Vacation in Britain

[Drac]

While reading my London for Dummies book it mentioned that the off season (after Christmas through beginning of March) can lower prices and the Airlines do drop over $1100 US for the flight for both of us the 1st week of March.

Something to concider but there is a reason that this is the off season -



Jim

[MacBean]

Five days is too little, and the airfare you list is too much. Get a cheaper flight, perhaps at a different time, and stay longer. You'll regret doing the fast, racing tour, that so many Americans seem prone to doing.

England has so many lovely spots, but one close to London, within reach of the airport, is the Cottswolds. I'm partial to fishing villages from Cornwall to Kerry, to Donegal, to the western highlands, and all around. It really depends what you like to do. We like to walk the public right-of-way paths, and Stately Homes bore me. For you it may be the opposite. Give us some clues!

[Drac]

Five days is too little, and the airfare you list is too much. Get a cheaper flight, perhaps at a different time, and stay longer. You'll regret doing the fast, racing tour, that so many Americans seem prone to doing.

Unfortunately we can only spare 1 week of vacation and counting on a loss of 2 days on each side for travel (not guaranteed but to play it safe) it only leaves us with 5 full days. Amy only gets 2 weeks a year and I get 3. With a familial obligatory week for us both and 1 week for military duty for me it is all we will get for years to come.

$400ish + taxes/fees US each person/each way is pretty much the cheapest from DFW to Heathrow. Both non-stop and with connecting. I used the search engines to get rough ideas and fine tuned it on the airline sites.

Jim

[Tobus]

London in July - not my idea of fun

I'm curious about this statement. What is it about London in July that's not fun (presumably as opposed to other months)?

[ThistleDown]

Unfortunately we can only spare 1 week of vacation and counting on a loss of 2 days on each side for travel (not guaranteed but to play it safe) it only leaves us with 5 full days. Amy only gets 2 weeks a year and I get 3. With a familial obligatory week for us both and 1 week for military duty for me it is all we will get for years to come.

$400ish + taxes/fees US each person/each way is pretty much the cheapest from DFW to Heathrow. Both non-stop and with connecting. I used the search engines to get rough ideas and fine tuned it on the airline sites.

Jim

You used US11K as a saving in an earlier post, Drac. Probably USD800 each isn't too far out of line. What's wrong is your attempt to see the entire island in 120 hours. It can't be done with even the most limited satisfaction. Choose: London anytime except the summer months, Argyll and Inverness anytime except the deepest of winter months. Go to one (Scotland) or the other (England) this trip, but definitely not both. If you choose London you will spend not a minute less than 72 hours there and, given that you must sleep for at least a few of those, you will feel cheated. Take in a bit of the southern part of the country and that's the extent of your holiday.

Alternatively, if you land in Glasgow and head for Inverary over 48 hours, on to Inverness over the next 48 and back to Glasgow through Stirling in the last 24 you will have done little except drive in a hurry between centres of population. Not worth it for the money if that's all the time you can afford.

So, go to London for five days, or go to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh for five days. May, June or September.

[Drac]

You used US11K as a saving in an earlier post, Drac. Probably USD800 each isn't too far out of line. What's wrong is your attempt to see the entire island in 120 hours. It can't be done with even the most limited satisfaction. Choose: London anytime except the summer months, Argyll and Inverness anytime except the deepest of winter months. Go to one (Scotland) or the other (England) this trip, but definitely not both. If you choose London you will spend not a minute less than 72 hours there and, given that you must sleep for at least a few of those, you will feel cheated. Take in a bit of the southern part of the country and that's the extent of your holiday.

Alternatively, if you land in Glasgow and head for Inverary over 48 hours, on to Inverness over the next 48 and back to Glasgow through Stirling in the last 24 you will have done little except drive in a hurry between centres of population. Not worth it for the money if that's all the time you can afford.

So, go to London for five days, or go to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh for five days. May, June or September.

I corrected it. Meant $1100US in savings. April or May save about $800US. We have changed our thoughts toward only one or the other. I think in the way of a Texan to often about traveling.

Probably be London due to my wife's passion. When you spend 6 years of your school life studying Elizabeth I and another 20 researching on your own it becomes an inportant thing.

I'm sure we will find some areas of interest for me. If nothing else there is Stonehedge, the Temple of Mithras and some fish & chips. Should keep me happy.

Jim

[Charlie]

So one should leave the pith helmet at home, then? ith:

You woint cause offence if you take the pith .......

[ThistleDown]

I corrected it. Meant $1100US in savings. April or May save about $800US. We have changed our thoughts toward only one or the other. I think in the way of a Texan to often about traveling.

Probably be London due to my wife's passion. When you spend 6 years of your school life studying Elizabeth I and another 20 researching on your own it becomes an inportant thing.

I'm sure we will find some areas of interest for me. If nothing else there is Stonehedge, the Temple of Mithras and some fish & chips. Should keep me happy.

Jim

I wonder what that is all about? In Britain we tend to work to live, but in America you seem to live to work. Then, because you have so little off-time to devote to a holiday you rush madly from pillar to post.

May is good and you will find much of interest to you in London without needing even to hire a car and drive across country to Salisbury and Stonehenge. Drop in on The Tower and contemplate the number of Scots done away with there -- that's worth a day in itself

[ThistleDown]

You woint cause offence if you take the pith .......

...ath long as you do it with a thmile.

[ForresterModern]

I would agree with Thistledown on this one---choose one or the other, and you still will be upset you did not see more in your 5 days.

We have a mixed business and pleasure trip planned for two weeks at the end of May-early June, of which I have to spend the middle 5 days in London at meetings. We are planning the early trip cays for things around London or day trips from London, and the leftover end of trip days for a bit of a tour of southern England, with the hope to stop in on the "Hamish" estate, if he is feeling up to visitors. And that still won't be enough time to see all we want---Wales, Cornwall, etc... will have to await another more dedicated tour the countryside trip.

jeff