Scotland/Wales Veterans wanted
Feb 15th, 2006, 05:34 AM
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Scotland/Wales Veterans wanted
My family of four which includes kids ages four and six are planning to go to Europe spring '07.
I am drawn to Scotland most especially but don't know where to begin planning such a trip, it would be two weeks long or just short of that.
Would fly out of Boston or NY and have about a 6,000 budget. Is this possible.
Love both countryside and urban areas.
thanks in advance.
Jen
I am drawn to Scotland most especially but don't know where to begin planning such a trip, it would be two weeks long or just short of that.
Would fly out of Boston or NY and have about a 6,000 budget. Is this possible.
Love both countryside and urban areas.
thanks in advance.
Jen
Feb 15th, 2006, 07:16 AM
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Depending on when in the Spring you are going, I think it might be barely possible... but you are pushing budget here. The airfare is one chunk, then lodging, then food, then admittance/transport/souveniers, etc.
Airfare: Luckily you are coming out of hubs that typically fly to London, and Edinburgh is a short hop away on a low-cost European airline like BMI or Ryanair. I think you could get $300 per person, if fares in 2007 are like the ones here -- I've seen that fare for the spring. I just booked a SUMMER fare for $488 from Miami to London yesterday (June/July) so it's possible. You'll have to do some fare watching, and the specials will probably come out around Dec/Jan for spring. So... $300X 4 = $1200.
Lodging: B&Bs usually aren't as good for families in terms of price, especially those with children, as they are typically priced per person. Hotels with family sized rooms aren't very common, but can be found. I would recommend finding a self-catering property. These are basically like apartments or small houses you can rent for the week. They are usually in one week increments from Saturday to Saturday, but some leeway is given. http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/ has a decent selection. They run from around $450 a week and up. (B&Bs run around $50 pp per night, and hotels are probably over $100 a night) That would be around $1000 for lodging.
Food: If you hire a self-catering place, you can purchase food at the grocery and cook it yourself in the kitchen for many meals, or bring picnics, which saves a lot of money. However, you're likely going to want to eat out occasionally, too. I'd figure about (conservatively!) $5 per person for breakfast (combining eating in and out estimates), $10 pp for lunch, and $15 pp for dinner. I'd put these much higher if the kids were older!!! Prices are rather steep in the UK
That leaves $30 per person per day -- about $1700 for two weeks.
So, we have $1200+$1000+$1700 = $3900 so far.
What about transportation?
Are you renting a car? (I'd recommend it if you are exploring the highlands with kids!) That would be around $600 for the two weeks, I would say.
Admissions... if you are visiting a lot of historical sites, I'd recommend the Heritage Card -- but it is usually worth it IF you visit lots of places it covers. Lets estimate another $400 for admissions
Souveniers -- the kids are going to want some, as are you. That's your own to estimate. We're up to $4900+ -- creeping towards your $6000 budget. Don't forget emergencies
Hopefully that helps the planning side! Now for suggestions...
It's a good idea to have 1, 2, maybe at most 3 bases to explore from in Scotland. I'd recommend something in the lowlands, say Edinburgh or Perth, then Inverness, and something western, like Skye. Get a place for 4-5 days at each of these, and do day trips exploring from them. That way you can get city AND countryside exposure, and don't have the 'blur vacation' that so many are prone to, staying a different place every night (I made that mistake... once!)
Good luck!!!
If you would like to read about my trip to Scotland/England/Wales (the different place every night trip!) here is the trip report/pictures:
http://www.greendragonartist.com/TDCscotlandwales.html
Airfare: Luckily you are coming out of hubs that typically fly to London, and Edinburgh is a short hop away on a low-cost European airline like BMI or Ryanair. I think you could get $300 per person, if fares in 2007 are like the ones here -- I've seen that fare for the spring. I just booked a SUMMER fare for $488 from Miami to London yesterday (June/July) so it's possible. You'll have to do some fare watching, and the specials will probably come out around Dec/Jan for spring. So... $300X 4 = $1200.
Lodging: B&Bs usually aren't as good for families in terms of price, especially those with children, as they are typically priced per person. Hotels with family sized rooms aren't very common, but can be found. I would recommend finding a self-catering property. These are basically like apartments or small houses you can rent for the week. They are usually in one week increments from Saturday to Saturday, but some leeway is given. http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/ has a decent selection. They run from around $450 a week and up. (B&Bs run around $50 pp per night, and hotels are probably over $100 a night) That would be around $1000 for lodging.
Food: If you hire a self-catering place, you can purchase food at the grocery and cook it yourself in the kitchen for many meals, or bring picnics, which saves a lot of money. However, you're likely going to want to eat out occasionally, too. I'd figure about (conservatively!) $5 per person for breakfast (combining eating in and out estimates), $10 pp for lunch, and $15 pp for dinner. I'd put these much higher if the kids were older!!! Prices are rather steep in the UK
That leaves $30 per person per day -- about $1700 for two weeks.So, we have $1200+$1000+$1700 = $3900 so far.
