Its been a nice change of pace for us here on Bosco, taking life a little slow. But the time is ripe to kick it back into gear. Jake and I are heading to the UK!

Despite what you may think, neither one of us has ever been to Europe. I know, CRAZY, right!? But its true. We have only begun to explore this whole wide-world, seemingly focused on far-reaching “islands.” I guess you could call the UK our next [REALLY BIG] island-adventure.

We aren’t huge planners, and that hasn’t changed much as we embark across the Atlantic. People ask us all of the time how can we afford to do such a trip; one that will happen with very little planning. So, I thought I’d share with you some little tidbits of knowledge and ideas, should you end up planning your own European/UK getaway. Or if you just want to kill a little time at work, reading this post!

WHERE TO VISIT:
First and foremost, it’s probably a good idea to have an idea of where you’d like to go. But then again, maybe not. Part of what has made our adventures so exciting is the completely thrown-off-track agenda that takes us to places we’d never even imagine visiting. Thats all well and good if you have months (or years) of time to spend in a place. But in such a short amount of time, most people aren’t keen on not planning things out. I get it!

But before deciding on the exact places, ask yourself this question: What kind of traveler are you? The answer to this question will ultimately fuel the exact type of trip that you could want (and then some). Some people like to cram it all in, getting the most bang for their buck. We are not those people. Jake and I are pretty slow travelers (NOT tourists). We prefer to take our time to immerse ourselves in the culture surrounding us. It creates a more rewarding experience, and gives us an excuse to want to go back again and again.

We prefer to spend 3-4 days in a major “hub” spot and then venture out from that place. I’m good for about a full day of “sight-seeing/touristing.” But then I enjoy a couple of days of simple wandering, exploring, seeing where the road takes us. And then, if possible, I really enjoy hitting up the far-reaching areas, those less-traveled. Countrysides, small villages, etc. Urban adventures have their place too, so a nice mixture is welcome.

We’re focusing on England and Scotland, maybe Whales [I MEAN WALES, not WHALES!]. There is never enough time to see it all and we have an alternate agenda; attending the wedding of our UK BFF’s that we met along the Te Araroa journey!

Some places we’d like to visit are below, though if any of you readers have suggestions, we are ALL EARS:

England:
Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, WB Studio, Harry Potter walking tour, some kind of play or theater production, countryside visit, garden tour, pub crawl(s).

Scotland:
Highlands & Lake Loch Ness, Iona Islands, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Yacht Britannia, Holyrood Palace, Glasgow.

CURRENCY:
This is probably totally and completely obvious, but its still something important to note. When we travel to new countries, we don’t carry more than $100 in the local currency. It can’t hurt to get a bit for small purchases, such as street food or bus fare. But nowadays, I think a travel credit card is the key to success. From exchange rates, bonus airline points, money back, etc. It’s 2018, most things can be bought with a credit card and the safety-net is greater instead of a giant wad of cash. British Pounds (£/GBP) are stronger than USD, so we’re looking at conversions like this (as of 3-1-18)

APPROXIMATE
£5 = $7
£10 = $14
£25 = $35
£50 = $70
£75 = $106
£100 = $141

DO IT ON THE CHEAP:
Europe is an expensive place to travel, there’s no doubt. But I think there are always ways in which one can save their hard-earned money for the things that are really worth it.

For me, its all about the tours, excursions or “experiences” that we will likely only have ONCE in a lifetime. Those are worth the extra dough.

Everything in-between is where we’ll look for savings. Sure, its great to stay at a super-swank hotel or go out to fancy restaurants everyday, but that adds up. And holy cow, booze can easily flush your moneys quickly away.

Hostels or dorms are absolutely perfect for us in larger cities. They’ll likely come cheaper than a hotel. We’ll usually find that we can get a private room in a hostel for less than paying for 2 individual beds in a shared room. And with the advice of our Scottish friend, you can find places in pubs or taverns in the out-of-town areas. Airbnb is always a treat if you want to experience something that a local would experience. Did you know that our first few years of Airbnb were used exclusively out of country? Its a chance to not only live like locals, but meet / live with locals. Luckily, we have some amazing friends whom we plan to visit (and stay with) during part of our trip.

We like to eat. But we like to do it the way locals do it. I’m all for getting food at a local market and fixing my own meals. If we go out, we’ll do lunch instead of dinner. Sometimes we’ll look for eating/walking tours to experience a lot of different dining options in one go. Plus they usually include a really good history lesson that makes for a really enjoyable, unique tour!

There’s plenty of things one can do for FREE. Museums, walking tours, learning about history can be fascinating. Haunted tours are one of our favorites, I am sure we’ll be searching for one (or a few) of these on our journey.

A tourist card can be handy, but that’s probably better if you KNOW you want to visit specific places. With so many options available, it doesn’t hurt to search a bit ahead of time. This is all well and good, and we will likely do the very same.

Finally, we will likely keep our transport to small-local-means. Not the big-as railway system that can be very pricey, but the local versions. Especially once we hit the outskirts of Scotland. We’re also not averse to hitch hiking, though many people are weirded out by it. I was for a long time, but it can be very useful. And perhaps, if we make it to someplace scenic, we will possibly rent a car, but only for a day or two. Then to trade-off, we’ll stay in a really cheap hostel or do a camping type of thing.

PACK LIGHT:
My old self would think that light packing would be the equivalent of filling up one medium-sized suitcase and one large backpack. I’d want several outfits of varying styles for all occasions. And of course, several pairs of shoes to go along with it.

Not anymore. After years of extensive travel, I’ve learned this lesson; the less baggage (literally), the less baggage throughout the trip (mentally). One thing we’ve learned from our New Zealand adventures is that less is more.

But this trip isn’t quite like New Zealand. First of all, we’re attending a wedding, so we’ll need some special items that we wouldn’t normally. That doesn’t mean we can’t still follow our motto. Simple means 1 small bag for each of us. That small bag holds everything that we travel with. All our clothing options, which will essentially be one outfit with many layers. All toiletries and all accessories will also fit in that one small bag. We also have an additional small “carry-on sized” bag for wedding gear.

STAY FLEXIBLE
Finding deals on places to stay or visit prior to the trip, can save some money, especially if paying in your local currency. But the thing is, planning also means that you have to stick to that plan in order for it to work out. How can you know every nook and cranny of what will happen before you leave? We’ve been disappointed in the past by wrecked plans, so keeping things loose allows for unexpected happenings. Flexibility is key.

A small pack, a loose plan and a world of possibilities should make for an excellent, memorable and amazing adventure!