I'm planning on travelling through the UK next summer and am trying to budget accordingly. How much should I expect to pay per day? I'm not planning on going in style...I want to do it cheaply, but I also don't want to be in the slums! I will be travelling with two other girls so we can share costs. If you have any rough estimations on how much I should expect to spend in a month, taking into consideration transportation, accomodation, food, etc, that would be very helpful. Thanks!

Hi Kim- I traveled to seven countries in Europe last summer with two friends. The trip you are planning sounds similar to ours (as far as expenses go). I spent around $6000 - that includes airfare, eurail ticket, accomodations, food, fun, and entertainment. We stayed in a few hostels and a lot of one star hotels. We found that since there were three of us it did not cost much more to stay in a one star hotel than in a hostel (and a few dollars for much needed privacy meant a lot to us). Have a great trip! Stacy <BR>

Kim <BR>I've begun planning a similar trip to England, Wales and Scotland for September of next year. I will be traveling with my wife and another couple with the intent of renting a car and staying in Bed and Breakfasts. I've developed a budget and can provide a copy to you along with some websites you should investigate if you'll Email me directly. Need to know when you'll be going, how you'll be traveling (car or train and bus) and the type accommodations you're looking for as well as whether you plan to travel to cities or the countryside.

Much as we love the UK, we found it to be verry expensive when there this past spring. Sharing costs three ways will certainly help. But we found there to be NO accommodations in the south of England (and Cotswolds) for less than 49 pounds...roughly 80 something in dollars. (And I'm talking about B&B's sometimes without a private bath, at that rate) That was a far cry from the more affordable rates we'd found on our previous visit. We also got totally shut out one nite trying to find someplace, and when it looked like we might be sleeping in the car, grabbed the only thing we found -- a Trusthouse Forte that ran about $180, American. It is a lovely country, with wonderful people and lots to see....I hope you have a great trip.

England is definitely not cheap--it is more <BR>expensive than any place I've been (in <BR>all of UK+W Europe). I think it's easier to think of avg <BR>costs per day, with accommodations <BR>being main cost, so I'd recommend you <BR>plan on spending about US$60-$75 per <BR>day for everything but your airfare. <BR>That would be based on about $30-35 a <BR>day per person for a room in a budget <BR>hotel or B&B, or about $100 for the room. <BR>You will have to watch your budget on <BR>food, etc., but you could have a nice <BR>modest vacation at that rate without being <BR>in horrible conditions or never having <BR>anything decent to eat or never being <BR>able to go out. At current exchange rates, <BR>I think this would then be about CAN$45 per day <BR>per person. <BR>

Kim, <BR>Me again. Check the website: www.kgp-publishing.co.uk It lists hundreds of bed and breakfasts with photos, descriptions, contacts and rates. The site also lists self-catering vacation cottages with similar information. It or the book on which the website is based "The Great British Bed & Breakfast & Self Catering Cottage Guide" should go a long way in helping you develop a budget.

<BR>Hi Kim: I was traveling alone through England/Wales for three weeks this past June. All total I spent approximately $2,000! Not bad I should think, especially as the American dollar is not so good. Your expenses would probably be a bit higher as I did stay with an American friend for a portion of my visit. Here's a bit of a rundown: stayed in London for 5 nights in Kensington area across the street from Gloucester Road tube station (Montana Hotel)for cost of about $365. It was very basic and did not include full English breakfast (continental was included), but the location was wonderful. Stayed 2 nights in B & Bs in Wales for cost of approx. $70 total. Stayed in a small hotel (not great, think you could do better) in Cambridge for 1 night @ $60. Airfare r/t was $471. That's a total of $966 so far. Then, of course, entrance fees, food (I ate cheap...in London mostly sandwiches from a grocery across from the Gloucester Road station @L2.50 each..and recommend The Crypt in the basement of the Church of St. Martin in The Fields...a wonderful soup and (huge!) sandwich lunch cost me about L5.50, and surroundings were interesting as well. Remember, I was traveling alone, so the total above was for room night costs which you would be splitting with 2 others. All told, I think you can easily do it on much less than $6,000 if you are frugal, without missing out on any sites...oh, and add to that $220 for a 4 day Britrail pass (was a great deal for me..took the train all over the place and loved it), and $29 for a London 4-day Visitor Travelcard. (Remember also, both of these must be purchased here in the states.) Enjoy it! I loved England so much I am getting ready to go back in a couple of weeks!

Kim, having just returned from the UK, I have to agree with the above posts that the UK is increadibly expensive, especially for us Canadians. The exchange rate while we where there was CDN$2.60+ dollars to the pound! Note that a number of the above posts seem to be in US dollars. <BR> <BR>You can certainly try and budget, but you will still need to spend more than you would expect by North American standards. Even if you eat lunch every day at Pret-a-Manger (a great Sandwhich shop chain), you will still probably spend between $10-15 Canadian for a sandwhich and a coke. <BR> <BR>You should also get the British Heritage Pass. It gets you free entry into most of the "sites" (i.e. Castles, Houses and Gardens) you will want to see in the UK (except for the Tower of London, which gives you 50% off). For 2 weeks its $89 CDN, but they also have a 1 month pass. If you see only 4-5 of the <BR>places, you save a bundle. You can get them in Canada from your travel agent (the Canadian price is much cheaper than the UK price - perhaps they haven't reflected the currency changes yet). <BR> <BR>Lastly, budget conservatively - if you're like us, you'll end up spending more than you expected, so make sure you have some breathing space! <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Mike <BR> <BR>

Try a contiki tour. Their prices are really good. I am taking a tour through the UK with them. I find backpacking ends up costing me more money and time. <BR>You can check out the trip at www.contiki.vom