England

Caravan Camping in the UK

September 2, 2013 by Jason Leave a Comment

A couple of days ago my daughter asked if we could go camping. She suggested we buy a caravan (RV for the Americans) and travel around camping. I was kind of shocked to hear her ask that, but then again she grew up going camping often ever since she was born. Camping had been part of our normal family routine and we have so many great memories from camping trips that it is hard to imagine not camping anymore. We have been staying in rentals and the occasional hotel for the past 10 months on our 2-year around the world trip, but the one thing we have not done since leaving the United States is go camping.

Before leaving we went camping every chance we got. We did not let the rain or cold stop us; we camped year round. We owned a very comfortable tent trailer that we hauled around to different campgrounds all over the Pacific Northwest. It was easy to haul and kept us nice and comfortable in any type of weather. We enjoyed camping in the mountains, the beach, and everything in-between. We also owned everything needed to go tent camping, but the older we got, the more we liked traveling around in comfort and preferred our tent trailer.

In looking at the many modes of travel options for our 2-year trip, we had considered sailing around the Caribbean, barging through France, but ended up choosing to stay in rentals and use planes, trains, and buses to get around. We had read the adventures of other families that had purchased caravans and had spent some time camping around Europe. At the time, a caravan sounded like a lot of hassle. But the longer we travel the more it sounds like a great option.

In fact, even before my daughter asked if we could go camping, I had been considering ways in which we could travel by caravan, even just for a little while. It would be so easy to pop over to the England, buy or lease a caravan, purchase caravan insurance through Coast Insurance, and hit the road.

Wait, did I just say go to England? As we have traveled around Europe I’ve noticed that it is really expensive to drive in Europe, even with a compact car! The fuel is expensive, the toll roads are expensive, and the street signs are confusing and change with each country. If we were to travel around continental Europe in a caravan, we would soon go broke. Starting in England would be an ideal area for many reasons, but the number one reason would be financial. There is only one toll road (M6) in England and none in Scotland, and even though the fuel is the same cost as the rest of Europe, we would most likely be driving less. It is an island, after all! There are plenty of campgrounds all over England and so many historical and picturesque places to visit that we would never get bored. And once we finished touring England, there is always Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland that we could explore.

Classic Volkswagen camper. Photo by Elizabeth Sullivan

If we were to go caravanning around the United Kingdom another question would be what kind of caravan would we buy. In the past we have owned an assortment of classic Volkswagen camper vans and really enjoyed them. During our last stay in England we noticed a lot of mint condition VW vans and it got me wanting another one. They are fun to drive, have a great “cool” factor, and have everything you need for camping. Unfortunately, they are a little too small for a family to live in and we would need something a bit bigger and more practical. A trailer would be handy and a cheap option, but then we would need a tow vehicle and would need to pay insurance and registration costs for both the trailer and the tow vehicle. Of course it would give us the ability to park our home and have a vehicle for transportation, which would be nice. The other and most expensive option would be to buy a motorhome, which would give us a home and transportation all in one. Slap a few bikes on the back of the motorhome and kayaks on the roof, and we would be all set!

While caravanning around the United Kingdom is still just an idea at the moment and we have no intention of ditching our around-the-world plans just yet, it would still be a lot of fun. Perhaps after we finish our world tour we will come back and spend a caravan holiday in the UK.

RTW budget: One Month and Six Cities Across Europe

August 18, 2013 by Kerri 4 Comments

I must apologize for the lack of budget posts, as it has been a busy couple of months. We are now just catching up on our blogging. Did I already mention that June was a really busy one for us? Well, we ended up staying in 6 different cities across Europe, which is very different from what we normally do. Way back in March, we had found an apartment in Italy starting June 22. This meant we had approximately 3 weeks to make our way from London to Italy. We decided to speed up our pace to see several places on our bucket list. Our thinking was something in the lines of since we would be in the area why not just stay for a couple of days?

For the month of June, we stayed in 6 amazing cities: London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Pisa and then Florence, Italy. So how did we do on our budget with seeing so many places? Not so great. Our grand total was $4159.91 or $138.66 per day for the three of us which breaks down to $46.22 per person per day. I knew it was going to be an expensive month, but was disappointed with how much we spent.

