I just went to Europe 2 months ago with my mom and daughter. We paid $428 round trip on British Airways from San Francisco to London. We got an AirBNB for 3 days cost only $200. We did a free walking tour and just explored on our own. Only rode the tube (super cheap and easy). We then took the Eurostar train from London to Paris for $68 a piece. Got another AirBNB for 3 days at $270 (real nice flat to ourselves). We only spent money on a boat ride for $15 a person. Went to the Louve and Palace of Versailles. Next we took a train from Paris to Boppard Germany and that was $54 a person and a 4 hr trip. We stayed with a friend in Germany so lodging, food, and tour was free. We did take a flight from Germany back to London for $80 a piece to catch our flight back home. I think we spent a total of $3,500-$3,800 for three people, food, lodging, travel, and souvenirs for a 12 day, 3 country vacation. It was such fun!!! FYI: If you want to go to Paris the cheapest way is to fly into London and then take the Eurostar train the Paris 👍🏽
Tips from a Londoner on how to save money on your trip A lot of the best attractions are free. All the national museums, parks and galleries are free, as are the Museum of London and the Greenwich Maritime museum. You can visit the Houses of Parliament any time it’s in session for free and see the debates from the public gallery. You might have to queue for a while for the House of Commons but you can usually walk straight in to the House of Lords or any of the committee sessions. Westminster Hall , which is the main entrance, is 900 years old. It is where Charles I was tried, and where monarchs have laid in state after their death since about 1100. The Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace (11am most weekdays) is also free. The only “big ticket” attraction worth the money is the Tower of London. Don’t bother with the Eye, the London Dungeon, Mme Tussauds etc. You don’t need to pay to get a panoramic view from a skyscraper. The “Walkie Talkie” has a restaurant and bar at the top, and better views than the Eye or the Shard. You need to book a ticket in advance, but tickets are free. Go at sunset. It’s astounding. If you want to go to a big sporting event, avoid Premier League soccer matches - they charge stupid money for tickets bought from overseas and it’s almost impossible to buy tickets at short notice. Basically tourists subsidise the fans who go every week. If you are coming during the cricket season, London has 2 of the best stadia in the world - Lords & the Oval, where you can see top-class games for £10-20. Wimbledon is also an option - you can queue for “ground” tickets, which get you into everything except the 2 big courts. During the first week all the top seeds will play at match on the outside courts. Other sporting options include a day at the races (horses or dogs) -a fantastic day out for very little money. Or a soccer game in the Championsip. It’s about a quarter of Premier League prices, tickets are easier to get and the atmosphere is usually better. Teams include QPR, Brentford and (next season) Fulham. Don’t bother with an open top bus tour. You can see all the sights from the top deck of a red double decker. Take a no 11 from Victoria Station to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square and St Paul’s Cathedral. Or an 88 from Vauxhall for most of those plus Piccadilly Circus & Oxford St. Or take a riverboat from the London Eye to Greenwich for about £5.
John Connolly THIS! We went to London this year and the only “attraction” we spent money on was the Harry Potter Studios tour. London has so much awesome stuff to do for free, even/especially with children. This is great advice for any big city: before going, google “free things to do in ”, you will get tons of suggestions. Lots of these tips (like the double-decker bus vs tourist bus, and the Shard vs. restaurants/bars in skyscrapers) were in the results of the search I did for London. Another tip is to check out the “free walking tours” in any European city you travel to. You only pay what you want for the tour, and they are usually much better than other paid tours, since the guides are working for tips.
So it's really important to recognize that while there are many great free attractions in London, many of the attractions that we decided that we wanted to see were not free. For us, the goal is not to see how little we can spend on a vacation. It's to experience the things that we are interested in experiencing. For example, we visited the Shard in part to experience what it's like to be in the tallest building in the UK. No other building can offer that.--Tasha
Please spend more than a weekend in Paris, it's such a long flight and such an amazing city to explore. Also good to get out of Paris to see a little bit more of France as it's a really varied country.
Love that you guys posted this video! My mom is from England and I’m trying to plan a trip for our family of 4. Definitely appreciated this video, thanks Joseph and Tasha!
