When you are in the UK you should make the most of the opportunity to travel. Some of the information here might help

Day trips
No doubt your Programme Director will have arranged some days trips for you whilst you are in London, and some of you might even be fortunate enough to have a weekend trip, but you might want to consider arranging your own trips whilst in London.  

There are 2 ways to do this, firstly independently, arranging your own coach/train travel and entrances, or secondly partaking in an organised day trip. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and you should think carefully about which one is right for you.

If you are going to organise the trip independently then always check planned engineering works on the trains. National Rail love to spring surprises on us, and often arrange track work at the weekend, meaning that you might have to get a rail replacement bus service part of the way, which adds a lot of time onto your journey. The main advantage of travelling independently is that you can chose your own times, but if you are spending 4 hours each way because of having to change trains and buses, you might be better off taking an organised trip. You should also plan your trip as far in advance as possible in order to obtain the best train or coach fares. National Express sometimes offer special rates for as little as £10.00 one way for certain routes. There is a link to their website on our links page. Bear in mind the cost of the entrances as well. Some organised trips, although not all, include all entrances and travel, as well as a guide, which might work out cheaper in the long run. Finally, remember to see how far away your destination is from the train/coach station. As an example, if you are visiting Stonehenge you will need to get to Salissbury and then get a bus out there, which is not necessarily the most practical of options!

For some people organised trips are a better option. You normally travel by coach, and have some kind of escort included.   However, organised trips are not for everyone. The main advantage is that everything is done for you. All you have to do is turn up, get on the coach and the rest is sorted for you. Always remember to check what is included in your trip though. Some companies don't include any of the entrances, and add gratuities to the prices, and it can all add up. Most day trips include either a guide or an escort and in some cases entrances. You can also do weekend trips that include accommodation. One weekend trip that is a little bit unusual, and is something you wouldn't be able to do on your own is Horse Riding in Wales. This in the past has proved very popular with students. Organised trips can also be a good way to meet people. You will find a lot of other students like yourself on the trips.  

Whether you are travelling independently, or want to arrange an organised trip then please come and see us at the Travel Desk. We can offer assistance, tourist information and useful websites, and can also arrange bookings for you.  

Weekend travel
Many, if not all of our students want to travel over to the Continent at some point during their stay in the UK. There are a number of different methods of transport that you can use to get over to the Continent

Airlines
Nowadays, with the introduction of budget airlines you will find that there are a great deal of good deals to be had. However, these deals are often on carriers such as Ryanair, and EasyJet. Whilst these airlines are excellent value for money you do need to remember that they fly out of less central airports, and are often at quite inconvenient hours of the morning or night. If they are delayed, unlike carriers such as British Airways you could find yourself having to foot the cost of a taxi or overnight accommodation. Don't forget, if you miss the flight, arrive at the airport late, or want to change your ticket they are not flexible, and in some cases you might be required to purchase a new ticket.  

Something to bear in mind is that British Airways recently slashed all their prices to try and compete with the budget airlines on short-haul flights, so you might want to check on their website as well. Sometimes you will find that there is very little difference between the price, and for £10.00 or so more you will have the convenience of more flexible flight times, and better airports.   Remember, getting out to Luton or Stansted costs an awful lot more than to Gatwick or Heathrow! Try some of the following websites for travel

www.ba.com
www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com
www.lastminute.com
www.airberlin.com
www.bmibaby.com
www.xl.com
www.flymonarch.com
www.flyvlm.com
www.whichbudget.com

Train travel
US students can take advantage of passes such as the BritRail pass www.britrail.com which allows unlimited travel on trains around the UK over a certain period of time. If you are looking to use the train sporadically then see our transport page for further information. For European train travel there are passes such as Eurail www.eurail.com .

Train travel in the UK can be quite expensive if you do not take care to book in advance. As we mentioned above, there can often be organised track work at the weekends, so always check before you travel. These tend to be more prolific over bank holiday weekends and public holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

If you are planning to do a lot of travelling by train and are here for a semester you might want to consider investing in a Young Persons Rail Card. This is available to all those 25 and under, and offers 1/3 off train travel in the UK. It can only be used after 10.00am on weekdays, but at the weekend there are no time restrictions. You can purchase Young Persons Rail Cards at all National Rail stations.  

When buying your ticket you should mention that you have a travelcard. If you have a travelcard valid in zones one and two for example, and are going to Oxford, if you tell them at the ticket office they will not charge you for the portion of your journey that is in these zones. It is only a small saving, but as all students know, every little helps!

Coach travel
There are passes available for unlimited travel around the UK and Europe using National Express coach services. See the links page for further information. You can also look at budget coach services such as MegaBus, who are the EasyJet of the coach world. Some of their fares are as little as 1p plus tax which is excellent value. Don't forget though, that coach travel can be slow, and sometimes not overly comfortable.  

Useful information
Some of these websites may help you to plan your travel outside of London

www.roughguides.co.uk
www.lonelyplanet.com
www.visitbritain.com
www.visitlondon.com
www.visitscotland.com
www.tourismireland.com
www.franceguide.com
www.italiantourism.com
www.tourspain.co.uk

Remember, when you travel outside of London always let your faculty director know where you will be, and how they can contact you. If you do not have a Faculty Director then we suggest leaving your contact details with Anglo American Staff. Click here to send an email to the Anglo American admin team

Always ensure that you have adequate insurance before travelling.