London Tower Bridge

One of many canals in Amsterdam

City of Prague

Berlin Wall

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Florence

Lodging

Our biggest expenditure for June was lodging. Our total cost for lodging was $1257.05. For the first couple of days in June, we were in London doing a house sit, which would have seriously killed our budget if we had to get central hotels London. After that we spent a week in Amsterdam. The total cost for housing in Amsterdam was $497.80. We then spent 3 nights in Berlin. Our lodging in Berlin cost $204. After Berlin, we traveled to Prague where an American expat family had graciously invited us to stay with them. Besides being able to see the beautiful city of Prague, we spent time with some genuinely nice people that made us feel like part of their family. We also got a small taste of ex-pat life and it was truly an amazing time. Thank you Nicole, Andy and Nate! In Pisa, we spent 2 nights at a B&B for a total cost of $120.60. For the remainder of June, we were in Florence. Our lodging in Florence for June was $434.65.

Our favorite accommodations for the month of June were in Amsterdam. This is our view from the house.

Food

This is a little embarrassing, but our next biggest expenditure for the month of June was food. Our total expense for food was $1131.86. We spent $818.98 for groceries and $312.88 for dining out. Yikes! Looking back at our expenses, we definitely ate out way too much!

Bitterballen

Czech Beer

Pasta

Transportation

You may wonder how much our transportation costs were given that we moved around a lot. Within the month of June, we flew from London to Amsterdam, took the train from Amsterdam to Berlin, took the bus from Berlin to Prague, flew from Prague to Pisa, and then took the train from Pisa to Florence. Phew! I am now exhausted just listing all the modes of transportation we took!

To be honest I was surprised that our transportation costs were not more. Our total expenditures for transportation were $1131.10 of which $242.27 was for local transportation. Our cheapest transportation cost between cities was from Pisa to Florence. But I think the most comfortable transportation we took was the bus from Berlin to Prague. The bus was like what the airlines use to be: free movies, free beverages and comfortable seats. The bus even had a stewardess. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Biking outside Amsterdam

Entrance Fees

Our next biggest expenditure was entrance fees. We spent a total of $452.69. During the month of June, we bought 2 cards: the iBerlin card and the Amici degli Uffize card.

Berliner Dom

The iBerlin card allowed us entry into all the museums (a total of 5) on Museum Island in Berlin and also covered the use of local transportation. The iBerlin card cost $97.09 for the three of us. While in Berlin, we used public transport quite a bit and we also saw all 5 of the museums on Museum Island. Overall the iBerlin card turned out to be a good value for us. However, if you will be staying in Berlin and will not be using public transport a lot and will be seeing all the museums on Museum Island, you may want to just look at the combiticket as it might be a better value for you.

Berlin Golden Hat. Neues Museum on Museum Island.

The Amici degli Uffizi card allowed entry into all the state museums in Florence. The Amici Degli Uffizi cost $133.00 for the three of us and is good for a year. This card covers most of the popular museums in Florence such as the Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accedemia where Michelangelo’s David is. The Amici degli Uffizi card is a great value if you are planning to spend some time in the museums of Florence. But what is really nice about this card is it allows the cardholder to skip to the front of the line. Believe me, during summer in Florence with humongous lines and crowds this can save a lot of time and hassle. For example, the wait to see David at 9 am in the morning in the none reservation line was 3 hours!

The Rape of Sabine outside the Vecchio

Entertainment

Our total expenditures for entertainment were $89.76. Entertainment included such things as taking a canal boat ride in Amsterdam, swimming and going to the Summer Festival with our host family while in Prague.

Canal Boat Ride

Summer Festival Prague

Miscellaneous

Our total expenditures under the misc. category were $61.79. Misc. items for this month included a journal, a map of Amsterdam, new shoes and clothing for Sydney. Before we left, we unfortunately did not think about budgeting for new clothes. Oops! Sydney seems to be going through a growth spurt and we are now finding we need to replace a lot of her clothing.

Communication

Our total cost under communication was $35.66. This was for postcards and stamps.

