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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

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I know you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to get around England once you get there.  Assuming you want to go to places outside London, you do have a variety of choices.  Hopefully, this article will give you some ideas as to how to get to where you’re going!

Planes 

The following map shows all the main airports serving the UK and Ireland:
It is very easy to catch a flight to wherever you want to go – whether it’s within the UK, to the Continent, or beyond.  If you are planning a trip within the country and want to get from London to (say) Manchester, I suggest checking the price difference between air and train as far as mass transit.  Many times you’ll come out cheaper with airfare!
One note from personal experience:  If you’re an American renting a car, you may want to think about returning the car outside of a major airport like Heathrow and taking a bus or tube route to your departure terminal.  Driving to Heathrow is not for the faint of heart!

Trains

I love traveling by train in the UK.  If I could get to every destination I wanted to get to by train, I’d never rent a car!  That’s the big drawback with trains – they don’t get you to lovely places like Ripon, Keswick, Portmeirion, Tintagel, and a host of other places that really should be visited!  But, if you’re laying out a trip that takes  you to places that host a train station, then by all means, please take this as STRONG encouragement to go by train!
It may not always be as cheap as flying (though it can be very cheap!), but you get a chance to relax and watch the countryside from a comfortable seat.  They even have quiet cars where cell phones and loud conversations don’t occur (gotta love that).  There are first class cars for those that want to travel very la-te-da and there are overnight trains (oh I love those!) that will get you from London to Inverness with stops along the way.  Go to bed to the gentle shunting of the train, wake up to a sunrise over the countryside and a hot cup of tea as you wash up in your own cabin.  You don’t have to get a cabin, but that sure is the way to go!

How do you get train tickets?

  1. Purchase them individually for the places you want to go.  Check out the rail planner to see how much a ticket is for each leg of your journey.  Total that up.  Then look at #2 below before you buy.
  2. Purchase a BritRail Pass. This pass must be bought before you go to the UK.  It provides you a single ticket that can be customized for your trip. Generally, you can travel anywhere within area for which the pass was bought (varies depending on the pass).  I had a regular BritRail pass that allowed me to go anywhere in Great Britain.  It was great when I felt like going to Wales one day and just got up and did it!  No muss, no fuss.  For additional cost, you can expand your train experience to Ireland.  If the total for the pass is less than the total for purchasing individual tickets, then I’d suggest the pass.
  3. Get discounts!  Train schedules are released three months in advance.  Many times, the companies will release discount tickets sometime between 10 and 12 weeks prior to departure. To keep tabs on discounted tickets, and for other money-saving tips, see this article.

Automobiles

So, you’re feeling very brave, are ya?  Well, good!  No real reason to be afraid. You’re just traveling on the wrong side of the road, shifting with the wrong hand, sitting on the wrong side of the car in a foreign land that has (omg) traffic circles! There will be roads that are only wide enough for one car, and you may be expected to back up – perhaps a mile or more in places.  That’s the worst bit.  That might be 5 % of your trip.  As long as you are adaptable, vigilant, and understand how traffic circle flow goes – you will be just fine.  Things to remember:

  • You don’t need an international driver’s license to rent a car in the U.K. as of the publication of this article.  Please keep up to date on the status here.
  • Rental cars are typically manual shift.  Automatic is an additional cost.
  • Double-check that your insurance policy covers you when you’re overseas or that your credit card company completely covers you for costs in case of an accident.  There’s no need to buy additional insurance over there if you don’t need it!  Having said that, I didn’t have enough insurance one year (thank God I didn’t need it). I just didn’t realize that my credit card barely covered anything.  If you really don’t know, get the insurance.  Better safe than sorry!
  • Do not, under any circumstances, lose your keys!  This happened to me one year, and would have cost me about $1500 if I hadn’t located them two days later.  They really get you on keys over there.  You’re only issued one set.  Be careful with them!
  • It costs you extra per driver.  Keep that in mind.  They nickel and dime you to death on rental cars in the UK.  
  • Gas costs are extremely expensive over there.  The price of 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas in London is £1.17 or $1.69.  That makes the price of a gallon $6.76.  A 10 gallon tank costs $67.60 to fill up.

You might think it’s just too much trouble to rent a car.  You might be right!  But, you do get to see lots more of the country that way.  You have more flexibility.  And, yes, just that little bit more of an adventure!

Summary

There are lots of ways of getting around the country.  You can hike, cycle, take a taxi or the underground, take a canal boat or a ferry, or take a bus.  This article covers the main methods for distance travel in the U.K. I hope it’s given you some additional information that will help you in planning your trip.

In general, planes and trains usually get you around more cheaply than a rental car (unless you’re splitting costs).  Get discount tickets.  Check prices between the various modes of travel.  Pick the one that works best for you or that gives you the best bang for your buck.  If you’re renting a car, be aware that there will be a lot of additional charges when you pick up your car and that gas is much more expensive in the U.K. 

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