Michael

Those who way that aside from accommodations Britain is not expensive have not eaten in local restaurants in France, or eaten in Berlin (even the French find it cheap eating), or in ordinary places in the States. Ethnic food, including Indian and Chinese food, is cheaper in the States in my experience, and Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants are probably cheaper in Paris.

julies

I should clarify that our preferred mode of travel is the B & B type place or a small rental apartment or cottage for maybe a week. We really don't like the standard type of hotel one would find on Priceline.

We've always rented cars and can drive a manual transmission. But, I don't know how difficult it is to manage a manual where we'd be shifting with the left hand rather than the right hand we are accustomed to. Plus, we'd be driving on the opposite side of the road from what we are accustomed to. That might encourage us to look, just this one time, at an automatic rather than the much cheaper manual.

So, to clarify, am I hearing that even with the dollar/pound exchange rate better than it has been in the past and the dollar/euro exchange rate worse, we'd still be better off visiting the continent if we are looking to get more for our dollar?

Pete_R

<i>So, to clarify, am I hearing that even with the dollar/pound exchange rate better than it has been in the past and the dollar/euro exchange rate worse, we'd still be better off visiting the continent if we are looking to get more for our dollar?</i>

I think the gist of the thread is that it's not that simple. Costs differ across the continent so it's difficult to generalise.

As it stands, now, the UK is cheaper than some places in the continent and more expensive than some others. Your money will go further in Berlin than London for instance but Helsinki is more expensive than both.

What is true is that because of the exchange rate the UK is as cheap as it has been for a while for Americans. If you want to visit the UK any time in the near future then now's a good time while this rate lasts.

JulieAgain

Just returned last night from our European travels, which included a week in London. We have not in the past & did not this time find London expensive, except for the about $300 nite for lodging, but then that is probably moderate for London. We took the trains, tube, checked the outside menus for prices before we ate, sometimes bought ready to eat food at the grocery/market (got a whole rotisserie chicken on sale for 3 pounds!; we were stuffed!), & we are not shoppers or souvenir buyers. We spent very little money in London. Many sites are free or low in cost; love LondonWalks cheap tours. In Windsor, we had one fish & chips (lots of fries & fish was bigger than the regular sized dinner plate), one ploughman's lunch (so much food including 2 very large pieces of delicious baked ham), & free water for less than 12 pounds total - to us that is not expensive. But in London, fish & chips began at 7.50 pounds up to 12 pounds - at least at the places we checked.

So, we don't select our travel based on any exchange rate. We just don't travel in an expensive manner, but we are not foodies, which makes a big difference. Did a one day trip to Paris and we ate lunch for 8 euros total for the 2 of us - nice pastry shop not too far from the Eiffel Tower, half of a very long baguette sliced longways & covered with mushrooms, cheese, tomato slices (best cheese I've ever eaten!) and the biggest cookie I've ever seen covered with chocolate icing & chocolate chips, & a large cola lite. Was plenty for us & so tasty & the atmosphere was so Parisian with outside dining (even though the weather was too cold & damp for us to dine outside - maybe next time)!

I vote for going to the UK & adjust your plans/dining accordingly & have a great time.

Julie

travelgourmet

I would go. I think the UK is relatively cheap right now, with emphasis on the relative. Given that it generally has the cheapest airfares to and from, plenty of low-cost food options, some hotel bargains (esp. Priceline in London), it need not be a ridiculous expense. More importantly, it is comparatively cheap to recent history, which cannot be said of the Eurozone countries.

stokebailey

Last May my daughter and I stayed in a clean and pleasant B&B in a charming Derbyshire town for around the price of a US Super 8 Motel, with a lot more delightful breakfast. The exchange rate was roughly similar then.

Our London Hotwire hotel did not cost much more, but lacked, alas, breakfast. It did have a view of BT Tower and Fitzroy Square, which I defy any US Super 8 to match.

WillTravel

I've tried all of the following accommodation in London: hostel dorm (not for some years), Priceline hotel (many times), London School of Economics student rooms (a few times).

I haven't tried hostel private rooms in London, because every instance I have seen would be no cheaper and usually cost more than getting a Priceline hotel, and for lesser quality.

LSE is a good deal if your trip coincides with the times that the rooms are available. However, if you want a room with a private bathroom, a Priceline hotel is almost always cheaper. LSE is a good deal if you are willing to have a shared bathroom. LSE is also a good deal, even with the increased price for a private bathroom, if you want to choose absolutely central locations.

I can't understand dismissing Priceline hotels for those cases when they are the best deal, which is probably >50-75% of the time in London, particularly when traveling with two people.

Outside of London, good deals can be had. In Derby, I stayed at a perfectly reasonable hotel for 29 pounds per night, which included a private bathroom and an English breakfast. The breakfast was not anything to rejoice about, but it was better than what I typically see at a US 2* hotel. I think I booked that one through RatesToGo.com .

At any rate, I can understand trying to make one's travel dollar go further, which is one reason I am going to Mexico twice in the next few months, but I think of London as being a very significant place to visit. (The UK generally too, of course.)