Lessons Learned

Slow travel definitely helps keep transportation costs down.
Slow travel also helps keep lodging costs down. People are much more likely to give a discount for a longer stay. But that being said, we have found that during the summer our lodging costs have been more expensive, as people are less willing to give a discount even for a longer stay. It is cheaper and less crowded to travel during the off-season.
I know that I say this every month, but one easy way to cut down on costs is to avoid eating out.

During the month of June, we got the taste of what it would be like to travel at a much faster pace. Jason and I agree that we really prefer slow travel. We really enjoy spending time in a place. The longer we stay in a place, the more we feel like we become less like tourists and more like locals. By the end of June, we were pretty tired and felt like that we needed a vacation from our travels.

Catching a Show in London

August 9, 2013 by Jason Leave a Comment

You’ve seen London Tower, Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral, and you can’t handle another minute inside any of London’s amazing museums. So what’s there to do in London that could be good entertainment for the whole family? We were in this exact situation on our last visit to London and we found the perfect solution. We went and saw a show!

We were pleasantly surprised to see how many options there were for live theatre in London. From off-Broadway musicals, plays, and even locally produced shows, London has a lot to offer. In fact, there were shows playing that I thought I would never be able to see without traveling to New York City.

Spamalot

In trying to decide on which show to see that would offer good entertainment for adults, as well as an 8-year old child, we decided on Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. The Book of Mormon was also playing, but was probably not the best choice to bring a child to.

Having grown up watching Monty Python’s television shows and movies, the chance to see Spamalot was too good to be true. I had heard great things about that show and couldn’t miss a chance seeing it in person.

We had been told that the cheapest tickets were found at the street kiosks around Central London. But after getting price quotes for the different seating options, we actually found better pricing online. We found several websites that offer a “Best Available Seat” option that would give us the best available seats, just as the name suggests. The price was actually cheaper than a guaranteed nosebleed seat with an okay view, but was a gamble as we may end up way at the top or off to the side with an obstruction blocking our view. But as luck would have it, our gamble paid off and we ended up on the second row of the dress circle with an excellent view of the stage.

Seeing the show was all we had hoped it would be and our daughter also found it hilarious. If we had had more time in London we would have gone to see another show.

If you are planning to visit London I highly recommend catching a show. If you find a good hotel in Central London you can easily catch dinner and a show within easy walking distance and have the time of your life!

Most theatres are located in London’s West End which also offers a great assortment of restaurants and some amazing shopping. After we saw Spamalot we had a lot of fun wandering around the West End checking out the different shops and restaurants.

If shopping isn’t your thing, the West End is within easy walking distance of the Thames River where you can enjoy a nice stroll along the picturesque river before or after the show.

Now that we have experienced live theatre in London, we will be sure to catch another show the next time we are there.

RTW Budget: A Month in England

June 30, 2013 by Kerri 11 Comments

For the month of May were in in England. We spent approximately 3 weeks in Bath and 1 week in London. I am sure that you are eager to find out how we did, as England is a country known to be on the expensive side. Our grand total for 31 days was $2993.84 or $96.58 per day/$32.19 per person per day, which is actually a little under budget!

Bath Along the Avon River

London

Sounds great, huh? Well there were a couple factors that helped us come in under budget. Without these factors, I am doubtful that we would have even come close to our goal of $100 per day. The first factor that really helped our budget was my parents staying with us for part of the time while we were in Bath. Besides having a wonderful time with my parents, they split the cost of lodging. The second factor, we did our first house sit at the end of May. So, we did not have to pay for our lodgings while in London.

Avebury with my parents

However, some of our savings were definitely offset by the weak USD. Most prices in England are about what one would see in the US. For example a café latte would typically cost 2.50 GBP. But then when one factors in the horrible conversion rate, everything all of a sudden becomes a whole lot more expensive. Over the month, 1 GBP averaged $1.53 USD. That café latte now cost us around $3.83!

Food

Our largest expenditure during the month of May was the cost of food. Our total cost for food was $1,103.99. We spent $822.45 for groceries and $281.54 for dining out. For us, dining out not only includes sitting down at a restaurant but such costs as the spur of the moment coke, café latte to go, and the ice cream cone while wandering around town.