Hey guys! Thanks for sharing your trip and cost breakdown with us : ) I thought I could offer some travel tips since my family has done a lot of traveling over the years as a whole unit, in smaller pieces, and individually as well. First tip I wish I could have let you know beforehand was to not overschedule! My family tends to plan our big days every other day so the days in between can be more restful. If you know you are going to have a long day, schedule significantly less the following day. We may get up early one morning, and the next plan to get up much later. We allot that time because it's no fun when we're all cranky, irritable, and worn out. Also, we only ever plan at most around 3 events for the whole day. If you really want to enjoy the events you've planned to their fullest, you shouldn't pack too many into your schedule. Going along with that, always leave extra time, more than you think you will need, in between each event. This helps account for missing a bus to get to the next scheduled event for the day, slow transportation/traffic, the real possibility you may get lost... lol, and so on. Now, for some money-saving tips. Let's be real - once you've been on a ferris wheel, you've been on them all. My family has gotten good at saying no to those specific, and almost always expensive, touristy attractions for any given destination. When we went to London, we did not get on the London Eye, nor did we go up to look out from inside the Shard. Idk, to us a city is kinda just a city. In our eyes, we missed nothing by skipping out on those two and plenty others. We much preferred to be driven around the streets (via the open-top bus tour) and see the amazing sights up close. In addition, we were able to get out and walk around whenever we wanted which allowed us to spend more time enjoying the feel of the city instead of on getting to and from the Shard which was not along the route of the bus tour. We try to minimize our time spent in straight transit when visiting places. You've already spent the money to get there - now be economical with the time you've got in that place and make every minute count. An added bonus to the bus tour is that it's sightseeing and transportation in one. We double up as much as possible when traveling. And one last thing regarding the bus tour was that we let that dictate where about we would go in London. So if it wasn't on the route, then it was very unlikely we were going to make a trip out specifically to see it. Saves time, energy, effort, and minimizes the potential for stress and things that can go wrong. Let simplicity work for you. As part of the bus tour, we also got a boat ride to Greenwich and back. We were completely oblivious to Greenwich beforehand, and as such obviously didn't consider stopping by there a possibility until we booked the tour. And yet, it ended up being one of our favorite parts of the time we spent in London. Ooooh, one thing we did when we visited London too was actually stay in Watford. It was only about a 15-minute or so train ride one-way straight to/from... well, I can't remember if it was Paddington Station or what, but right in London basically. We did this because we went to see the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour London, which is in Watford. As you would guess, the accommodation was much, much cheaper than it would have been if we stayed in London. So we saved a lot of money there. I know you guys stayed at Tasha's aunt's, but this goes for visiting any big city. Another example of doubling up in a sense. Also, we have come to enjoy all the free opportunities in destinations we visit. Go for a walk in a park or by a river, rent a bike, go to free cathedrals and donate if you want, browse shops, go to the top floor of a really tall department store building and look out over the city that way for free (like I did in Seoul, South Korea once lol). There are countless free options available to you in probably any place you could visit. I know in England, they sure love their free walking tours. Maybe they aren't common in London, but there are plenty in Bath, for instance. People love history there and also love to tell people about it, even for free. Let's see... lastly, I think I'll just throw in that there are plenty of great RUclipsrs whose channels are focused around traveling. Some of these include Kristen & Siya and HeyNadine. They have all kinds of tips for economical travel, so look them up if you haven't already! Wishing you the best!
If you plan ahead and are organized you can take great vacations and actually enjoy them without thinking about the money! All about planning! Great video!
That price for 4 people, you did great. When I went to London (we did much of what you did), we stayed with a relative as well - amazing how much cash you save when you don't have to pay for accommodations.
Love hearing the cost breakdown! Jayme and I were going to go to Europe this year but decided to do an Alaskan cruise instead! This made me even more excited for our trip in August!
I'm so glad you did this! I also did a budget summary of a trip my husband and I took to Australia. We travel hacked because he had a conference in Sydney and then we made a vacation out of it afterwards. It saved us sooo much money on flights and accommodations since he got his tickets reimbursed. Checking out the Singapore vlog next!
Wow! 4 people in London, you did great. I spent almost the same for just me. I went using Rick Steves tour company and traveled first class. What I learned about travel was well worth it. I now have much better travel skills. That’s why I Love your videos! I love learning from your experiences. Thanks so much for sharing! So glad you all had a great time!
Glad you guys had a great time. We went to London this year as well and we found the same thing with the London Pass..not worth it for what we wanted to do. We also skipped the Eye for the exact same reason. We found this out before through watching videos like yours so I can guarantee you are saving folks a ton!
As a local tip I'd recommend Sky Garden for great views of London from a tall building, definitely worth it compared to the Shard. You need to book and tickets go quickly but it's free.
Thank you for sharing the details! We are a family of 4 and always looking for an adventure! Keep these coming. I know that you are in the DMV area so am I, a staycation vlog would be great! I'm always curious about family events in the area.
Great to hear your opinion about the London pass. Never found it useful because due to mobility issues, I can basically only do one attraction a day. I have used the Amsterdam Pass because that includes transport which was very useful but don’t plan to use the Paris pass when I got there. Looking at London transport, when Reeves/the hopeful third kid is quite a bit older, say seven or eight, the Underground would become easier than taxis.
One Big Happy Life I have friends who live in London. They considered it the height of decadence to get an Uber home from a night out (as summer interns) £60 at least so at least you were splitting that among four people and actually covering some ground out to the Home Counties (I presume) but I would still say to save any repeat of London until your youngest is at least 6-8.
I absolutely love these money videos! I'm going to Europe for the first time in 3 weeks and have a 15 hour layover right outside of London. If you guys went to gatewick airport and have any suggestions on what to do and where to stay for my layover, please let me know!
