So you’re ready to check another destination off of your bucket list and you’ve decided that it’s high time that you experience jolly old England. Smashing!! Now what?

On first glance, planning a trip to the UK probably doesn’t seem too difficult.The language generally isn’t a problem for most, the entry requirements for most North American travellers are pretty simple, there’s an abundance of things to see and do, and plenty of ways to get around. However, with so many options, one can quickly fall into the rabbit role of endless, and potentially overwhelming, possibilities.This, in turn, can cause some travellers to opt for the standard, one size fits all, pre-packaged type of vacation or tour, that while enabling you to have a good experience, may not leave you with that great, authentic and truly memorable experience that you’re craving.

While we humbly suggest that using a trusted travel advisor is always a good idea, for many different reasons, we also have some great tips on how to plan the perfect English holiday for those of you who have the time and the desire to dig in and do it yourselves.

Start by making a list of all of the things that you would like to see and do while in the land of tea, taking all travellers into account (if there isn’t something for everyone your trip could be a bust right out of the gate) and then prioritize your list in terms of must sees and maybes. Don’t limit yourself to just London when making your choices – you’ll be missing out on so much of what England has to offer and likely end up falling into the good, but not great, type of vacation mentioned earlier.

Now pull out your Google maps and plot out your wish list.You’ll likely see a greater concentration of your selections in one area of the country over another and we suggest that you look for a home base that is central to the majority of your selected attractions. If you are feeling comfortable with the idea of driving on the opposite side of the road (we promise that you’ll get the hang of it a little quicker than you might think!) then you can rent a vehicle for the length of your stay and literally stay wherever your central bullseye falls. But if not, then you’ll want to look for a mid-sized town or city, near to your central location, with a well served rail station – the rail system in the UK (and Europe as a whole) is very well developed and extremely convenient with a whole host of ideally located stations, so this should not prove to be too difficult of a task. (We do note however, that even the most seasoned traveller may find that the expertise of a travel advisor, or destination expert, who specializes in England and the UK may be extremely beneficial in this regard, especially if this is your first trip to the UK.)

Once you’ve settled on a location for your stay you’ll want to book a hotel, flat, cottage or B&B that best serves your needs. If you are driving, may we suggest staying in a cottage or bed and breakfast on the outskirts of a smaller community, which can keep your costs down, provide an opportunity for more truly local experiences and still leave you with opportunities for short drives to larger metropolises or locales. On the other hand, if you are relying on rail, other modes of public transit, and your own two feet to get around, you’ll want to stay within comfortable walking distance from the nearest rail station where you plan to make your day trips from.

Yes -- we said day trips! Now that you’ve found your home base it’s time to plan daily outings to all of those exciting attractions that you have plotted out on the map. This is likely where you’ll spend the most of your research time and effort as you determine how you will get from point A to point B, how long it will take and how long you will spend at each point. It is important to be realistic about both your travel time and your sightseeing time. Both are probably longer than you might expect, especially if you’re a first-time traveller to England, and it’s better to overestimate your time in this case. There are a number of resources to help you with this part of your planning. If you’re driving you likely already know to use Google maps or a similar resource to plan your travel times. When it comes to planning train routes and travel times in the UK, National Rail provides an extremely helpful tool on both their website and within their app. Depending on your chosen attractions, the estimated time you plan to spend at each, and their proximity to each other, you may be able to see several sites in one day, whereas on others you will likely find that there is one main attraction that dominates your day.

If you’re already digging in and enjoying the research you may just have missed your calling! However, if you’ve fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole, fear not! We have our own custom plan for the perfect, first timers English holiday laid out here on our Facebook page. And if that still doesn’t whet your appetite or satisfy your must-see list then please contact us to help create your perfect trip to England!


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