Travel within the UK over the past few years has become increasingly popular with more and more families and groups of friends choosing to avoid going overseas in favour of exploring places closer to home.
The UK in general has done extremely well in the tourism sector in recent years; it’s been one of the country’s fastest-growing business sectors and is expected to continue to climb until 2025. Staycations have increased by 284% – which has been attributed in large part, of course, to the difficulties over the past few years.
If you’re going to stay in the UK and travel, then, what’s the best way to get around? We explore some of your options below.
Train travel
Although trains can sometimes be expensive depending on your destination, they can often still be the best choice for those on a budget as they represent one of the most efficient ways to travel the UK. Traffic and delays, though they do occur, are less frequent and it’s easy to plan around timetables.
If you do plan on travelling by train, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that you are getting the best ticket prices possible.
- Make sure that you book in advance for the best prices
- Split tickets if you’re doing a longer journey
- Check if you’re eligible for a railcard
- Travel at off-peak times, which are usually discounted
There are a lot more things to consider to reduce the overall cost, but these are great places to start.
Car travel
If you’re going away with your family or friends and have quite a few things to bring with you, then car travel could be the best option. The best thing about car travel is the freedom to go and stop whenever and wherever you would like. If you wanted to stay in a quaint little village in Scotland for a few days, you can do exactly that; flexibility is king.
If this way is the best option for you, make sure that you have all the right documentation in order and that your car has been recently checked out, so you know that the chance of anything going wrong is slim.
Bus travel
Bus travel is by far one of the slowest options to travel the UK but, if you’re not in a rush and want to use the most budget-friendly option, then it should be considered.
There are a huge number of bus companies available that can offer extremely cheap bus fares for domestic travel. One of the most well-known of these firms is Megabus. The fares are incredibly cheap, to the point where you could go from London to Edinburgh for as little as £9.99!
If you’re happy for spend a few hours on the road for longer journeys, it’s hard to beat the bus for price.
These three options will all appeal to different people depending on the nature of your travel plans. If you have your own car, it offers you flexibility. The train delivers speed and convenience while, if you want to travel by bus, you’re looking at huge savings. Think about the positives and negatives for all of the options and come to a conclusion which works best for you.