Erika Correa You can take the Gatwick Express into London. If you buy the tickets online or on the app, you’ll save money over buying in person. You could definitely see some things in 15 hours. The train takes 30 mins and deposits you at London Victoria. There you can take the underground around London to wherever you’d like to go.
Thank you so much for the breakdown of your travel cost experience and for sharing that information with us. Yes, you are right the cab fares are really very expensive whether you are a tourist or not, especially if you are travelling from areas outside of London into London. To be honest with you the cab drivers are thieves - Some may be reasonable and have a heart. But mostly they take advantage of people. I know this from personal experience. Nearly 3 weeks ago, 3 of us caught a cab within London to go to South East London and we paid £26 to get to the venue. My grandson (17 yrs old) who came with us had to leave early paid £30 for his cab to East London train station - he lives outside of London and had to also catch a train to get to his destination. My daughter, on the other hand, came to the same venue with 4 children and ended up having to pay £40 for her cab to East London train station.
YOU GUYS DID GREAT! I'm planning a two-week solo trip to Vancouver (and a few other cities on the Rocky Mountaineer) with a cruise to Juneau and I've already passed that figure... And this doesn't yet include the cost of the four days I plan to spend in Vancouver or airfare from the east coast. Do you have an aunt in Vancouver?
We went to London last October. Next time I will buy the love and London Itinerary. She is an American that lives in London. Have you guys tried the website sky scanner for flights? They have amazing deals.
Can you do a follow up update video on your million dollar debt? I was blown away by that video as I’m sure most others were too. I have student loan debt so I was curious how you’re doing with that debt. I have $32,000 in college debt.
Wow.... you spend a lot of money. A weeks London Oyster Card for public transport is 50 pound per person and a hotel room would have been not more than 150 pound. Children under the age of 11 are free..If you get a good deal, finding a hotel room for 80 pound is also possible. When you are really tired: Go for the Hop-on Hop-off tours. They are expensive as well, but you see a lot of things. On vaccation I always try to get up early (no cues!) and to be at home when the sun goes down and use the evening to relax and recharge.
Regarding high buildings: Just go to a normal, high office building. Probably the second highest and drive up. Normally it's possible and free. In Europe not everything is already to highly commercialized as in the US.
And you don't have to do "everything" they try to make you think you should do. Like you said, the London Eye is unique, but it's mainly looking spectacular from the outside. But - when you are into art - the Tate modern is one of the best museums in the world and most of the exhibitions are free. Try to find out what is really unique in the city and just do that and enjoy the vibe (and people watching). ;)
....just to compare: I did a 7 weeks round the world trip (on my own) for 7000 dollars with 14 flights. There is still a lot of room left in planning to reduce the costs. Try to watch some "special deals" vaccation pages for the best offers.
Our public transportation costs included travel in London and in NYC. And in London with took the Tube and the Chilton commuter train. We mentioned in other videos that we didn't realize how far out my aunt lived until right before we were leaving. At that point, all of the hotels were over $300 a night. The way that we planned our trip was that we each decided what things we wanted to see, then we looked for deals on those things. The point of going in the Shard and the London Eye is because they are distinctive. It wasn't just to see the London skyline (which we found to be unremarkable). Along those lines, I don't particularly like art museums, so I'd never go to Tate even though it's free (unless someone else really wanted to go). Remember that everyone's idea of what matters and what doesn't will vary.--Tasha
We typically don't have time to create graphics for one off videos. But many of our videos do have companion blog posts. You can go here for the post with the written cost breakdown: onebighappylife.com/family-travel/london-family-vacation-cost/ .--Tasha
How to save money in London from a born and bred Londoner. 1. Get yourself an Oyster card and a bus map. Buses are very efficient here and it costs less to get around than the train. 2. Venture out of the so called “safer areas”. Unfortunately, working class areas in London get a lot of bad rep, when 9/10 you’ll be perfectly safe, so long as you have your wits about you. These areas have the best, most affordable food options - Turkish, Caribbean, Indian, Chinese. If you budget correctly you could easily get a meal for under £10 per person. 3. Happy Hour - Thursday, Friday, Saturday before 5-6pm and All day Sunday at many London restaurants for those who love cocktails. 4. Wetherspoon chain pubs for those who like to drink on a small budget. 5. Unlike North America, all our museums, parks and art galleries are free. There’s so many dotted around London, so go! Check online or newspapers for updates on exhibitions. 6. Green Park/New Bond Street , Selfridges and Harrods for those who love luxury shopping. 7. Shops inside stations charge higher rates for drinks and snacks. Better to go to a supermarket. 8. East London is where all the gems are - food, night life and coffeehouses. Again, ignore the bad rep some areas have. Just have your head screwed on and don’t make poor Decisions- I.e waving your phone/purse around. 9. AIR BNB!!!! And try to get a place near the central or jubilee line as those trains take you to central areas in London. 10. For a great view of London, go to a bar at the Shard or Roof top Gardens, Fenchurch street.