During the month of May we celebrated my birthday and Mother’s day. Instead of presents for my birthday, I choose an activity that I have wanted to do for years now…to have afternoon tea. The three of us enjoyed a delicious assortment of scones, clotted cream, deserts, tea and champagne for Jason and I at the Pump Room. The price tag for afternoon tea… $93.60!!! I know, a very decadent expenditure, but what a great memory. I can now say I have had afternoon tea in England.

Afternoon Tea at the Pump Room

Lodging

Our next largest expenditure was for our lodging, which was $996.00. Included in the cost of lodging is $34 spent on laundry. Unfortunately our Bath apartment did not have a washer. As I said before, my parents split the cost of lodging while in Bath and this is reflected in our total lodging costs. I must say that out of all the countries we have visited thus far finding an affordable short-term rental in England was the most difficult. Most of the places we were looking at were $2000+ USD a month.

Sydney and 2 cute cats that we got to cat sit while in London

Sydney and the 2 cute cats that we got to cat sit while in London

Transportation

Our total expenditure for transportation was $348.83. While my parents were in England, we decided to rent a car to see some of the sites outside of Bath. The total rental fee for a week was $74.20 and fuel spent was $113.18. The remainder of our transportation costs was for the train to London and local transportation. While in London, we bought an oyster card for the subway and bus. The oyster card had an upfront 5 GBP refundable deposit, which we got back at the end of our time in London. We then added money to the card as needed.

The Underground

Entrance Fees

Our total expenditures for entrance fees were $262.06. One thing that I found disappointing about England was the cost of seeing some of the bigger known historical sites. At many of the historical sites in other countries admission for Sydney had been free or severely discounted. However in England, Sydney cost almost the same as an adult and the adult admission was expensive. For example, The Roman baths for the three of us cost $53.04 and the Tower of London was $70.02.

Stonehenge

There are a couple of options to help save money when visiting the historical sites of England, which include the English Heritage Card and National Trust Card. Unfortunately for us, it just did not make financial sense to purchase either of these cards.

Once we made it to London my disappointment rapidly dissolved when I discovered how many amazing free museums are available in London including the Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum.

The British Museum

Entertainment

We spent a total of $135.96 on entertainment. We spent $95.40 for a show in London. We saw Spamalot and we all agreed (including Sydney) that it was well worth the money spent, as it was hilarious. Other expenditures under entertainment included movie rentals, swimming, bike rentals, and the fee for a library card.

Spamalot

Miscellaneous Cost

Our total expenditures under the miscellaneous category were $131.32. The bulk of the miscellaneous cost was for more schoolbooks for Sydney and a hard drive to back up our computer.

Communication

We spent $15.68 in communication for postcards and a sim card.

Lessons Learned

If you will be in London, purchase an oyster card even if you will be only taking the subway a couple of times. The oyster card cuts the single journey ticket cost in about half and credit can be applied as you go. There is an initial refundable deposit of 5 GBP. Don’t forget to get your deposit back before you leave London.
London has a ton of amazing, free museums with great free activities for kids to do. Take advantage of these museums.
If you are considering on seeing a show in London, look online for tickets. We tried multiple discount places on the streets, however we found cheaper tickets online. We took a risk and bought what are called “best available.” This meant that we did not know what seats we would get until we arrived. As it turned out, we got great seats.
In looking over our costs, one easy way for anyone to save money is on food. By far, we are a family that really enjoys our food and are not surviving on ramen noodles! In my mind I justify our cost of food as a souvenir of travel. We do try to avoid eating out and some months we are more successful then others.
If you will be in a place for a while, get a library card. It costs 2 GBP at the Bath Library and you do not need to be a citizen. The Bath Library has a great selection of books and movies for rent.

Thanks for taking the time to read our monthly budget. I hope this information is helpful to you in planning your own RTW adventure.

Photo Tour: London in Black and White

June 27, 2013 by Jason 4 Comments

When we first arrived in London my first thought was, “This town needs to be shot in black and white!” Color can be a distraction and London is distracting enough without adding the stimulus overloading colors of late spring. So with that in mind, I spent nearly 2 weeks in London shooting nothing but black and white with my favorite Nikon manual focus lens. Why a manual focus lens? It makes you slow down and think about the shot!

