If you love travel to the UK then consider planning an affordable trip to London. Many people are put off visiting the capital because of the fear of what it might cost them. By housesitting UK and planning your spend ahead of time we can help guide you to ensure you manage your travel spend in London and elsewhere in the UK.

Read on to learn our 9 top tips and perhaps join the London housesitters to enjoy being housesitters and living like locals without paying for accommodation in this exciting capital city.

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9 Tips to ensure an affordable trip to London

London receives around 30 million tourists per year, and as such, anyone visiting the nation’s capital would expect to be thrown into the midst of the hustle and bustle of both residents and other visitors. However, London is a prominent place, with plenty to see and do for everyone who visits.

But how can you maximise your time in the city and get to see everything you need to without spending an arm and a leg? These tips can help you out and ensure an affordable trip to London.

Book A London Pass

Another way to ensure an affordable trip to London as a tourist is to plan your spend with the help of a London Pass. And if you are planning to visit London on a budget plan your spend. A London Pass is a pass you can buy that allows you entry into a range of attractions and the hop on, hop off bus tour for the duration of the pass.

The longer period that you buy on your pass, the more money you save and the more attractions you can visit. If you plan on visiting all of the major tourist locations in London, this can be a great way to guarantee entry and avoid paying full price.

Get A Walking Tube Map

While you should expect to use the tube to travel around London, it is always worth knowing that you can get to many places on foot. Download the TfL app for planning your routes via the tube, but also download a walking tube map, which gives you realistic walking times from one station to the next, making it easier to plan your journey.

Taxi prices in London can be prohibitive so it is a good idea to pack some comfortable walking shoes for your affordable trip to London.

Don’t Book Things Too Close Together

London can get very busy, and booking your activities too close together at once can lead to disappointment if you arrive late, especially if you need to get across the city during rush hours or via using the busier lines.

Instead, always allow extra time to travel from one place to the next and be realistic about what we can reasonably expect to do, leading us to the next point.

Don’t Book Too Many Activities in One Day

While it is good to have plans and make bookings, don’t do this for the entirety of your trip. Instead, leave some time to meander around areas, explore hidden alleys, or visit parts of the city on foot. It can throw up some really interesting experiences and allow you to have a more relaxed and enjoyable trip, uncovering some hidden gems around London.

Use Storage Lockers

Most of the major stations in London will have a left luggage section that you can pay to hold your luggage if you have time between checking into your hotel or between checking out and getting your train home. You can use the left luggage Victoria Station facilities so you don’t need to carry suitcases around London with you and pick things up when you are ready to leave for the day or you can check into your accommodation.

Get An Oyster Card

Transport in London is a cashless experience, and as such, you will need to purchase an Oyster card. Alternatively you can use your contactless debit card to make payments as you enter each tube station or get on and off buses or overground trains. The Oyster card or debit card payments will help to make this an affordable trip to London and cuts a significant percentage of each tube ride.

There are daily caps per zone, and using your contactless card or any oyster card usually works out cheaper than buying a travel card.

For example, if you are travelling in zones 1-4 in one day, you can expect to pay the current cap of £11.70 if your journey totals exceed this; if it doesn’t, you’ll only pay for the times you tapped your payment card (correct at the time of publishing) while it’s £15.20 with a one-day Travel Card.

Free Attractions

While there are many paid attractions for you to visit, you can also fill your day visiting places in London without an entrance fee, making your trip slightly cheaper.

Places Like The British Museum, National Gallery, and Natural History Museum, along with all parks, markets and art galleries, can be accessed for no entrance fee. You can also visit Big Ben for free without booking a tour of The Houses of Parliament and stand next to The London Eye without going on it if you wish.

Tube Etiquette

The tube, or London Underground Train, is one of the best value ways to travel around the city. And it will help you manage your budget so you can be sure of an affordable trip to London.

The tube is quite an experience for first-timers, and it can be overwhelming, especially if you arrive during busier times. You will automatically be expected to know what you are doing, and things can quickly become disorientating if you don’t. The best tip is to make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to figure it out and arrive outside of rush-out periods.

Stand on the right when moving, as this keeps the movement of people flowing and retains order.

Have your Oyster Card or contactless bank card ready to pay at the entry point for smoother flow through the gates; walk down the platform, and don’t just linger as you step on it; move along the carriages when boarding if you can and always allow passengers to get off before trying to get on. The staff on the tube are there to help you should you become lost or need assistance.

Pack for All weathers

The UK isn’t known for its great weather, and London isn’t exempt from the changing seasons and random weather experiences across the rest of the country. You can start your day wrapped up for winter only to find that by lunchtime, you are stripping off as it’s now sunbathing weather.

Unless you are visiting in the winter (November to around March) in which you’ll likely need your thick coats and jumpers, always pack a light jacket to take with you so you can easily remove it and carry it if the weather changes during the day. While it’s likely to be cooler, it can also get warm on the tube or in crowded places, so pack according to the time of year and your chosen activities.

Try Housesitting UK to Save on Accommodation Costs

Housesit London

What is a house sitter?

A house sitter is some one that a home or pet owner invites into their home to care for property and pets in their absence. If you housesit London homes you will likely have access to the many benefits of staying in the capital for free and living like a local.

Become a housesitter – What you need to save when you travel

London housesitting appeals to many people who enjoy cities. It gives you the chance to travel to new places, earn, and have a place to sleep while on the road. The practice is fast becoming the go-to option for many traveling homeowners due to the benefits it brings to the table. Are you searching for a way to get in on this train? Here are nine tips on how you can go about becoming a house sitter.

Being a house sitter presents you the chance to explore new places and live in fabulous homes. And sometimes you may even end up getting paid for it. You’ll need to have a genuine passion for caring for pets and housekeeping.

Sign up on a home sitting website to get started. You can have resume writing sites prepare your profile and message to land an interview for your next home sitting job.

SIGN UP AS A HOUSE SITTER TO VISIT OR HOUSE-SIT IN LONDON

Final thoughts on how to ensure your most affordable trip to London

London is a fantastic place to visit, with beautiful sights and experiences. However, knowing how to get the most from your tip can allow you to avoid common mistakes and know what to expect before you go. These tips can go some way to helping you have a better time in London, save some money and do everything you want to do for the duration of your stay.

Further reading about housesitting, house sitters London and trusted house sitters

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters and house sitting in London useful.

Budget travel guide Budapest – Housesitting

London calling – London house sitting

Cat sitting tourist sees London for free

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Top 10 tips for cat sitting

Top dogsitting tips for beginners

Housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Preparing a home for a house or pet sitter