If anyone else goes to London, go to the Tate Modern's viewing platform rather than paying for the Shard or London Eye. It's free (just give a donation) and gives you 360 views of London. Most of the art exhibitions are free too and it has a lovely cafe overlooking the Thames. & It's really close to the Globe which is worth seeing 🙂
I think you could have saved money by hiring a car via Carrot or other companies vs taking a cab. I don’t understand how you spent $400 on a week of train/tube for 3 people. 😮 That’s more than I spend in a month in London. I’m surprised with you having family there that you spent so much on travel and attractions. Typically, locals can tell you how to save money and not pay tourists prices. And $6k for a week! That’s $1500 per person. Two of us travel for a month in Europe for summer holidays and spend about the same $1500 pp including lodging. If you do decide to go to Paris, I, and I’m sure others, can give you tips on how to spend half as much on that trip.
460$ is 350pounds...is 115 per person ... Quite a lot...maybe there is mistake in video or aunt lived somewhere far away ;-) Otherwise I cannot really see it even without oyster and with single tickets for 6 pounds. Weekly travel card for all zones is something like 60 pounds per person.
Where do you stay within Europe for $1500 per person for a month? Is this within large cities? I'd love to know your tips! My family of 3 recently moved to the Netherlands from the US.
We mentioned in another video that we were also taking the Chilton line in and out of where my aunt lives because the Tube didn't run out there. We used Uber for our cabs, not sure if they're much more expensive than Carrot. But it's a 40 minute drive from London to my aunt's house. So that seemed reasonable Remember that we spent $3K on flights and trains just to get to London in the first place. We always keep an eye out for flight deals and this was the best we found. We could have saved some on attractions by skipping the London Pass (given that we didn't use it) but at the end of the day, the attractions cost what they cost. So even if you have tips for lodging and transportation that would cut our cost down from $700 for a week, it wouldn't have saved us much. It's definitely possible to travel for cheaper if you don't visit attractions that cost money and rarely eat out. Also, you can often find deals on accommodations for longer stays. But our goal was not to avoid spending money in London. It was to do everything we wanted to do there just in case we never go back.--Tasha
Train prices in the UK are sometimes horrific. I used to have to take the train from London to Birmingham sometimes for work and the train one way was £120 during rush hour. It's only a 1hr ish train journey too. I think 400 for a week for 3ppl is pretty good going.
As a Londoner it pains me to hear how much money you spent on tourist attractions. A bit more research would have allowed you to avoid that....trust me there is no need for a London pass. There are so many free attractions ☹☹
Hi thanks for the tip but we specifically chose the attractions that we wanted to see. Our goal wasn't to avoid spending money. It was to experience the attractions we were interested in.--Tasha
It makes me sad to hear you say you didn’t do things because you were tired so often. That’s part of the traveling experience! To me to go all that way and spend all that money to not take advantage of the reasons you wen there is a bit of a waste
Well, everyone is different right? For me, my vacation is mine to do whatever I want. If I'm tired I sleep. If I want to go on an adventure, I go on an adventure.--Tasha
As a local tip I'd recommend Sky Garden for great views of London from a tall building, definitely worth it compared to the Shard. You need to book and tickets go quickly but it's free.
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I just went to Europe 2 months ago with my mom and daughter. We paid $428 round trip on British Airways from San Francisco to London. We got an AirBNB for 3 days cost only $200. We did a free walking tour and just explored on our own. Only rode the tube (super cheap and easy). We then took the Eurostar train from London to Paris for $68 a piece. Got another AirBNB for 3 days at $270 (real nice flat to ourselves). We only spent money on a boat ride for $15 a person. Went to the Louve and Palace of Versailles. Next we took a train from Paris to Boppard Germany and that was $54 a person and a 4 hr trip. We stayed with a friend in Germany so lodging, food, and tour was free. We did take a flight from Germany back to London for $80 a piece to catch our flight back home. I think we spent a total of $3,500-$3,800 for three people, food, lodging, travel, and souvenirs for a 12 day, 3 country vacation. It was such fun!!!
FYI: If you want to go to Paris the cheapest way is to fly into London and then take the Eurostar train the Paris 👍🏽
Tips from a Londoner on how to save money on your trip
A lot of the best attractions are free. All the national museums, parks and galleries are free, as are the Museum of London and the Greenwich Maritime museum. You can visit the Houses of Parliament any time it’s in session for free and see the debates from the public gallery. You might have to queue for a while for the House of Commons but you can usually walk straight in to the House of Lords or any of the committee sessions. Westminster Hall , which is the main entrance, is 900 years old. It is where Charles I was tried, and where monarchs have laid in state after their death since about 1100. The Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace (11am most weekdays) is also free.
The only “big ticket” attraction worth the money is the Tower of London. Don’t bother with the Eye, the London Dungeon, Mme Tussauds etc.
You don’t need to pay to get a panoramic view from a skyscraper. The “Walkie Talkie” has a restaurant and bar at the top, and better views than the Eye or the Shard. You need to book a ticket in advance, but tickets are free. Go at sunset. It’s astounding.
