longer, it can be a great option to look into when wanting to save money.

The first place to check out is Megabus. This company offers a range of destination trips across the UK, and they are absolutely the cheapest prices you will be able to find for travel.

If you can’t find where you need to go on the Megabus routes, the next place to check is the National Express. Whilst slightly more expensive than the Megabus, they are still significantly cheaper than catching the train. They also offer trips to many more places across the UK than Megabus does.

If you want to travel by coach regularly, you may also be able to purchase a coach card. This will give you discounts on the tickets you buy and make it a lot easier to travel the UK on a budget.

Plane

I know. It sounds ridiculous. The UK is so small that any flight wouldn’t take more than an hour. But did you know you can make massive savings by flying in the UK rather than taking the train.

For example, a train from Birmingham to Edinburgh costs approximately £100 and takes around 8 hours.

Alternatively, a flight from Birmingham to Edinburgh can cost as little as £20 and takes around 1 hour.

For longer-distance journeys, a flight can be a serious consideration when you want to save money.

Cycling

This one sounds ambitious, but cycling can actually be a great way to travel in certain parts of the UK.

Cycle touring is growing in popularity and this is simply where you cycle between your destinations as you travel. Many people combine it with camping for cheap travel.

As you will need to carry all your possessions with you, this one can be hard work. However, with the right equipment and a bit of fitness training, this is a great option to travel and save money.

If you’re looking to travel in rural areas such as the Forest of Dean or in National Parks such as the Lake District, cycling can be a wonderful way to both travel and enjoy the beautiful landscapes around you.

Car Conversions

I’m sure most of us know about van conversions by now, but if not, a van conversion is where you convert a van into a camper so you have a safe, comfortable, and flexible way to travel.

Unfortunately, while they may save money in the long run, a van conversion can be a big investment and you may need a lot of money to do the conversion.

The cheaper, quicker and simpler alternative?

A car conversion.

Now, of course, you won’t be able to fit a bathroom or a kitchen into your car. However, car conversions are becoming more and more popular as a way to travel and have a free place to sleep.

To do a car conversion, many people have been folding down or removing the back seats of their car and replacing them with a platform to sleep on.

By utilising storage space underneath the platform and with storage hangers on the roof and front seats, this is a compact and comfortable way to camp in your car.

If you’re considering a camper van but aren’t ready to go the whole nine yards yet, consider a car conversion instead. It can be a great way to travel the UK on a budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should you budget for when travelling to the UK?

It really depends on the kind of trip you’re doing, and it’s important to make a budget plan before you go. If you’re eating out, paying for activities, and staying in a hotel you may need to budget around £150 a day. However, by following the tips in this article you could only need to budget £25 a day – or even less, depending on where you stay and how you travel!

How can I save money on a trip to the UK?

You can save money on a trip to the UK by staying in hostels, taking the coach instead of the train, packing food rather than eating out, as well as looking for cheap activities to do while you’re here.

What is the best way to tour the UK?

Taking a road trip is the best way to tour the UK. This way, you can save money and get to places that are not accessible by public transport. Alternatively, getting a coach trip can be an affordable way to travel around the UK.

Is 1000 pounds enough for a week in London?

This depends on what you have planned. If you want to go to lots of theatre shows, eat in restaurants and travel by tube a lot, then £1000 should cover all you need to do. However, you could end up spending a lot less than this if you spend your time in museums, parks and traveling by bus.

Now you know how to travel the UK on a budget…

As you can see, there are so many ways to save money and travel the UK on a budget.

One of the most important tips I can give is to make a plan before you go. This way you can save up the amount you need, and you won’t encounter any unexpected costs.

If you want to learn about some fun activities you can do without spending any money at all, check out my guide on How To Spend A Day In The English Countryside On A Budget.

I hope this article has helped and inspired you when it comes to planning your next trip.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you back here again soon.

Ta-ta for now! x