WillTravel

A good deal in Edinburgh (the poster Isabel also stayed here) was at the YHA hostel that rents out university student rooms during the summer. Outside of festival times, the rate is around 20 pounds per night per room (1 person per room), and you have access to a perfectly functional kitchen. Even during the festival, it's not that much more expensive. I'm mentioning some of these points even if they are not interesting to the original poster, because other people might be able to get ideas for cheap travel in the UK.

cw

I think Michel_Paris has it right here. It is not so much the exchange, it's what things cost, and what you're willing to pay.

I've been to England four times in the past 10 years at varying exchange rates. What I've found is that usually thinking of comparable prices for the same things in the U.S.--food, lodging, tickets, etc.--the number of GBP equals USD. For instance, and to simplify, a $20 meal here in the US, is about 20 GBPs in England. So my $20 meal is actual costing me $30 at an exchange rate of 1.5 GBPs to $1.

This is anecdotal and my impression but it is an impression I had most of the time. Judging from your concerns about costs in Europe (and didn't you have issues with the prices in Rome a few years ago?) I don't think you'd be happy traveling in England.

The continent may less expensive depending on where you go, but you can figure that out by researching your transportation and lodgings costs and seeing if it's what you want to spend in USD. Food is the one place where you can always cut back by buying modestly from markets and eating in.

julies

CW--My God you have a good memory. Yes, as one who remembers the .90 to 1 euro exchange rate, we did say after returning from a trip to Rome 2 years ago when the exchange rate was $1.46 to 1 euro that we would't be returning to the eurozone countries until the rate was better. We know that there are tons of interesting places in the world we can see where our money will go further and where we'll have a great time, be able to immerse ourselves in a new culture, and see/do things we haven't done before. Since that trip to Rome we've been to Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Greece, and we'll be heading off for the Yucatan in a few weeks. And, I have to say for any others following this thread, we did our research ahead of time (as I am trying to do now) and thoroughly enjoyed all of those places. So, if you don't have your heart set on only one place that you absolutely need to visit, you have lots of choices for your travels.

We could certainly spend more money if we wanted to on our trips, but we choose to try to maximize our dollar. Everyone is different as far as their ideas about how to budget for travel and what they are willing to spend. And, frankly, taking this approach has encouraged us to try some different destinations than might first come to mind.

And, Willtravel, you're right in that I shouldn't ignore the idea of using Priceline when it might be my best option in some locales.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond.

Luisah

Is Greece on the euro?

Have you been to Turkey? The currency exchange rate is better than the euro.

I traveled to Europe during the 90 to 1 euro exchange rate too but think it will be a long time, if ever, before it's back to that.

travelgourmet

<i>It is not so much the exchange, it's what things cost, and what you're willing to pay. </i>


This isn't really true. Relative cost and other considerations matter greatly. If you are committed to going to both France and the UK within, say, the next 3 or 4 years, why would you choose to go to France now, just because it is "cheaper"? Assuming that you can afford either trip right now, you should choose the UK, because it is comparatively cheap compared to its historical relation to France and the US. You should wait to go to France until later, hoping that, at that point, it is relatively cheaper than now. This is no guarantee that the decline in the Pound isn't permanent, nor that price increases in the Eurozone won't stick, but based upon the information we have today, I would go with the UK over France, strictly due to the comparative cost.

Now if you can't or won't pay what it takes to go to the UK, and care only about minimizing your expenditures at any given point, then you may choose to go to France (or better yet, some place like Latin America), but one should be prepared to accept that you may never go to the UK, if absolute cost is a deal-breaker.

annhig

The French provinces are still cheaper than Great Britain. We could not find any B&B with en suite bathroom for less than ₤25 per person while an equivalent French B&B can be found for €45, and sometimes less (the breakfast is smaller).>>

To clarify: the French prices are for two.>>

Michael - forgive me - aren't those prices more or less the same? - £50 = €55; with a bigger breakfast the prices are pretty comparable.

and if there's just one of you, France would be dearer.

Michael

Annhig,

I wrote €45, or $66 at today's rate of exchange while ₤50 is $82. Since I do not require a big breakfast, this would represent a considerable savings--and I still think that main meals are cheaper in France.

WillTravel

Another way to save money when traveling in the UK is to buy train tickets well in advance, so you can get cheaper rates. For example, a ticket might be 10 pounds bought far ahead, or it might be 40 pounds when bought on the day of travel. Long bus rides can often be had for a few pounds if booked in advance.

Despite the fact that I know a lot of ways to save money in the UK, I think it could be a bit of a joyless trek if you set out to spend as little as possible, and resent the fact that the UK is more expensive than other locations. For example, I love going to the theatre in London, and I have gotten numerous tickets as cheap as possible, but not going at all would be a sacrifice. Odds are that the very cheapest food options will be depressing (e.g., I have bad memories of a certain kebab). You can often get a 2 for 1 for the Tower of London, but it's still pricey.

So I'd say only visit London and the rest of the UK if you can permit yourself to spend what you want to keep yourself comfortable, well-fed, and entertained without resentment. For me, the historical and literary and contemporary aspects of London and the UK make it an irresistible choice for at least a few trips, although at this point I'm focusing on other areas.