If you want to go to a big sporting event, avoid Premier League soccer matches - they charge stupid money for tickets bought from overseas and it’s almost impossible to buy tickets at short notice. Basically tourists subsidise the fans who go every week. If you are coming during the cricket season, London has 2 of the best stadia in the world - Lords & the Oval, where you can see top-class games for £10-20. Wimbledon is also an option - you can queue for “ground” tickets, which get you into everything except the 2 big courts. During the first week all the top seeds will play at match on the outside courts. Other sporting options include a day at the races (horses or dogs) -a fantastic day out for very little money. Or a soccer game in the Championsip. It’s about a quarter of Premier League prices, tickets are easier to get and the atmosphere is usually better. Teams include QPR, Brentford and (next season) Fulham.
Don’t bother with an open top bus tour. You can see all the sights from the top deck of a red double decker. Take a no 11 from Victoria Station to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square and St Paul’s Cathedral. Or an 88 from Vauxhall for most of those plus Piccadilly Circus & Oxford St. Or take a riverboat from the London Eye to Greenwich for about £5.
John Connolly THIS! We went to London this year and the only “attraction” we spent money on was the Harry Potter Studios tour. London has so much awesome stuff to do for free, even/especially with children. This is great advice for any big city: before going, google “free things to do in ”, you will get tons of suggestions. Lots of these tips (like the double-decker bus vs tourist bus, and the Shard vs. restaurants/bars in skyscrapers) were in the results of the search I did for London. Another tip is to check out the “free walking tours” in any European city you travel to. You only pay what you want for the tour, and they are usually much better than other paid tours, since the guides are working for tips.
So it's really important to recognize that while there are many great free attractions in London, many of the attractions that we decided that we wanted to see were not free. For us, the goal is not to see how little we can spend on a vacation. It's to experience the things that we are interested in experiencing. For example, we visited the Shard in part to experience what it's like to be in the tallest building in the UK. No other building can offer that.--Tasha
skygarden.london/ link to the skygarden
Thanks so much for sharing the “behind the scenes” of cost! This was great! I’m glad that you all had a great time!
Thanks Kisha.😀--Tasha
Tasha can you do a hair routine? Your hair look so healthy! You look stunning as usual. Love from New Jersey 🤗
Seriously your channel is super helpful! Thanks guys for being so transparent.
Please spend more than a weekend in Paris, it's such a long flight and such an amazing city to explore. Also good to get out of Paris to see a little bit more of France as it's a really varied country.
I just love & appreciate how transparent you guys are with finances. Glad you guys had a wonderful London trip.
Greetings from South Africa
Love that you guys posted this video! My mom is from England and I’m trying to plan a trip for our family of 4. Definitely appreciated this video, thanks Joseph and Tasha!
You're welcome Amy!--Tasha
Hey guys! Thanks for sharing your trip and cost breakdown with us : )
I thought I could offer some travel tips since my family has done a lot of traveling over the years as a whole unit, in smaller pieces, and individually as well. First tip I wish I could have let you know beforehand was to not overschedule! My family tends to plan our big days every other day so the days in between can be more restful. If you know you are going to have a long day, schedule significantly less the following day. We may get up early one morning, and the next plan to get up much later. We allot that time because it's no fun when we're all cranky, irritable, and worn out. Also, we only ever plan at most around 3 events for the whole day. If you really want to enjoy the events you've planned to their fullest, you shouldn't pack too many into your schedule. Going along with that, always leave extra time, more than you think you will need, in between each event. This helps account for missing a bus to get to the next scheduled event for the day, slow transportation/traffic, the real possibility you may get lost... lol, and so on.
Now, for some money-saving tips. Let's be real - once you've been on a ferris wheel, you've been on them all. My family has gotten good at saying no to those specific, and almost always expensive, touristy attractions for any given destination. When we went to London, we did not get on the London Eye, nor did we go up to look out from inside the Shard. Idk, to us a city is kinda just a city. In our eyes, we missed nothing by skipping out on those two and plenty others. We much preferred to be driven around the streets (via the open-top bus tour) and see the amazing sights up close. In addition, we were able to get out and walk around whenever we wanted which allowed us to spend more time enjoying the feel of the city instead of on getting to and from the Shard which was not along the route of the bus tour. We try to minimize our time spent in straight transit when visiting places. You've already spent the money to get there - now be economical with the time you've got in that place and make every minute count. An added bonus to the bus tour is that it's sightseeing and transportation in one. We double up as much as possible when traveling. And one last thing regarding the bus tour was that we let that dictate where about we would go in London. So if it wasn't on the route, then it was very unlikely we were going to make a trip out specifically to see it. Saves time, energy, effort, and minimizes the potential for stress and things that can go wrong. Let simplicity work for you. As part of the bus tour, we also got a boat ride to Greenwich and back. We were completely oblivious to Greenwich beforehand, and as such obviously didn't consider stopping by there a possibility until we booked the tour. And yet, it ended up being one of our favorite parts of the time we spent in London.
