Travel

[dancerjodi]

I'm getting really frustrated trying to research/plan this supposed UK vacation we're taking in the spring. We haven't picked a date. We have a source for airfare (though, the price I saw didn't include fees, which costs as much as the tickets) which is good. We have a source for a place to stay in London which is good.

But, how long would we be there (and how long Scotland)? How the hell would we get to Scotland (more flying I'm assuming, to make best use of the time while we're there). Where would we go? What would we do? I'm trying really hard not to give in and do a tour where I just have to smile and give them lots of money. I know we can do this a lot cheaper on our own (and really, its hard to get myself to spend the cash on a weekend trip to NYC - you have no idea what its doing to me watch the numbers for international travel)!

This may come as second nature to a lot of you, but to this gal who has never even been to Disney World or driven over to Canada, its a bit of a task!

Comments

[narnee.livejournal.com]

We have a source for airfare (though, the price I saw didn't include fees, which costs as much as the tickets) which is good.

For when, with which airline, and for how much? I may be able to let you know of a cheaper fare; I constantly watch for cheap flights to the UK from the US, especially flying out of Logan.

But, how long would we be there (and how long Scotland)?

Go for as long as you can get the holiday time and can afford it. A fortnight should probably be the minimum otherwise you'll likely feel too rushed to really enjoy yourselves, three weeks is better, at least a month is best. How much time you should spend in London and how much time you should spend in Scotland is highly dependent on what you want to do.

How the hell would we get to Scotland (more flying I'm assuming, to make best use of the time while we're there).

Fly or train. If you fly, go EasyJet or BE or BMI -- one of the no-frills low-cost airlines that fly to Glasgow International otherwise it defeats the point of saving time. If you don't fly out of Heathrow you'll need an hour or two to get to Stansted or Luton (most don't fly out of Heathrow, but I think one does), and you don't want to fly into Glasgow Prestwick since that requires a train for an hour and a half to get into the city or Edinburgh International since it's outside of the city as well and the transport from there into the city is horrid. Glasgow Intl. is not in the city either (technically it's in Paisley, the next county over) but it only takes about 20 mins. to get into Glasgow from there. If you decide to fly, it's usually true that the sooner you book the cheaper it will be.

I'd suggest giving the train some thought, though. It leaves from the centre of London (either Euston if Virgin Trains or Kings Cross if GNER) and a direct (no changes) service takes 4-5 hours to get to Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen St, Edinburgh Waverly, or Edinburgh Haymarket which are all in the city centres. The trip itself is gorgeous (either up the east or west coast) and it can be a lot of fun. If you take into consideration the amount of time spent having to be checked-in before your flight and the time and cost of getting to and from the airports, it may come out to about the same.

Where would we go? What would we do?

Do you want to do the city thing or the rural thing? Or both? Do you want to do touristy things or more local things? I have about a zillion suggestions, but it all depends on how you want your holiday to be and when it will be happening.

That said, if you are going to be in the city of Glasgow, wait until the rush hour is over and then purchase a day pass. It's much cheaper. Oh, and it's not true that it doesn't matter which circle you go on.

Anyway, I'd be glad to help you out with tips and stuff. And I hope to be able to see you whilst you're on this side of the pond!

Thanks!

[dancer.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all of the travel tips!

Once we know a bit more what we're doing (roughly) I'll send you an e-mail and perhaps we can meet up somewhere. We'll be looking to find out what kind of clubby/night stuff there will be to do.