Can Anyone Help...?

[blucougar]

I'm seriously considering travelling to the UK this year to see John Barrowman live in concert. I'm looking at going to the Cardiff concert on November 13, and structuring a holiday around that - a couple of weeks in London, approximately a week in Cardiff, and then back to London for a few days. Approximately 20-22 days in total.

I've worked out that I need around $2800AUD for flights and accommodation, leaving me with the equivalent of around 4,000 pounds for everyday spending and extraneous transport.

My question is, could I comfortably survive with around 200 pounds spending money per day (including the cost of food, every day transport, and any souvenirs I might like to buy)? Or am I being over-eager?

I really want to do this trip, because I have a nasty feeling that JB probably won't have a concert tour next year because of the Olympics, and I don't want to miss this opportunity, if I can manage it. Any and all help in figuring this out would be immensely appreciated. And in return, I promise to post the next chapter of my latest "What Never Should Be" installment this coming weekend...

Comments

[bedsidekibbles]

I think you could get by pretty easily on 200 pounds a day, especially if you're sticking to pubs (or even fast food) for meals. I think I got by on quite a bit less than that both times I went to the UK. There are definitely things you can do to stretch your dollar. Take the Tube and get some kind of pass; go to grocery stores for snacks and the like instead of eating at restaurants all the time, etc. And there will probably be some days that you stay quite a bit under your 200, so some days you could afford to go over as well.

[blucougar]

I'll definitely be doing it cheaply - no fancy restaurants for me! Probably my most expensive night out will be the night of JB's concert. Thank you!

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm not from UK, but from Germany, and have been in Cardiff last year for John's concert. As far as I can tell, 200 pounds per day should be more than enough! Meals in restaurants we went to were in between 10 and 15 pounds, 20 pounds at the max, depends how fance you want it of course. The busses in Cardiff were cheap, between 1 and 3 pounds, and that goes also for busses going to the surrounding area.

I don't remember the entry to the Cardiff castle at the moment, but maybe around 7 pounds? And I heard many museums are with free entry in London. Of course I don't know about the tube or meals in London, maybe somebody else can enlighten us on that.

My friend says, an Oyster card is great to use for the tube in London. You load it with money and then pay the subway tickets with that, mabe it is even cheaper than buying single tickets? I could ask to clarify.

It is a long way from Australia, but I really loved Cardiff and I don't think you will regret it. Also, seeing John live definitely beats the DVD. I will be back this year as well.

If you are interested, I did write a detailed report about last year's concert, with many video links included

http://dieastra.livejournal.com/21357.html

and also a report with lots of pictures of Cardiff and Torchwood/Doctor Who locations, it is not finished yet, but here is what I have so far:

http://dieastra.livejournal.com/21151.html

Enjoy!

[blucougar]

I'm planning on spending around a week in Cardiff, so I can have a decent experience of the city, so thank you for the tips! It's looking more promising - I just have to convince the bosses to let me have the time!

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Great - I just saw in your other post that you got the vacation - time to start planning! I wonder at which time the ticket selling starts in your area? I recommend being there right at the beginning, I clicked on the link in the first minute and still ended up in row K. Also, filling out the address field can be a bit tricky, last time they did not have other countries available, so you need to put all your infos in the ordinary fields and hope it will accept your post code. And another recommendation - write your full name in the first field where it says "initials". Because I really only wrote my initials D'oh.

Being from Australia, they are likely not to send the tickets by letter but you need to get them from the box office by showing your credit card. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me!

I also highly recommend in Cardiff taking the bus to St. Fagans, it's maybe half an hour. There is the Museum of Wels life, a big park with lots of old buildings, you also can go inside, they are furnished. The Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature/Family of Blood" was shot there, you will recognize a lot of the buildings.

That Flat Holm Island is also a good idea! *writes it down*

[bookwormsarah]

You should certainly be able to get by on £200 - you could get by on £200 a day including paying for accommodation if you stayed in *really* basic places. When I spent a month travelling round in the States I saved lots of money by buying food in supermarkets, and eating main meals at lunchtime rather in the evening to take advantage of special offers. Have you been to London before? I can recommend lots of free/cheap places to visit if you are interested.

I saw JB on tour in October - he was amazing and I had a fantastic evening.

[blucougar]

Thank you! I've never been to London/the UK before. The last time I left Australian shores was back in 1992, for a student exchange to Japan. Any suggestions you can make will be much appreciated.

I have fingers and toes crossed that the PTB will accept my leave application, because I desperately want to do this.

[morwencath]

Ok, take two! I had written a small novel and then hit the wrong button and lost it all before posting! Gah!

