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This section seeks to be of value in providing travel information and services, that would be of particular interest to the British expatriate. Whilst there are a number of topics that might be of interest, one area of common concern is how to visit family in the UK, or vice-versa, without paying the earth.

Accomodation

As a starting point, there is a British company that can provide access to a choice of accommodation  at reasonable prices. This world leading site, can if you wish, cover travel requirements worldwide, as well as excellent coverage of the UK. Check out all-hotels.

The range of hotels cover bed & breakfast up to 5star, so you should be able to find something suitable. If you would like to spend more time searching for bargains in the other elements of travel to and in the UK, then the ideas below may help.

Car Hire

The all-hotels site covers car rental by the major and some low cost providers around the UK airports and elsewhere. If you want to bring the cost down further, and can sacrifice some flexibility and convenience, then try these sites that serve the selected airports:Practical, Century, LCH, Nova, or easyRentacar On the other hand - if you want to drive in considerable style, are prepared to pay for it, then try: Avis Prestige

If you have been away from the UK so long that you cannot find your way around, then you can get street plans from Easymap, and route finders from the AA. If you want to get around London, then a car may not be the best idea, have a look at London Transport.

Trains

The services are supplied by a number of train operators, which have regional franchises, and compete for custom. Two sites worth using are the network timetable at Railtrack and a booking site at The Trainline. This site allows comparison of fare options by route, flexibility of ticket, and operator. Tickets are sent by post or can be picked up at certain railway stations. Booking is advisable (and can allow cheaper ticket options) on the long distance trunk routes.

If you are really are on a budget, then try taking a bus by National Express.

You can also travel to France and Belgium from London by train run by Eurostar. This is easy, quick and less stressful than other options, but not quite as entertaining as taking a ferry from Dover.

Air Travel

The Travelocity site allows comparison between a range of airlines for travel worldwide, and a booking facility. You can search for flights using the search box below. If you are looking to get further travel bargains on flights to/from the UK then consider these points:

1) In general non-direct airlines may seek to compete with more convenient direct services, by having lower prices. With the growth of traffic from regional UK airports, there is an increasing range of connections with major European hubs. If you wish to travel to the north of England or Scotland, then you may find more convenience and better prices by avoiding London Gatwick and Heathrow. Suggested airlines and hubs worth considering:

Lufthansa via Frankfurt, Icelandair (serving North America from London and Glasgow), KLM via Amsterdam, SAS via Copenhagen, Sabena via Brussels, Swissair via Zurich. If some of the European or other (i.e.: Asian, Middle East etc) airlines can offer low deals only as far as European hubs, then you may be able to connect onto flights to UK regional airports via airlines such as:easyJet (also can be very competitive for travel within UK), Buzz (discount airline owned by KLM), British Midland, Go! (discount airline formerly owned by British Airways), Virgin Express  

2) Booking ahead, avoiding school holidays, Chinese New Year (or whatever local festivals apply), trawling discount shops.

3) If you travel back and forth regularly on the same route you may like to compare the price differences between booking return tickets from one location rather than the other. For example: if you live in Germany, you might find it cheaper to travel to the UK on return tickets that originate in the UK, rather than Germany. This is probably only worthwhile if you travel reasonably frequently, and can plan ahead.

4) If the traveller is over 50, then they may be able to get a cheaper ticket to travel from the UK through promotions by SAGA magazine. If the traveller is a student, with an International Student Identity card then try Campus Travel.

5) those who are travelling regularly at your employer’s expense may wish to exploit the issue of Airmiles or loyalty points. These are particularly lucrative for business class travel, although it is worth considering which airlines are most useful for personal travel. The effect is enhanced if you stay in hotels with links to airline loyalty points schemes. If you pay for business fares on your own credit card (prior to claiming expenses), then you can benefit further if the card issues points also. If you think this not ethical then have a look when your boss opens his wallet, and watch all the airline cards cascade out.

6) travel on deeply unpopular airlines can be cheaper than on other carriers. If you wish to find out why they might be less popular have a look at: Airsafe

7) if you are fortunate to have employment that includes return travel to the UK, then find out what it covers, extend it if possible! Establish whether there is flexibility in how it is used. For example: could the value of a business class return fare for one, be spent instead on a discount economy fare for the entire family.

8) UK duty free prices compare well with many overseas airports. You can pre-order duty free at major UK airports through BAA. Whisky, Brandy and Wine tend to be expensive in Asian airports - seek out the Gin, as it seems to be cheap in most places.

International Travel Information

For those that travel frequently, below are some ideas and information that might be of interest:

Mapblast has an impressive range of online maps covering the world
Priority Pass enables members to access business lounges in airports
Toptable can book you a table at restaurants around the UK, (also can earn  Webrewards)
World Wide Events lists major events around the world
Book tickets with Latest Events for UK, and Globaltickets around the world
Timeout has entertainment guides to major world cities
Rough Guides have global travel information and destination descriptions

The BAA site has flight arrival information at the major UK airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton. Information about the other commercial airports in the UK (including Luton and Manchester) can be obtained from A2bAirports. For information about international airports (particularly North America) look at QuickAID.

For information about visas and security for British Citizens travelling to foreign countries look at the site run by the Foreign Office .