Couple questions

Flying in and out from different locations depends on the rate you are given. Finding accommodations varies with the seasons. During part of the year you may find may options at reasonable prices. At other times you'll sleep in your car. I suggest you book your first night and last night. I also suggest you book when "in season."

Decisions about flying in and out of different cities depend on your itinerary. I''m not sure that the pricing is that different. I always price out a variety flights particularly when flying in and out of Britain as you can move about the island reasonably easily. I usually book my first and last night. And if I am traveling in mid-summer I book it all. But in the fall I love the flexibility of picking my overnights once I'm in mid vacation. I'm traveling solo which can make it very difficulty in peak season to find a room. Pam

Rental cars aren't totally necessary in the UK. Public transporation is easy to use and covers most areas very well (major exceptions- Cotswolds and parts of Scottish Highlands). We've been to the Uk more than 40 times and NEVER driven!!! You can see the Cotswolds on a half-day, day or other short tour or rent a car just for that area. Same with the Highlands. We usually book our accomodations- but hubby is a type A personality and not usually willing to wing it. Also, sometimes you can get major savings by booking ahead. We used BritRail passes which would also allow you to not worry about specific interary for train tickets, but they are no longer the bargin they used to be- but still very convienent. Also, hubby always prefered direct flights, so we always flew in and out of London. Open Jaw (in one city, out another) in not always more expensive, or not extrememly so. But the UK is so small, that if that is your only destination, it is easy to just do a round-trip ticket for London. You might have to backtrack a bit, but not much. What area(s) are you interested in- Wales, Scotland, Cotswolds, Yorkshire, London, etc? Also what are your interests- art, history, castles, gardens, etc.? There are many of us on this board with great passion for, and much experience in the UK and we'd love to be able to make specific suggesstions for your trip.

Thanks for all the great replies! We will be going as a family so there will be a variety of tastes in what we all like to do. That was why I was wondering if it was an option to just wing the hotels. We tend to give each person a choice per day what they would like to do and we go with the flow. Not the most economical travel but it seems to keep everyone happy. Is all of summer peak season?

Yes, you can get your accomadations day by day. I would suggest making reservations for your first night and your last night. We have traveled the months of March thru September and have never, never had trouble getting a room. There hundreds and hundreds B&B's there that do not advertize and depend on their signs for people to stop. There were serveral trips we were traveling with 4 people and had no problems, have never spent more then 15 minutes looking for a room. When it's getting close to the time you want to stop for the day just starting looking for B&B signs or hotels. When you see a B&B sign stop and ask if they have rooms for the night, they will offer to show you the room before you agree to take it. Also, a lot of pubs have rooms that they rent, which is fun.
You could also go to the tourist information office in the town/village you are in and they can get a room for you, so don't worry about finding a room.....you won't have any problems.

Brigitte, One caution about winging it with rooms- If you are planning to go in August, don't expect to get rooms in Edinburgh! That is Festival month and they fill up as much as a year in advance. Other than that, you are probably ok. But why not talk with eveyone NOW about what they are intersted in, and at least rough out a potential itenerary? that way you could plan at least a rough route (car or train) and not worry about backtraking. You could then check for potential log=dgings- maybe not booking them, but become aware of what is nearby each planned stop. You could also do some research so everyone gets at least one of their "special" interests met. Also- when thinking about a car, remember that the cars over there tend to be smaller and most are straight drive unless you reserve automatic transmission well in advance. Also- gas (petrol) is VERY expensive compared to here. Parking is at a premium in most places and can also be expensive. You will also want to be certain that your hotel, b&b, etc. has parking available or at least nearby. (That's just a few of the reasons we perfer the trains- LOL!!!)

I prefer no reservations except for first and last night (because those portions of my itinerary are already fixed by my flights). Go in May and you will have plenty of choices for lodging. Do the same in August and you run a bigger risk of going homeless occasionally. I also prefer flying open jaw so I can avoid backtracking. In Great Britain, a circular route works pretty well. For example, you could start in London, do a Western swing toward Liverpool and Wales (and/or Cornwall) then into Scotland. On the way back to London you can visit the Eastern side of England, including York. It would probably be more efficient than trying to zig zag your way up the country. Generally pricing on openjaw is based on the airports chosen, you then have to weigh the value of not backtracking against the price difference for your airfare and the drop charge for the rental. I would go with a car in Great Britain. I don't think trains are as convenient as on most of the Continent. If you don't mind busses (coaches), you could explore that as a transportation option.

I agree you can wing it regarding a place to stay. If you plan to visit London, though, I suggest booking in advance. You don't want to end up hauling bags and family all over town looking for rooms. Flying into one city, e.g., London, and out of another, e.g., Manchester, isn't necessarily cheaper than a round-trip into either destination, but it can be. It can be cheaper than a straight round trip ticket plus the cost of getting back to the place where you arrived. (If that's London, there's a good chance you will eat up one day of your holiday traveling back there and need to pay for overnight accommodations.) Driving in the UK countryside has provided some of my most enjoyable times there. I recommend avoiding the Motorways (like Interstates) unless needed to make good time. The "A" roads are 2 or 4 lane roads, and the "B" roads are 2 or even 1 lane roads, often found in rural areas. (The roads are designated thusly: M4, A33, B1256.) Buy some good maps (stop at a bookshop and ask) after you arrive that show the B roads, and go touring. (A GPS is fine but it won't readily show context, i.e., what's 10 miles in another direction.) Even if you drive a manual transmission, you are probably better off getting in automatic to drive in the UK. Why? Because you will shifting with your left hand. Trains are a great way to travel in the UK, and the experience can be revelatory for an American. However, when you want or need to see the countryside, a car is the best. Coachs buses are more comfortable than in the U.S. Fares are often cheaper than trains. The downside: The take longer because they are subject to traffic delays and highway speed limits. Toni's advice about asking a hotel or B&B about parking is smart. You want to know if "parking available" means they have a lot or if you park on the street.

Brigitte, flying into one city and out from another (known as an 'open jaws' flight) makes a lot of sense if, for example, you want to see London, Rome, and parts in between. You can fly into London, go to Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, then onto Rome and fly home from there without having to now backtrack all the way back to London. Time- and money-consuming. If you just want to visit Great Britain, flying open jaws MIGHT not be the best way to go. If it saves you from backtracking, then perhaps. So, it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. From my personal experience, an open jaws flight costs exactly 1/2 of each round-trip - if US>Paris>US costs $900 and US>Frankfurt>US costs $300, then into Paris and out of Frankfurt would cost $600. The mistake many people make is trying to book two one-way trips. Wrong, and very expensive! Book them as 'Multi-city' on the airline's website.