I am from the US but I have been to Wales and Cardiff 4 times in the last 2.5 years, once for a month with just a backpack!
It is a fabulous country and I wish I could move there permanently!

You can certainly get by in Cardiff on 200 or less per day. I highly recommend Riverhouse Backpackers hostel: http://www.riverhousebackpackers.com/
It is run by brother and sister Charlie and Abby who really make you feel welcome. It is centrally located 5 minutes from the central train and bus stations, Cardiff castle, the main street and shopping areas and bus stops to Mermaid Quay and the Bay. They have a full kitchen so you can get food at the nearby market and cook for yourself or at least eat cheaper than eating out. They also have a washer for laundry and free internet if you have a laptop or you can rent theirs for a reasonable fee. Best of all the rate starts at less than 18 pounds/night! I have met people from all over the world there.

Feel free to PM me if you want info on anything else in Cardiff. I am hoping to go back again in September for 3 weeks. Good luck and have a great time!!!!

[blucougar]

LOL, thank you! I think it was from one of your posts to someone else's LJ or DW that I was clued in to the Riverhouse. I've scoped them out and at this stage there are vacancies for the dates I want, and I'll be looking at around $181AUD for 6 nights. I figured if I'm going to Cardiff to see John, I'd be an idiot not to get the most out of the experience.

From the feedback I've received, I think this trip is definitely going to go ahead, provided my managers agree to letting me take my long service leave.

[morwencath]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you. I was supposed to be going next month but work is not cooperating so I hope that by putting my plans on hold they will accommodate me later this year and let me take 3 weeks instead of 2.

If you are interested in a tour of areas further out from Cardiff, See Wales http://www.seewales.com/day-tours.asp tours have some great 8 hour day tours for 40-45 pounds. I'm pretty sure I got a discount as well when I told them I was staying at the Riverhouse.

My big goal next trip is to make it out to Flat Holm. I have tried almost every trip but it has always gotten cancelled due to weather. I will make it one of these times!

:)

[blucougar]

I'm going to sound like a dope, but Flat Holm really exists???

I like the look of a couple of those tours, I will definitely take advantage of them. Thank you for the info!

[morwencath]

Well I don't know if there really is a secret underground hospital but yes it does exist. Here is the web page:
http://www.flatholmisland.com/content.asp?parent_directory_id=3813
And their blog that has some great pictures from the staff that live on the island: http://flatholmisland.wordpress.com/
Some of them stay at Riverhouse when they get their days off and come to the mainland. LOL

[jedidiplomat]

I think you can totally do it. Even me, who's no longer willing to stay in a hostel where I have to take all my crap with me everywhere all the time (remember King's Gate hotel?), I still got by on WAY less than 200 pounds a day last tiem. Of course, that was because my wallet was stolen and I was without any way to get cash, but it's doable for sure. I took the underground everywhere in London or walked.

I can give you hotel rec's in London if you want. The one I stayed in last time was 30 pounds a night and I did have to share a bathroom, but I had my own room with a lock so I was fine. And I've got a fannish friend that I can ping for things to do. She's a docent at the Tower of London on the weekends and working to get her tour guide license.

I will say, that if you want to go anywhere by train, get the tickets EARLY. I couldn't believe that some of the tickets were 80 or 90 pounds for a one way ticket. Kicked my ASS it did!

[blucougar]

LOL, yes I have vivid memories of the Kingsgate! Wasn't all bad, except for that last night...

If you have recs for places to stay in London, that would be great, though I'll probably cope with backpackers, just to maximise my spending money.

I'm also looking at getting a BritRail pass - 20% off if I buy it after September 1st. That'll at least get me to and from Cardiff. Now, if I can just get the girl from Flight Centre to get her s**t together, and stop trying to book me onto sub-standard airlines ten days earlier than I requested...

[taffimai]

You could probably get away with doing it on 100 pounds a day -- I spent a lot less than that two years ago and that included theater tickets and tours!

Of course my favorite part of my UK trip was my time in Edinburgh. I'd glad trade time in London to go back!

[faithharkness]

Congratulations! I have been every year for the past three and love the UK--you'll have a blast. I think you should be able to swing that budget. I would highly, highly, highly recommend The Riverhouse Backpackers in Cardiff. It is inexpensive; it's a hostel, but I've found it to be more like a bed and breakfast except you share a room. I've stayed there both times in Cardiff. It is easy walking distance to the castle, the main hub of Cardiff, the train station and the bus station. I have a link somewhere if you'd like it. I honestly cannot speak more highly of it. I unfortunately have nothing on London accommodations--I usually stay with friends. And if you want to stick to your budget, I'd stay away from Forbidden Planet in London, as it is Geek Paradise.