advice for a US student traveling to UK
hi! i'm an american student who will be studying abroad in worcester during the spring (4 months). i am trying to figure out the best way to save money for travel (mainly trains/the tube/planes).
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
Hi,
If you plan to use trains id recommend the train line app, it’s a way to plan and buy train tickets online, then have it saved to your apple wallet. For a railcard the type im familiar with is just for a discount. You can get a student railcard (16-25) which gives 1/3 off tickets. Depending on how many journeys you make it can be worthwhile. An Oyster card is specifically for London and its surrounding areas
R.e. Scotland and Ireland, they would both likely be flights as a train to Scotland would take a good 5 hours, and Ireland is a flight or maybe ferry, theyre both definitely possible but quite a way away, but pros are that Worcester is quite central, so you could get to other cities/towns conveniently (for example, Birmingham is a big city which isn’t too far)
If you plan to use trains id recommend the train line app, it’s a way to plan and buy train tickets online, then have it saved to your apple wallet. For a railcard the type im familiar with is just for a discount. You can get a student railcard (16-25) which gives 1/3 off tickets. Depending on how many journeys you make it can be worthwhile. An Oyster card is specifically for London and its surrounding areas
R.e. Scotland and Ireland, they would both likely be flights as a train to Scotland would take a good 5 hours, and Ireland is a flight or maybe ferry, theyre both definitely possible but quite a way away, but pros are that Worcester is quite central, so you could get to other cities/towns conveniently (for example, Birmingham is a big city which isn’t too far)
Original post by briar1101
hi! i'm an american student who will be studying abroad in worcester during the spring (4 months). i am trying to figure out the best way to save money for travel (mainly trains/the tube/planes).
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
Buses are generally cheaper than trains. Try National Express, Megabus or Flixbus.
Original post by Treasure61
Buses are generally cheaper than trains. Try National Express, Megabus or Flixbus.
Okay, thank you! Is there a student discount or anything like that available for the buses?
National Express do a student card. You should check the various websites.
If you plan to travel by train book in-advance as prices are so expensive. National Express buses are long but much much cheaper.
Here are some tips which might help too:
UK budget travel tips
Best free museums in London
UK tours
Here are some tips which might help too:
UK budget travel tips
Best free museums in London
UK tours
Original post by briar1101
hi! i'm an american student who will be studying abroad in worcester during the spring (4 months). i am trying to figure out the best way to save money for travel (mainly trains/the tube/planes).
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
Sure, here's a short answer with advice for a US student traveling to the UK:
"Pack an adapter for UK power outlets, dress in layers for the unpredictable weather, and try traditional British foods like fish and chips or a full English breakfast.
Original post by briar1101
hi! i'm an american student who will be studying abroad in worcester during the spring (4 months). i am trying to figure out the best way to save money for travel (mainly trains/the tube/planes).
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
as i understand it, using a railcard would be the best way for me to get around england, correct? would an oyster card also help? i do plan to visit london a lot and see the sights. i also want to visit scotland and ireland if finances allow for it lol.
any tips for the trains but also for travel in general and how to save money would be really appreciated!!! thank you
Oyster cards are for the London Underground. You can get one for free in the station and then top it up with however much you need.
Railcards give you discounts on train tickets when bought from the station/train company. You may or may not be eligible for a railcard if you're from outside of the UK. There is an app called trainline which is usually pretty good at finding the cheapest ticket(s) for any given journey A to B, as it will also try and find combinations of tickets where you have multiple tickets for different segments of the whole journey that adds up to less than one for the whole thing.
In terms of using rail services generally be aware that a) advance tickets (i.e. the cheapest tickets you buy ahead of time) are for a specific journey at a specific time only - if you get a different train, that ticket won't be valid b) some tickets are only for specific routes (e.g. going via X) and if you go by a different route that ticket won't be valid. So make sure you get the right ticket for the right time(s).
Original post by !243214r4wdfdfv
Pack an adapter for UK power outlets
Bear in mind that most US devices are designed to work on 120 volts 60 Hertz supplies. The UK power supply is 230 volts 50 Hertz.
Adapters simply change the shape of the plug. For some equipment (e.g. hair dryers) plugging a device that expects 120 volts into an outlet providing 230 volts will -- at best -- result in letting out the magic smoke. At worst there will be a fire.
If a device uses a "wall wart" adapter (e.g. a mobile phone charger), it's quite likely (but not always the case) that the adapter is designed to work on a wide range of voltages (e.g. 100-240 volts) and be happy at either 50 or 60 Hz. You'll need to look at the markings on the device to find out.
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