Cheap and Discounted Travel Within the UK

Visitors to the UK can often be surprised at how expensive traveling can be, especially by train.  Buses are a cheaper option but can take an extremely long time - the traveling time to Edinburgh from London can be doubled if traveling by bus.

If you plan to travel a reasonable distance within Britain and want to fly, then Ryanair and Easyjet both offer good prices and can be cheaper than the train and bus if you book in advance.

I personally have a preference for traveling by train.  Train travel is better for the environment, you get to see more (especially in the highlands of Scotland) and is more comfortable than either bus or plane.

If you have flexible itineraries, try traveling outside of rush hour (usually before 9.30 and from 16.30 - 18.30) and book in advance.  If you are a student or between the ages of 16 to 25 you are eligible for a Young Person's Railcard. If you are in Britain for a long time this will prove invaluable, it gives you a third off of most tickets and you can often make up the cost of the card with one journey. It only costs £20.00.

You don't need to be a UK citizen to buy a railcard.  You can buy a young person's railcard at Stansted and Gatwick Airports as they are staffed stations.  Heathrow however is on the London Underground System but not the main rail network so wait until you get to a staffed railway station to buy a railcard if flying into Heathrow.  You will need:

· Proof of age
· Passport size photo
· Payment
· If you are a mature student you will need to show an ISIC card - yes you get a young persons railcard even if you're over 25!

You will be able to use the card and get the discount immediately and the card is valid for 12 months.

Again, booking in advance is essential and can save you a small fortune.  Book online at TheTrainline.com  - although they cannot ship tickets abroad you can select an alternative address in the UK or pick them up from the machine in the train station. 

BY: Shelly