Who is Going?

Planning a trip to the UK probably seems pretty easy. The language is almost never a problem, the visa requirements are not particularly onerous for vacationers from North and South America as well as Australasia (most Europeans don't even need to bother with passports), and there's a good choice of ways to arrive and get around.

And, you know, it probably is as easy as all that. You could pop over to London and take a few day trips in the immediate area, then spend a day or two venturing a bit further afield - to Oxford or the Cotswolds or Stratford upon Avon and, hey presto, what a great vacation you've had.

But whether you buy your vacation basics for yourself, online, or use a travel agent to book a tour, a little advance planning can open your eyes to corners of the UK you never even heard of, let alone thought of visiting. Consider a few simple questions to turn a good trip into a great one.

What's Your Travel Profile?

Unlike some vacation destinations that are more suitable for couples than families, older than younger people, the United Kingdom has something for everyone. It's just a question of choosing wisely for your party. Perhaps you are:

• A couple planning a romantic trip
  • Romantic Getaways and UK Weddings
• A family traveling with children
  • UK Family Travel
• A large group -- a sports team, a hiking party, a group of cyclists, a clan reunion, a class trip
  • Hostels in Scotland
  • Vacation Rentals
  • Walker and cycle friendly accommodations
• Outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure
  • Free Activities - Walking the Best UK Trails
  • The Jurassic Coast - Cliffs, Fossils, Sun and Sand
• Gen Y-ers and party animals
  • Best UK Rock and Pop Festivals
  • City by City UK Nightclub Guide
  • Best Clubs for Live Music and Hot DJs

• Mature and looking for peaceful surroundings
  • Country House Hotels in England, Scotland and Wales
• Pet owners
  • Dog-Friendly Hotels in the UK
  • The UK Pet Travel Scheme

Being clear about exactly who is going to the UK - to the members of your party, yourself or your travel agent - narrows the infinity of choices and makes planning your UK trip that much easier.

How Much Can You Spend?

How much will a vacation in the UK cost? There's no upper limit and minimums depend on the season, the last minute deals you can find, where you are starting out from and so forth. Consider these prices as approximate guidelines only:

Getting here: The round trip fare for two people flying to London from an East Coast USA departure point varies from about $1,500 to more than $2,000 depending upon the time of year.

The cheapest flights, for two people, I found in the summer of 2011 were about $1,400 - on unnamed airlines using an online travel booking company.

• How to save: The price of some package tours - including car and hotel - can be less than booking a flight alone. I found a two-week vacation, including flights from New York with a scheduled airline, a car and a room for $1300 per person. The hotel looked very unappealing, but the savings on the flight and car were big enough to leave room in the budget for an upgrade - or for you to make independent accommodation arrangements. Most of the big transatlantic operators, including American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, offer good value packages.
  • Search for a UK travel package
  • Find a flight

Getting around: Renting the smallest car with a manual transmission will cost between $350-$500. To that, add the cost of gasoline and you'll see that renting a car - in a country with excellent trains and public transportation, may not be such a good idea. (On July 8, 2011, petrol in London averaged £1.33 per liter - about $8 a gallon.) Check daily petrol (gasoline)prices.

• How to save:
  • Take the Underground in London
  • Take the train and buy a BritRail pass for total freedom.
  • Hop on a bus

Accommodations: The average price of a night in a UK hotel in 2010, was £83 - but the average price of acceptable hotel accommodation in most major cities was still above £100.

• Ways to Save on Accommodations

Food and Drink: Expect to pay at least £25-£30 per person per day.

• Ways to Save on Food and Drink

Admissions: From £7-£15+ per adult, per attraction

• Save by buyins a UK discount pass. Some of them are only available to overseas visitors and are remarkably good value.

How Much Time Do You Have in the UK?

Trying to fit too much into your UK vacation is bound to leave you feeling rushed and unsatisfied. But you probably don't cross oceans very often so you will want to make the most of the time you have. Consider these planning approaches.

The Short Break

If you have a week or less, you could either:

1. Plan a two center vacation - You might visit two cities that you find interesting - London and Edinburgh or Glasgow are popular combinations - or plan a short city break with some adventure at the beach or in a national park. 

1. Use a city as a hub - If you base yourself in one of the UK's main urban hubs you can explore it and take one or two day trips to nearby towns or scenic regions. Most UK cities are well connected, by bus and rail, to their surrounding region.

If you make your hub city or your vacation centers places with good international airport connections, good rail hubs and good road connections for venturing further afield include you'll have more stress free time to spend on your vacation. These locations are all well connected:

• London
• Birmingham - particularly good for South American, African and Pacific flights and connections
• Bristol
• Glasgow
• Edinburgh
• Manchester - handy for Liverpool too.

The Longer Vacation
If you have two weeks or more... You should have plenty of time to visit one of the UK's leading cities and do some touring as well. You might:

• Try using several cities,in different parts of the UK as basis for further exploring. Combine London with York and Edinburgh, for example, Cardiff with Birmingham and Manchester or Glasgow. There are loads of opportunities for exploring historic sites, family attractions, castles and stately homes within an easy train or car journey of most UK cities.

