Getting around the UK as cheaply as possible

I have been able to travel around a lot since I've been here and when I tell people from home about my trips, they think I'm loaded but that's not true! I am a poor college student like everyone else. I budget a lot since I don't have a job right now, but I find really cheap ways to travel that I want to share with you guys.

My main source I take for transportation when I visit other cities in the UK is by Megabus. It is the cheapest travel I have ever made. From Swansea to London (which is about a 4-5 hour bus ride) I pay only £5 or less for one way, about £10 or so for a round trip . This depends on how close or far I purchase the ticket to the date. Even if its really close in time, its cheaper than most other travel companies. One of my friends who has a certain travel card bought a megabus trip for less than a pound because she booked it early, plus had a travel card! I forgot what kind of travel card is, but find it out and let you guys know soon.

So if you want to budget and want to travel around the UK, megabus is your best bet. They have toilets provided and here's the best bit guys...FREE WIFI! So bring your itouches or laptops if you want because there are also outlets provided to charge your electronic devices. Also, if you bring snacks, most of the buses provide plastic bags beside the seats so you can put your trash inside. If you arrive to London by Megabus, it drops you off at Victoria Station, which is in central London.

Whenever I get tired of bus transport I like going by train because it's faster and a little more comfortable than being cramped in a bus. I usually book my train tickets off of The Trainline. The prices are alright (yet again, depending how advance you purchase your tickets). I usually buy train tickets for when I go back to Swansea and I go by nighttime too because they tend to be cheaper (irrational times = cheaper prices).

If you're concerned about arriving at an exact location (because Megabus tends to drop you to what seems of the middle of nowhere sometimes) there is a bus service that drops you off exactly where you needto be. National Express is a bus company that takes you exactly where you want. For example, if you're on your way to Heathrow airport it drops you off in front of the terminal you need to be. I find this very helpful since Heathrow is such a large airport. National Express is more expensive though - about double the price of megabus or more but sometimes its nice to have princess service to basically take you where you need to be. If you need to go to Gatwick airport, there is a train line that links directly to the airport.

As for Stansted airport, it is actually a lot further out of central London but National Express takes you there too and you can take the London Underground to Liverpool Station, you can take the Stansted express. The underground is easy to understand. After a day or two (if you're not used to using the metro system) it becomes pretty simple. If you're staying there for a couple of days, I advise to buy the day ticket. It takes you around central London and costs £7.

What about travels outside the UK? One thing I do prefer over here in Europe than the states is how cheap it is to travel within the EU. Easyjet and Ryanair are the cheapest flights you can book and is the most common airplane service my friends and I use. Easyjet is a little more expensive than Ryanair, but I prefer Easyjet. For both airlines you have to add luggage if you plan on bringing more than just a carry on bag. Be careful about Ryanair because they try to get as much money off of you over their website and when you check in! I flew Easyjet when I went to Germany. I spent about £80 for a round trip. That's only about $150 (DOLLARS!).

Easyjet and Ryanair are not your only options though. Check out Student Universe for any good deals. I booked a flight to Paris through student universe for only $211 (again, DOLLARS!). This included return AND I flew on Air France (which is a really great airline and Charles De Gaulle airport is really good). Other sites, check STA travel and Momondo.

I hope for those who are looking into traveling in the UK or in Europe in general find this useful! I might make another post about hostels and budgeting on food.