London for Pence

Many of us return annually to London to experience its cutting edge international food scene and its treasure trove of art, history, and cultural events. I love London for all those reasons, but also because the lack of a language barrier allows a total immersion in the lifeblood of a foreign culture, from chatting up locals to reading the newspapers.

London is also the world’s most expensive city for foreigners, due to the terribly unfavorable exchange rate, so I planned to spend some time there, figuring out how to have a London experience that didn’t sacrifice quality and some luxuries—but cost no more than a week’s stay in New York or San Francisco. Weeks before we were to depart, a series of terrorist bombings of London’s public transport system occurred, and London suddenly seemed to be one of the world’s most dangerous cities as well. Friends and relatives inquired as to my sanity when I didn’t cancel the trip and told them I even planned to use public transport to keep within the mandate of my article.

And we did. We used buses and the tube every day without incident. I found London safe, welcoming, and delightfully uncrowded for a typical August week. The odds of being a terrorist victim in London, despite the tragedies, are still less than being injured in a car accident on the way to the airport.

Tip 1: Have a Frugal Mindset
The best way to save money in London, but not sacrifice quality, is to plan your trip with value as the top priority. Going when the weather is best or the kids are on break may not be an option. You may need to eat your main meal at times that don’t suit you or stay in a hotel that isn’t closest to the hot spots. If your idea of a great trip is to do everything on a whim, you will inevitably spend more than you want in London and should instead focus on a budget experience, not a value-driven, amenity-laden one.

Tip 2: Go When You Can Save
Airfares are usually cheapest in late fall and winter, which is when the weather is at its worst (merely damp and mild by Minnesota standards). If you shop the sales, you’re likely to find a roundtrip from MSP for $500. Expect to pay double that in summer. For a family of four, that’s a $2,000 savings, but it means pulling kids from school.

The problem is, lodging is likely to be most expensive when the airfares are the lowest. Summer is the time to get bargains on good hotel rooms—since the best London hotels primarily cater to business travelers and that’s when business travel is slackest.

At Christmas and Thanksgiving (not a holiday in the UK), the major carriers often offer superb sales on business-class seats—for $1,000 roundtrip or even less. Northwest and alliance partner Continental are typically instigators.

We saved by using frequent flyer awards, thus Northwest Airlines decided when we could go.