Ooooh, one thing we did when we visited London too was actually stay in Watford. It was only about a 15-minute or so train ride one-way straight to/from... well, I can't remember if it was Paddington Station or what, but right in London basically. We did this because we went to see the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour London, which is in Watford. As you would guess, the accommodation was much, much cheaper than it would have been if we stayed in London. So we saved a lot of money there. I know you guys stayed at Tasha's aunt's, but this goes for visiting any big city. Another example of doubling up in a sense.
Also, we have come to enjoy all the free opportunities in destinations we visit. Go for a walk in a park or by a river, rent a bike, go to free cathedrals and donate if you want, browse shops, go to the top floor of a really tall department store building and look out over the city that way for free (like I did in Seoul, South Korea once lol). There are countless free options available to you in probably any place you could visit. I know in England, they sure love their free walking tours. Maybe they aren't common in London, but there are plenty in Bath, for instance. People love history there and also love to tell people about it, even for free.
Let's see... lastly, I think I'll just throw in that there are plenty of great RUclipsrs whose channels are focused around traveling. Some of these include Kristen & Siya and HeyNadine. They have all kinds of tips for economical travel, so look them up if you haven't already!
Wishing you the best!
If you plan ahead and are organized you can take great vacations and actually enjoy them without thinking about the money! All about planning! Great video!
That price for 4 people, you did great.
When I went to London (we did much of what you did), we stayed with a relative as well - amazing how much cash you save when you don't have to pay for accommodations.
So true!--Tasha
Love hearing the cost breakdown! Jayme and I were going to go to Europe this year but decided to do an Alaskan cruise instead! This made me even more excited for our trip in August!
I'm so glad you did this! I also did a budget summary of a trip my husband and I took to Australia. We travel hacked because he had a conference in Sydney and then we made a vacation out of it afterwards. It saved us sooo much money on flights and accommodations since he got his tickets reimbursed. Checking out the Singapore vlog next!
We're interested in doing more travel hacking. Australia is on our bucket list!--Tasha
Wow! 4 people in London, you did great. I spent almost the same for just me. I went using Rick Steves tour company and traveled first class. What I learned about travel was well worth it. I now have much better travel skills. That’s why I Love your videos! I love learning from your experiences. Thanks so much for sharing! So glad you all had a great time!
This info is so helpful. Thank you for your continued transparency!
Thanks for sharing! I'm planning a solo trip this fall and this even helped me
Glad you guys had a great time. We went to London this year as well and we found the same thing with the London Pass..not worth it for what we wanted to do. We also skipped the Eye for the exact same reason. We found this out before through watching videos like yours so I can guarantee you are saving folks a ton!
Another great video! Thanks for sharing!
As a local tip I'd recommend Sky Garden for great views of London from a tall building, definitely worth it compared to the Shard. You need to book and tickets go quickly but it's free.
Thanks
Sounds like a great trip ,we leave in May ,can’t wait !!
We did the stone henge, Windsor and bath tour also and agree it was worth it!
I love your channel! You are both very inspiring. Thank you for the informative content. 💚
So can I stay with Tasha’s Aunt, too? 🤣 the breakfast sounds amazing!
Thank you for sharing the details! We are a family of 4 and always looking for an adventure! Keep these coming. I know that you are in the DMV area so am I, a staycation vlog would be great! I'm always curious about family events in the area.
From a Windsor native, so glad you had a good time! X
Great to hear your opinion about the London pass. Never found it useful because due to mobility issues, I can basically only do one attraction a day.
I have used the Amsterdam Pass because that includes transport which was very useful but don’t plan to use the Paris pass when I got there.
Looking at London transport, when Reeves/the hopeful third kid is quite a bit older, say seven or eight, the Underground would become easier than taxis.
Remember, we only took cabs three times. That's what makes the cost so crazy! For most of our trip we used public transportation.--Tasha
One Big Happy Life I have friends who live in London. They considered it the height of decadence to get an Uber home from a night out (as summer interns) £60 at least so at least you were splitting that among four people and actually covering some ground out to the Home Counties (I presume) but I would still say to save any repeat of London until your youngest is at least 6-8.
Thankyou , pls can you tell me what bus company you used for day trip.
I absolutely love these money videos! I'm going to Europe for the first time in 3 weeks and have a 15 hour layover right outside of London. If you guys went to gatewick airport and have any suggestions on what to do and where to stay for my layover, please let me know!
Erika Correa You can take the Gatwick Express into London. If you buy the tickets online or on the app, you’ll save money over buying in person. You could definitely see some things in 15 hours. The train takes 30 mins and deposits you at London Victoria. There you can take the underground around London to wherever you’d like to go.
@@lauravalle3766 thank you!
Sorry, we don't have any tips. But I'm sure others do!--Tasha
Thank you so much for the breakdown of your travel cost experience and for sharing that information with us.
