Nov 8, 2007
A reader's strategy for overcoming the high costs of London
Responding to my comment that prices in the British Isles have become "offensive" (and much higher than the often-reasonable prices on the continent), reader Mary Miller has written as follows:
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This past spring I took a trip to England with two of my 20-something children. All the advice says that England, particularly London, is out of reach of the average traveler. But we did it the budget way and looked on it as an adventure and challenge to make it affordable.
In London we stayed in LSE [London School of Economics] university housing that was available during the spring break. We paid about £34 per person per night, and this also included a full breakfast and access to laundry facilities. We were in Bloomsbury, close to three tube stops, and the bus stop was a block from the hotel. We ate semi-fast food for lunch, often Pret a Manger or something from a Tesco [Supermarket]. Sometimes we had a picnic in the park.
We had lovely dinners at little Italian restaurants or pubs. Before the trip I had done lots of research and found discounts available to those who used the trains or had a tube pass. We had several two-for-one entrance coupons to major tourist destinations, such as the Churchill War Rooms and the Globe Theatre tour. We bought theatre tickets at the Half-Price booth. The exchange rate was not pretty, but we managed to buy souvenirs and a suitcase full of books.
I wouldn't trade this trip for anything in the world. I was able to share my love of England with my two kids and we had a terrific time.
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Labels: london, tips from readers
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
