Mini Break On a Budget

On Thursday Mitch and I went on a road trip for a few days. He rarely has weekends off and so I booked two days off work during the week so that we could spend some quality time together. We had a lovely few days together exploring the south including the New Forest, Southampton and Winchester and it didn't cost much at all. 

 Lovely drive through the New Forest. Be sure to make a good "Road Trip" playlist!

Here are some top tips for planning a trip away in the UK if you are on a budget. 

Where should you go? 
A map is your best friend.
Decide on a distance that you would be happy to travel for the amount of time you will be away for. Travelling early on the first day and late back the following day will mean you only need one nights accommodation which will save pennies but if you're spending a lot on transport it seems a shame not to make the most of the journey and spend longer there. Google places to visit and look at the UK with a fresh set of eyes. Quite often there are places right on your doorstep that you've never visited but that hold some true gems and many people would travel far and wide to visit. 

 Winchester Cathedral was only an hours drive away yet I had never been

How you travel will greatly effect where you can go. 
If you have a car you could effectively travel anywhere in the UK within reason, if you're restricted to public transport you're a bit more limited and it's worth checking out a train map to figure out where is most easily accessible. 
Also even if you do drive sometimes it can be cheaper and easier to travel by train, especially visiting large cities where parking is hard to come by and expensive. 
Definitely do your research and if you're under 25 and travel regularly by train it may be worth investing in a young persons railcard.

 Driving seemed the best bet until a horse blocked the road!

When you go away can effect the cost...going away in the week will usually be less expensive than at a weekend (and less busy) Also avoiding school holiday times will generally be cheaper and quieter too. 

Reviews are so useful
Trip Advisor is my first port of call when looking for information on an area new to me. You can search for a whole town or city and then look at the top attractions, restaurants and hotels in that area. Reviews are invaluable in making the right choice for you but on a budget you may need to compromise. Cheaper hotels are cheap for a reason but they may just be slightly more basic rather than terrible, reviews will help you figure this out.

We stayed in the beautiful Wayside Cottage in Burley and it's 5 star reviews helped us make our decision

Shop around 
Deal websites such as Groupon, Living Social and KGB deals have great offers on hotels in the UK (and abroad) but be careful to read the small print. Quite often there are restrictions on dates the deal is valid for and if you have a specific date in mind it would be worth calling ahead to check the date is available before commiting to purchasing the deal.

Spontaneous last minute trip?
There are often good deals if you are booking quite soon to the date you want to go. No hotel wants empty rooms so quite often you will find good lasts minute deals. As it's name suggests lastminute.com has good prices, and if you're up for a surprise the top secret hotels are normally a great price. Expedia also have a similar thing. You don't know exactly where you will be staying, just the rough area, but the prices are normally a fraction of the usual listed price.

Getting snap happy at the New Forest Wildlife Park

When you get there
Make the most of being in a new place and go outside. Taking photos is free so get snapping all the glorious sites. Pick up leaflets in the hotel reception or local shops to see what attractions the local area has to offer. These sometimes contain vouchers for money off admission.

We enjoyed some tasty tapas at El Sabio in Winchester

Eating out
Eating out can be the expensive part so you could try to stick to one really nice lunch and one really nice dinner and then save a bit the other times. Lunch can be a few sandwiches from the local supermarket turned into a picnic in the park, or a British classic... fish and chips. Do however try to make the most of being in a new place and pick quirky independent restaurants rather than chains.

Enjoy
A break should be just that, not stressful. Planning is the key, researching the area before you go will save valuable time when you get there. Pin pointing what you definitely don't want to miss when you're there will mean you leave feeling like you can tick that place off your list, although it might be that great that you keep going back.


Abbie x