Yes, you are right the cab fares are really very expensive whether you are a tourist or not, especially if you are travelling from areas outside of London into London. To be honest with you the cab drivers are thieves - Some may be reasonable and have a heart. But mostly they take advantage of people. I know this from personal experience. Nearly 3 weeks ago, 3 of us caught a cab within London to go to South East London and we paid £26 to get to the venue.
My grandson (17 yrs old) who came with us had to leave early paid £30 for his cab to East London train station - he lives outside of London and had to also catch a train to get to his destination.
My daughter, on the other hand, came to the same venue with 4 children and ended up having to pay £40 for her cab to East London train station.
We actually took Uber. I don't know if that's better or worse, lol.--Tasha
I really like that you guys made this video
I'm glad!--Tasha
Sounds like you had a great time. Fab.
YOU GUYS DID GREAT! I'm planning a two-week solo trip to Vancouver (and a few other cities on the Rocky Mountaineer) with a cruise to Juneau and I've already passed that figure... And this doesn't yet include the cost of the four days I plan to spend in Vancouver or airfare from the east coast. Do you have an aunt in Vancouver?
You have an awesome Auntie! 👏🏼👏🏼
I really do!--Tasha
Great video, 💗💕👍
Thanks Ella!--Tasha
Yeah, by Tasha’s reaction I don’t think she is leaving a newborn and toddler to Joseph anytime soon. Great video.
We went to London last October. Next time I will buy the love and London Itinerary. She is an American that lives in London. Have you guys tried the website sky scanner for flights? They have amazing deals.
Can you do a follow up update video on your million dollar debt? I was blown away by that video as I’m sure most others were too. I have student loan debt so I was curious how you’re doing with that debt. I have $32,000 in college debt.
We do monthly net worth updates so you can always check those out for up to date info on our debts.--Tasha
What's the best way to keep track of expenses? I am horrible with keeping track .
Ptolly69 I used the app TripCoin on my last trips
Wow.... you spend a lot of money. A weeks London Oyster Card for public transport is 50 pound per person and a hotel room would have been not more than 150 pound. Children under the age of 11 are free..If you get a good deal, finding a hotel room for 80 pound is also possible. When you are really tired: Go for the Hop-on Hop-off tours. They are expensive as well, but you see a lot of things. On vaccation I always try to get up early (no cues!) and to be at home when the sun goes down and use the evening to relax and recharge.
Regarding high buildings: Just go to a normal, high office building. Probably the second highest and drive up. Normally it's possible and free. In Europe not everything is already to highly commercialized as in the US.
And you don't have to do "everything" they try to make you think you should do. Like you said, the London Eye is unique, but it's mainly looking spectacular from the outside. But - when you are into art - the Tate modern is one of the best museums in the world and most of the exhibitions are free. Try to find out what is really unique in the city and just do that and enjoy the vibe (and people watching). ;)
....just to compare: I did a 7 weeks round the world trip (on my own) for 7000 dollars with 14 flights. There is still a lot of room left in planning to reduce the costs. Try to watch some "special deals" vaccation pages for the best offers.
Our public transportation costs included travel in London and in NYC. And in London with took the Tube and the Chilton commuter train. We mentioned in other videos that we didn't realize how far out my aunt lived until right before we were leaving. At that point, all of the hotels were over $300 a night.
The way that we planned our trip was that we each decided what things we wanted to see, then we looked for deals on those things. The point of going in the Shard and the London Eye is because they are distinctive. It wasn't just to see the London skyline (which we found to be unremarkable). Along those lines, I don't particularly like art museums, so I'd never go to Tate even though it's free (unless someone else really wanted to go). Remember that everyone's idea of what matters and what doesn't will vary.--Tasha
I thought you guys planned for the louvre as well?
We did. But the Louvre is in Paris and we never made it there.--Tasha
Thank you for the breakdown
Why are there no visuals on the expenses?
We typically don't have time to create graphics for one off videos. But many of our videos do have companion blog posts. You can go here for the post with the written cost breakdown: onebighappylife.com/family-travel/london-family-vacation-cost/ .--Tasha
Awesome video! You guys are from ny?!
How to save money in London from a born and bred Londoner.
1. Get yourself an Oyster card and a bus map. Buses are very efficient here and it costs less to get around than the train.
2. Venture out of the so called “safer areas”. Unfortunately, working class areas in London get a lot of bad rep, when 9/10 you’ll be perfectly safe, so long as you have your wits about you. These areas have the best, most affordable food options - Turkish, Caribbean, Indian, Chinese. If you budget correctly you could easily get a meal for under £10 per person.
3. Happy Hour - Thursday, Friday, Saturday before 5-6pm and All day Sunday at many London restaurants for those who love cocktails.
4. Wetherspoon chain pubs for those who like to drink on a small budget.
5. Unlike North America, all our museums, parks and art galleries are free. There’s so many dotted around London, so go! Check online or newspapers for updates on exhibitions.