Here are a few of the photos and a brief tour of London. I hope you enjoy…

The London Underground (aka The Tube)

Most Londoners spend a lot of time commuting underground in the city’s extensive subway system. The Underground offers some great photo opportunities, if you are discreet.

London Underground train approaching platform

Riding the Underground

Clock in London Underground Station

Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park

A corner of Hyde Park is open for public speaking, discussions, and debate. It is a very interesting area and draws a lot of people who have a lot to say about politics and religion. It actually reminded me of many online forums. But I didn’t go there to listen to what they had to say, I went there to take their photos.

Bobbies watching the action in Hyde Park

This guy made a bold statement in just the way he was dressed. He was even growing a Hitler mustache!

This guy loved to discuss religion and politics and really drew a crowd!

Bridges Over the River Thames

The River Thames cuts London in two and has a plethora of bridges to get from one side to the other. Not only are the bridges useful as transportation, but they also make a great subject for photography.

Bridge over the River Thames

Tower Bridge, which is often confused as being London Bridge, but it’s not!

The Millennium Bridge that made people sick because of the motion. It has now been fixed.

Tourist packed Westminster Bridge. Look Kids, Big Ben, Parliament!

And yet another bridge. There are a lot of bridges over the River Thames!

Museums

London has over 200 museums and many near popular London hotels. Here are a couple of shots from the inside of our favorites.

Inside the British Museum. We could not get enough of this place!

Inside the Victoria and Albert Museum

London Tower

One of London’s most visited sites, with the long lines to prove it! Lots of history here and some shiny crown jewels that could not be photographed 🙁

Sentry standing guard at the Tower of London. Other than museum guard, this has got to be one of the most boring jobs in the world!

View of Tower Bridge (not London Bridge) from inside London Tower. The cage on the right houses the imprisoned ravens that promise the fall of London Tower if ever they leave. Poor ravens!

Icons: Big Ben and the London Eye

You can’t go to London without taking photos of these two giant icons. On our last full day in London our daughter reminded us that we had not visited Big Ben or Parliament. Oops! So, not wanting to cause emotional trauma later in life because her evil parents refused to take her to see the two most famous icons in London we hopped on the Underground and showed her Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey, which happened to be closed that day (thank God!)

And yet, another photo of Big Ben. At least I got a double decker bus in it to add to the London icons.

It’s big, it’s round, and it has been taking tourists for a ride since 1999; it’s the London Eye! Even though we have seen it twice, we still refuse to pay the ridiculous prices to go for a ride.

Looking up on the London Eye

Changing of the Guard

Wow, was this one of the most boring tourist activities ever! 1000’s of tourists gather daily to watch these guys march around and play music. They did play the James Bond theme, which was kinda cool!

Shots From Around Town

Here are a couple of shots that I took that I thought were interesting.

Random London photo showing the juxtaposition of old and new buildings

Skate park covered in graffiti near the river

The Queen of England

You can’t go to London without getting a photo of the Queen of England, right? So, we were standing around at the really boring Changing of the Guard (see above) and I heard someone shout, “It’s the royals!” I looked to my left and there was the queens hat in the window of a police escorted limosine flying the queen’s flag. I got one good photo and this was it.

The Queen of London

I hope you enjoyed this tour of London in black and white. I must admit that I really enjoyed shooting black and white photos during these 2 weeks and will probably continue to do so in other cities.

Caravan Camping in the UK

RTW budget: One Month and Six Cities Across Europe

Lodging

Food

Transportation

Entrance Fees

Entertainment

Miscellaneous

Communication

Lessons Learned

Catching a Show in London

RTW Budget: A Month in England

Food

Lodging

Transportation

Entrance Fees

Entertainment

Miscellaneous Cost

Communication

Lessons Learned

Photo Tour: London in Black and White

The London Underground (aka The Tube)

Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park

Bridges Over the River Thames

Museums

London Tower

Icons: Big Ben and the London Eye

Changing of the Guard

Shots From Around Town

The Queen of England

RTW Information

Photography

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