CULTURE NOTE: TRAVELLING AROUND THE UK 1. Answer the following questions. – Have you ever been abroad? Where did you go and how did you get there? Was it on business or for pleasure? – What's the longest trip you have ever taken? – When travelling long distance, what is your preferred mode of transport & why? – If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
2. Read the travel blog by Adventurous Kate and check her tips on how to travel the UK. Which tips do you find the most useful? The UK is one of the most expensive countries in Europe – and if you’re planning a trip, you might be daunted by the cost of transportation within the UK. But it is very possible to travel the UK for cheap! Since settling in Chester, I’ve found a host of ways to save money on transportation. 1) It doesn’t matter whether you’re traveling by train, bus, or air – booking early will nearly always save you money, and booking last minute will always be exponentially more expensive. 2) Train travel in the UK is incredibly romantic, and you can easily watch the scenery go by for hours – bright green hills, sheep, newly plowed fields, tiny villages…it’s my favorite way to travel the UK. Most of the time, it’s also the easiest and fastest way to travel – though not the cheapest. If you’re not a UK resident and planning on travelling lots of long distances in the UK by train, look into a Britrail Pass. If you’re just booking occasional journeys, read on. Check the Megatrain and Virgin Train sites first for absurdly cheap train routes. These two sites tend to promote the same routes. Next, no matter which destination you choose, check out The Trainline’s Fare Finder – it will show you the cheapest tickets for various dates and times. Either way, booking on The Trainline is usually cheaper than other sites. What to know: Be flexible on stations. I was looking for ChesterEdinburgh round-trip fares and couldn’t find anything for less than an astounding £150. Then I found out that there are cheap fares on Megatrain from Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow, a short trip from Edinburgh. I had never heard of Warrington Bank Quay, but it’s only a few stops away from Chester! I paid normal fares from Chester to Warrington and from Glasgow to Edinburgh – but from Warrington to Glasgow, the longest part of the journey, I found a super-cheap 9USD fare. 3) The thing about bus (or coach) travel is that you need to evaluate the positives and negatives. Yes, bus travel can be much cheaper than the train, but it can also take a lot longer, and most find it less pleasant. I usually book a coach when traveling from Chester to London. The fastest trip is five hours. To me, five hours on a bus is definitely doable, while 11 hours to Scotland is not worth it. First, check out Megabus for the cheapest fares of the bunch, and then check out National Express for cheap fares but more convenient times. What to know: Again, book as early as possible, especially on Megabus – they even have £1 fares! Also, keep in mind that you must wear a seatbelt at all times – it’s a UK law.
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CULTURE Lesson 1
EDUCATION AND JOB
UNIT
6