6. Green Park/New Bond Street , Selfridges and Harrods for those who love luxury shopping.
7. Shops inside stations charge higher rates for drinks and snacks. Better to go to a supermarket.
8. East London is where all the gems are - food, night life and coffeehouses. Again, ignore the bad rep some areas have. Just have your head screwed on and don’t make poor Decisions- I.e waving your phone/purse around.
9. AIR BNB!!!! And try to get a place near the central or jubilee line as those trains take you to central areas in London.
10. For a great view of London, go to a bar at the Shard or Roof top Gardens, Fenchurch street.
Thanks for this. Going to London 2020 and I want to experience the culture from Londoners who look like me.
Which town does your aunt live in?
In your net worth updates are things like vacations part of your savings or you don’t even include it since it’s been budgeted out?
If we are planning on spending the money then it's not included in our savings balance.--Tasha
Do you guys still go through Scott's cheap flights (like you did for the Singapore trip)?
Yes!--Tasha
If anyone else goes to London, go to the Tate Modern's viewing platform rather than paying for the Shard or London Eye. It's free (just give a donation) and gives you 360 views of London. Most of the art exhibitions are free too and it has a lovely cafe overlooking the Thames. & It's really close to the Globe which is worth seeing 🙂
You might like this programme given the content of this video
You guys did great to say it was 4 people! Good job!
Thanks!--Tasha
Your $2,400 fare to london, is that 2-way already? Back and forth? Coz $600 is cheap i think considering how far it was. :)
Yep, that's round trip! And it included meal and checked bags.--Tasha
@@OneBigHappyLife wow that's cheap! What airline is that again? And how far off did you have to book before your actual travel date? :)
I think you could have saved money by hiring a car via Carrot or other companies vs taking a cab. I don’t understand how you spent $400 on a week of train/tube for 3 people. 😮 That’s more than I spend in a month in London. I’m surprised with you having family there that you spent so much on travel and attractions. Typically, locals can tell you how to save money and not pay tourists prices. And $6k for a week! That’s $1500 per person. Two of us travel for a month in Europe for summer holidays and spend about the same $1500 pp including lodging. If you do decide to go to Paris, I, and I’m sure others, can give you tips on how to spend half as much on that trip.
460$ is 350pounds...is 115 per person ...
Quite a lot...maybe there is mistake in video or aunt lived somewhere far away ;-)
Otherwise I cannot really see it even without oyster and with single tickets for 6 pounds.
Weekly travel card for all zones is something like 60 pounds per person.
Where do you stay within Europe for $1500 per person for a month? Is this within large cities? I'd love to know your tips! My family of 3 recently moved to the Netherlands from the US.
We mentioned in another video that we were also taking the Chilton line in and out of where my aunt lives because the Tube didn't run out there. We used Uber for our cabs, not sure if they're much more expensive than Carrot. But it's a 40 minute drive from London to my aunt's house. So that seemed reasonable
Remember that we spent $3K on flights and trains just to get to London in the first place. We always keep an eye out for flight deals and this was the best we found. We could have saved some on attractions by skipping the London Pass (given that we didn't use it) but at the end of the day, the attractions cost what they cost. So even if you have tips for lodging and transportation that would cut our cost down from $700 for a week, it wouldn't have saved us much.
It's definitely possible to travel for cheaper if you don't visit attractions that cost money and rarely eat out. Also, you can often find deals on accommodations for longer stays. But our goal was not to avoid spending money in London. It was to do everything we wanted to do there just in case we never go back.--Tasha
Train prices in the UK are sometimes horrific. I used to have to take the train from London to Birmingham sometimes for work and the train one way was £120 during rush hour. It's only a 1hr ish train journey too. I think 400 for a week for 3ppl is pretty good going.
✈️👍🏽. Becky out of Miami 🌞🏝🏊🏽♀️🏖💃🏽😎
I think you’d need to bump up your budget for Paris. I’ve lived in London and Paris is rather more expensive!
Where is his ring. Disrespect
As a Londoner it pains me to hear how much money you spent on tourist attractions. A bit more research would have allowed you to avoid that....trust me there is no need for a London pass. There are so many free attractions ☹☹
Hi thanks for the tip but we specifically chose the attractions that we wanted to see. Our goal wasn't to avoid spending money. It was to experience the attractions we were interested in.--Tasha
id say go to paris for her 21st but their drinking age is lower anyway lol
I think she might have had a drink while we were in London. She definitely had wine at my aunt's house.--Tasha
It makes me sad to hear you say you didn’t do things because you were tired so often. That’s part of the traveling experience! To me to go all that way and spend all that money to not take advantage of the reasons you wen there is a bit of a waste
Well, everyone is different right? For me, my vacation is mine to do whatever I want. If I'm tired I sleep. If I want to go on an adventure, I go on an adventure.--Tasha
As a local tip I'd recommend Sky Garden for great views of London from a tall building, definitely worth it compared to the Shard. You need to book and tickets go quickly but it's free.
I just check it out. It's lovely! That's a great tip!--Tasha