• Spend a few days in a city and then take off on an in depth exploration of a region - like the Lake District or one of the other UK National Parks.
• Take on a long distance hike, cycle or mountain bike trek along one of the UK's national paths - like The South Downs Way, or the 7stanes Trails.

When Do You Want to Travel?

The UK is pretty much a two season climate. Spring and autumn are both just brief, passing hints of summer and winter. Which of the two main seasons you choose will influence the price you pay and what you'll be able to do.

Visiting the United Kingdom in Summer

Summer is the high season. Prices for accommodation, flights and local tours are at their most expensive. If you come in the summer - essentially from May through mid September - here's what that premium price will get you:

• Very long days so more time for touring and outdoor activities. Through mid August it will be light enough to be outdoors until after 10p.m. in some parts of the country

• English gardens at their best and open longer hours
• The Edinburgh Festivals
• Glastonbury and lots of other music festivals

Visiting the United Kingdom in Winter

Prices are lowest from mid-October to the end of March, but the days are also shortest. In mid-winter, lights may be on all day in bad weather. Sunset before 5 p.m. is typical of December and January.
If you enjoy indoor activities, shopping, museums, theatres, dining out and night life, you can save a bundle and have a very good time in the United Kingdom in the winter. Here's some of what you can look forward to:

• European-style Christmas markets all over the country
• The best and the newest theatre in all the big cities
• Bargain rates or bargain breaks at hotels and other accommodations
• Wonderful Christmas choir concerts in the UK's historic cathedrals
• Fire festivals in England and Scotland
• Hogmanay, Up Helly Aa Viking festival and Beer Festivals all over the place.

Check the weather averages around the UK

Where Do You Want to Go?

People sometimes forget that there's a lot more to the UK than England. This is, after all, a United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And each nation of the UK has its own, distinctive personality.

England

Probably the most varied of the UK's nations, England offers urban lifestyles, country living, empty beaches, rugged coasts, national parks, historic touring, markets, shopping, lakes, hikes, riding, cycling - a kind of United Kingdom in miniature.

Read more about England to help you decide

Scotland

Scotland is the emptiest of the nations of the UK with great, beautiful stretches of highlands, dramatic lochs, rolling borderlands and upland moors. It also has two of the UK's most exciting cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and some of it's wildest holiday celebrations.
Read more about Scotland to help you decide

Wales

Wales is more rural than most of the UK. It has storybook pretty valleys and wonderful areas for walking. In Snowdonia, it has the highest UK mountain outside of Scotland as well as several brilliant waterfalls and cascades. And, if you like castles, this is the place to be. Wales also has gorgeous beaches and miles of protected, heritage coastline. If you tour and visit local pubs, you are likely to hear Welsh spoken as a first language in parts of North Wales.
Read more about Wales to help you decide

Northern Ireland

Belfast is experiencing a cultural revival and Northern Ireland is finally being discovered by visitors. Ulster, as it is also known, has lovely, rural landscapes, dramatic coastal features like the Giant's Causeway and some of the UK's oldest historic monuments. It also has an open border with Eire (the Republic of Ireland) - you know you've crossed when the currency changes from sterling to euros.
Read more about Northern Ireland to help you decide

What Do You Like to Do?

Are you outdoorsy? A history or literature buff? Mad for shopping and pampering? Maybe you like museums? The beach? Wonderful scenery to photograph?

The nice thing about the UK is that it has all the variety you might expect of a country with its rich and long heritage. Yet it's all packed into a relatively small landmass. With so much within easy reach, you could drive yourself mad trying to do and see everything.

Far better to plan your trip around one or two kinds of activities you really enjoy.

Outdoors and active There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, cycling, riding, sailing and more adventurous sports like hang gliding, scuba diving and spelunking . Here are a few ideas:

• Scenic walks and rugged hikes around Balmoral
• Mountain biking the 7stanes trails
• Exploring UK national parks
• Diving shipwrecks in Scapa Flow

Shopping, clubbing, dining out You're not just limited to London and its high prices. Here's just a sampling of what else is available:

• Birmingham Guide A shoppers paradise with a hot music scene
• Liverpool The Beatles home town and European Capital of Culture 2008
• Manchester Clubland and indie music central. Plus two great football teams.
• Discount designer shopping
• Leeds' Glamorous Shopping Arcades

Family activities Not to worry - you've come to the right place:

• Top UK family attractions
• Plan a family visit to the Edinburgh Festival

Heritage From castles, stately homes, museums and historic gardens to literary icons of the English language, you are never far from the UK's rich cultural heritage.

• 48-hours in Shakespeare's home town

• Top stately homes to visit
• Castles in Wales
• Best English Gardens to Visit

What Kind of Accommodations Do You Prefer?

To some degree, where you decide to stay on your first or your fiftieth visit to the UK will be a matter of price. But there are other things to consider when you are choosing the kind of accommodation you'll opt for in the UK. The way you travel - tour or stay put - the amount of do-it-for-yourself you're up for, the way you do or do not make friends on vacation are all factors. So what kind of digs will you choose?