What about transportation?
Are you renting a car? (I'd recommend it if you are exploring the highlands with kids!) That would be around $600 for the two weeks, I would say.
Admissions... if you are visiting a lot of historical sites, I'd recommend the Heritage Card -- but it is usually worth it IF you visit lots of places it covers. Lets estimate another $400 for admissions
Souveniers -- the kids are going to want some, as are you. That's your own to estimate. We're up to $4900+ -- creeping towards your $6000 budget. Don't forget emergencies
Hopefully that helps the planning side! Now for suggestions...
It's a good idea to have 1, 2, maybe at most 3 bases to explore from in Scotland. I'd recommend something in the lowlands, say Edinburgh or Perth, then Inverness, and something western, like Skye. Get a place for 4-5 days at each of these, and do day trips exploring from them. That way you can get city AND countryside exposure, and don't have the 'blur vacation' that so many are prone to, staying a different place every night (I made that mistake... once!)
Good luck!!!
If you would like to read about my trip to Scotland/England/Wales (the different place every night trip!) here is the trip report/pictures:
http://www.greendragonartist.com/TDCscotlandwales.html
Feb 15th, 2006, 07:19 AM
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There is a wealth of infomation that you can find searching this site. I wish I had this when I planned my first trip!
Our initial trip to Scotland was two weeks in 1999. Because our children were 11 and 13, we didn't do exclusively "kid" stuff. The guidebook that we used and loved was Scotland the Best by Peter Irvine. Among its many terrific qualities it includes good suggestions for children and families. I am now on my third edition of this book - and I think a new one was just published in December 2005. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
We found our very favorite lodging (technically a 'restaurant with rooms') from Irvine's list of good family accommodations. They fed my kids with theirs in the kitchen while my husband and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner. When we returned four years later my children were old enought to appreciate the wonderful cooking in the dining room. I think it is now under new ownership, however.
What we did that I liked was to do an open circle around the core of Scotland, staying a day or two before moving on. (Deeside to Whisky Trail to Nairn to Culloden to Loch Ness to Skye to Glen Coe to Trossachs to Stirling to Edinburgh to Glasgow) We spend a few days based out of the Trossachs and did day trips. We also spent several days each in Glasgow and in Edinburgh. While we did a fair amount of driving, my children were old enough to handle the car. What I liked about our approach is that it gave us an overview of the country. We saw a lot, and devised a game plan for future trips: more islands, more highlands.
The way our flights worked out, we ended up doing the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh back to back at the end of the trip. I would rather have done one at the beginning and one at the end. I also regret seeing Stirling castle and Edinburgh castle on successive days as they are similar in age and style and I have confused them ever since.
As far as budget goes, a rental car is a big expense, but is very nice to have in Scotland. We splurged for the automatic transmission, which removed the whole shift with the left hand distraction from the already tricky driving adjustment for us (coming from the US).
It is possible to base yourself at a centrally located self catering flat or two and do day trips. You end up with a kitchen, where you can prepare meals (especially breakfast and packed lunches). Universities often have flats that are rented short term in the the summer for very reasonable rates.
Our initial trip to Scotland was two weeks in 1999. Because our children were 11 and 13, we didn't do exclusively "kid" stuff. The guidebook that we used and loved was Scotland the Best by Peter Irvine. Among its many terrific qualities it includes good suggestions for children and families. I am now on my third edition of this book - and I think a new one was just published in December 2005. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
We found our very favorite lodging (technically a 'restaurant with rooms') from Irvine's list of good family accommodations. They fed my kids with theirs in the kitchen while my husband and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner. When we returned four years later my children were old enought to appreciate the wonderful cooking in the dining room. I think it is now under new ownership, however.
What we did that I liked was to do an open circle around the core of Scotland, staying a day or two before moving on. (Deeside to Whisky Trail to Nairn to Culloden to Loch Ness to Skye to Glen Coe to Trossachs to Stirling to Edinburgh to Glasgow) We spend a few days based out of the Trossachs and did day trips. We also spent several days each in Glasgow and in Edinburgh. While we did a fair amount of driving, my children were old enough to handle the car. What I liked about our approach is that it gave us an overview of the country. We saw a lot, and devised a game plan for future trips: more islands, more highlands.
The way our flights worked out, we ended up doing the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh back to back at the end of the trip. I would rather have done one at the beginning and one at the end. I also regret seeing Stirling castle and Edinburgh castle on successive days as they are similar in age and style and I have confused them ever since.
As far as budget goes, a rental car is a big expense, but is very nice to have in Scotland. We splurged for the automatic transmission, which removed the whole shift with the left hand distraction from the already tricky driving adjustment for us (coming from the US).
It is possible to base yourself at a centrally located self catering flat or two and do day trips. You end up with a kitchen, where you can prepare meals (especially breakfast and packed lunches). Universities often have flats that are rented short term in the the summer for very reasonable rates.
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