Money saving ideas for travel in England

Hello. My immediate suggestion? There is no shame in having a "meal deal" from M&S, Boots, Sainsbury's, or anywhere else for lunch or dinner. Also, cobble together a meal from a great selection of to-go options from any of the groceries or food halls. A picnic at your place of lodging, on the train, or in the great outdoors--this has always been an easy way to save a little money.

It’s probably worth briefly outlining your plan and where the accommodation is so that we can give some tailored advice rather than telling you about places that aren’t near where you will be.

I know the $NZ has depreciated a bit in the last few years but when we were last in NZ in 2020 there wasn’t much difference in the cost of living between there and the UK.

I think there is a whole section in Rick’s London guidebook about ways to save money in the expensive city that is London. Check into that.

Also recently there was a great link shared on the forum about free London museums. There are quite a few for your traveling party to consider.

https://londonist.com/london/free-museums?ref=related_links

With some planning, you can find ways! It’s an amazing city! Have fun!

Edited to add the link from Rick;

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/cheap-things-to-do-in-london

Minimize the full sitdown meals, as noted above British supermarkets have a great selection of premade takeout food. Easy to find and in most train stations. If you can bear it, all the major US fast food brands are also available, I swear there are two Five Guys on every block in London.

I agree on meal deals - the weather should be decent, so you can have lunch in a park with your wrap and drink. Get a Tesco Club Card (via their app) for good discounts on ready to eat food, wraps, sandwiches etc. Stick to the cheaper supermarket chains (Tesco, Morrisons).

If you want to eat in a pub, check out Whetherspoons pubs for cheap food. I'm also a fan of London's numerous chicken shops for good cheap meals, and if you feel like pies and sausage rolls, Greggs. And then there are outdoor food markets - my favourite is at St James's Church on Picadilly. Great food, really cheap, with tables rk sit at, in the heart of tourist London.

There are so many free and cheap things to do. Looking at London specifically, apart from the big museums, there are parks and gardens, churches (the vast majority are free to visit, and some like St Martin-in-the-fields host free lunchtime concerts), markets (assuming you don't buy stuff!), the list js endless.

Travel - if you're taking trains, look at Railcards (particularly the two together railcard) for hefty discounts.

I was about to say if you are using trains, railcards can be a big savings, but I see Simon mentioned that already. Here's a link:
https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets/offers-and-discounts/railcards/ Also with trains, you can save if you travel at certain times of the day.
There are some attractions that offer two for one pricing. St. Paul's Cathedral and Bletchley Park are a couple. However, you have to really read the terms and you have to have used a train within 24 hours. https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ Most would take a train to Bletchley so thats an easy one. For St. Paul's we did it the first day we were in London. We had traveled from York via train the day before.

It depends on how much luggage space you have, but we bring granola/cereal/protein bars and instant oatmeal for breakfast when we are staying places that don't have breakfast.

I feel your pain, the Pound isn't friendly to the Canadian dollar either. Taking the train into town instead of a taxi or private car will save you a bunch (depending on how many people in your party). London has plenty of free museums, here's a post on this Forum from earlier this month. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/london-s-free-museums-definitive-list