• Hotels, if you are touring, staying one night here, one night there, a cheap chain hotel might be an adequate and reliable choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for a luxury or romantic experience, fine dining, bags of charm, a country house hotel might be a choice that provides indulgence for less than you might pay for similar luxury in a city.
• Vacation home rentals are great for independent travelers who like to cook their own meals, come and go as they please. They're also a good and money saving choice for families and groups.
• Like a friendly environment, a chance to meet lots of people? A hostel might be just the trick - they're a lot more comfortable, clean and convenient than you might think.
• Bed and Breakfasts, can offer great breakfasts, warm and friendly hosts, good locations and loads of charm without massive expense. But choose wisely. A grim B&B with an intrusive or unpleasant landlady can be dire. The AA - The UK Automobile Association - publishes an authoritative guide to the best B&Bs.

• House swap to live like a local for free. Several organizations have recently made house swapping safer and easier than ever before. And there are house swapping choices in all the cool places.
• Try camping There is both wild (tent) and caravan (RV) camping all over England. Many RV parks are open year round. If you like life under canvas, there's no shortage of camping opportunities in the UK.

Are You a Conservative or an Adventurous Diner?

The kinds of food you prefer to eat or the amount of cooking your are prepared to do for yourself can make a big difference on both your budget and the places you choose to go.

The myth that English food is terrible is exactly that - a myth. It is possible to find food that is more than acceptable all over the UK and there are plenty of opportunities for fine dining too. It is also possible to explore a very broad range of ethnic dining styles - Indian,Balti,Singaporean, Chinese, Thai, Moroccan, Tunisian and, if you have an adventurous palate you can dine very well for a good deal less money.

Here are some other things to think about when planning your vacation:

• If you like to try a different style of food every night, London is the place to be.
• Some of the best seafood in the UK is available in the Southwest - Devon and Cornwall, and on the Northeast coast.
• Cities with big ethnic populations have excellent ethnic restaurants. The Balti- a derivative of Pakistani cooking - is amazing in Birmingham.
• If you're traveling with a family of fussy eaters, vacation home rental, hostelling or apartment hotels with their own kitchenettes may be your best bets.

Do you enjoy dressing for dinner or are you more of a jeans and t-shirt traveler? There are very few occasions when you really have to pull out all the stops when going out in the UK. In most cases you can wear whatever you are most comfortable in when dining out. There are a few exceptions. Here's what to expect:

• Some of the most exclusive restaurants and hotel dining rooms in London require men to wear a jacket and tie (the Ritz, for example) but that kind of formality is on the wane.

• What the British call "smart casual" which basically means you've made an effort and it shows, but you haven't gone "over the top" is acceptable in most nicer restaurants.
• If you like to go clubbing and you want to get into the best clubs, you have to look the part. Bring your hippest club gear or buy some when you arrive. If you think you can get into a nightclub in jeans and a t-shirt, plan on being Paris Hilton or Elle McPherson.
• Some country house hotels will expect you to "dress for dinner" but most won't. Smart casual is usually more than acceptable. If you are planning to stay at a very grand country house hotel, it is worth asking about dressing for dinner before you leave home - just in case.
• Going to the theatre or a concert does not require dressing up unless you feel like it.
• If you are heading for the races at Ascot, the Henley Regatta, Glorious Goodwood, very smart dress is the rule. For women a smart skirt suit or a flowery dress (and on Ladies Day, a hat); for men, suit and a tie. Many men choose to wear formal morning suits and top hats on Ladies Day at Ascot - but if you have not been invited to the Royal enclosure, don't worry about it.

By Air

If you are flying to the UK - and most non-European visitors do - you have a bigger choice of airports than you might imagine. Most visitors choose Heathrow or Gatwick but, if you are able to fly into one of the UK's other International Airports, you could save money or land more conveniently for your ultimate destination.
Check out the UK's international airports before you make up your mind.

 

By Sea

If you are lucky enough to cruise to the UK, you'll likely arrive at Southampton, Harwich or the new luxury cruise port in Liverpool. You can give yourself the experience of arriving in the UK by sea and, for example, seeing the White Cliffs of Dover, without the committment of an ocean cruise. Fly into a European city - Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Dublin, Belfast - and take a ferry. Ferries from Ireland come into the UK at Fishguard in southwest Wales, Holyhead in northwest Wales and Liverpool. Ferries from Continental Europe arrive at a range of English Channel and North Sea ports.
Find links to Cross Channel and North Sea ferries to the UK

By Train

The Channel Tunnel has made a world of difference to traveling to the UK from Continental Europe. It is now much easier than ever before to combine a European touring vacation with a trip to the UK, with or without a car.

• If you are driving, take the Eurotunnel Car Transport Shuttle, also known as The Chunnel, from near Calais to Folkestone.

• Touring without a car? Take the Eurostar from Paris and other continental points, direct to London in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.BritRail Pass holders can book Eurostar tickets at a discount.