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London, England – November 1999

By: Stacy Ashworth

Okay, I’ve just been to visit my city for two weeks. Yes, two glorious weeks in Toronto. Unfortunately, this has left me feeling rather bitter about London right now. I’ve been back two days, two very long days. Now I must wait while I forget the splendor that is life in Canada. I was very silly, I should have written this article before I went.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think London is a wonderful place to visit. There is so much to see and do for people of all ages. And there’s no comparing the tourist industry in London, where it’s huge, to Toronto, where it’s a few adventurous Americans experiencing a foreign country. But when you start thinking about where in the world is good to live, I have to start questioning my sanity.

Given my mood this week, I thought I would take a different approach this month and highlight one thing London is excellent for – cheap travel.

Package Deals

Last year I went to Malta for one week with food, three star hotel, transfers and airfare for £89. This is one reason I like London, because it’s so easy to get away without going broke! So how did I find such a bargoon? Start with the web-sites www.bargainholidays.co.uk and www.cheapflights.co.uk. Ads on the Tube and in papers are also a great place to look, especially the Australian magazine “TNT” found free on most big street corners. Mind you I don’t claim this is normal, or can be found again, but it’s worth a try.

Flights

If it’s a flight you’re after, there are many bargain flights that fly out of London. Generally you will feel like cattle and have to purchase your sandwich and coffee, but at these prices who cares? These flights generally cannot be booked through a travel agent, only directly through the company on internet or the phone. It is probably better to book on internet because they usually offer discounts for web bookings. They do not issue tickets, your receipt is your proof of flight.

The original is Easyjet, on which there isn’t even assigned seating (something every good traveller should experience once in a lifetime). Easyjet flies to many popular destinations including Athens and Amsterdam.

It’s nearest rival is BA’s Go (currently being sued by Easyjet claiming it has been set up to run Easyjet out of business). Go flies to some different destinations than Easyjet, such as Prague, so be sure to check both before choosing a destination.

Another cheap airline is RyanAir. However, I have heard that the airports they fly to are not necessarily the nearest airport to the destination, for example flights to Oslo fly into some airport way down the road and you may end up with an hour’s bus ride to town once you get there.

Another airline to try is British Midland, who fly to many destinations in Europe at a slightly higher notch up the ladder than the super budget lines and not necessarily higher prices. They are especially cheap for flights to Dublin. As an added convenience they fly out of Heathrow, whereas the others leave from Luton or Stanstead.

Airports

There are four airports that service London, and each has its good and bad points. When choosing an airport, it may be helpful to consider where you are staying in London.

Heathrow is a big chaotic place, but is easily assessable by the Heathrow Express from Paddington, which is £12 one way, and £20 return, the journey is about 15 minutes. If that is too steep for you, you can actually get there on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground, which takes between 1-1½ hours (depending on the time of day).

Gatwick is calm compared to Heathrow, but it is fairly far from central London. Trains leave from Victoria and are £20.40 return. Journey time is approximately 30 minutes. I find Gatwick has decent airport shopping, but prices are no different from those in central London.

Stanstead is nice and new and really clean and calm. It may take a while to get there as trains leave from Liverpool Street. It’s where many discount lines fly out of, and if you have booked your ticket through Go, you should receive a discount on the train fare to the airport, just show your voucher at the booth. A return ticket is £16.10 and leaves from Liverpool Street (very convenient to the financial area). Journey time is approximately 40 minutes.

Luton is where Easyjet flies from. It is a small airport and entails probably the most hassle to get to and from London. Trains leave from St Pancras and go to Luton Town, where buses leave every five minutes for the airport (included in the fare). Total journey time is about ½ hour and the fair is £9 each way. A new train station at the airport is currently under construction and may possibly be open by the end of the month.

Eurostar

Another way out of London is the Eurostar (yes it’s the train that goes through the channel tunnel). The Eurostar can take you to Brussels, Bruges, Paris, Disneyland Paris, and in ski season the French Alps. Many great deals can be had on the train.

If you’re a student, student and youth fares do exist, but only through student travel agencies such as STA. For everyone else, be sure to book through directly through Eurostar as most travel agents charge an additional fee. And be sure to ask for any special offers as they will not volunteer this information, they will simply give you the standard fare unless you ask.

General Info on London

London’s huge. It’s also crowded and buzzing with an energy all

it’s own. With the exception of wildlife you can find everything

you’ve ever dreamt of – for a price.

When coming here the number one thing you can count on is that you’re not going to be bored. The number two thing is that you’re going to spend a lot more money than you planned (even considering most museums & galleries are free).

Guide Book Update

I know many guide books are highly recommending the Museum of

Mankind just off Bond Street, and I trudged 1/2 hour to see this

wondrous collection only to find out that it’s closed. It is currently

being relocated to the British Museum and will not be on display

for a few years – probably just in time for the next guidebook

update!

Recommended Readings

Edward Rutherford’s “London.” Okay okay, it’s a long book, but

if you have a long plane ride the payoff is excellent. There’s

so much more to be had from the city when you can walk around

and understand how the things you’re seeing got there.

Getting Around

I know all guidebooks will tell you to take black cabs, and they

are pretty cool but also pretty expensive. You can get much cheaper

travel by finding a minicab, with whom you can negotiate the price

upfront. They are really easy to find at night, they hang around

outside of night clubs and other attractions, and they’re listed

in the phone book if you want to get one from your hotel.

Click here for a map of the London Underground.

Where to Find Info

The what’s on bible for most Londoners is “Time Out” which is widely available and comes out weekly for 1.80.

Every Thursday the very similar (though not as comprehensive) guide “Hot Tickets” comes free with the 35p Evening Standard – which is sold on all street corners.