If you’ve decided to go on a trip to London with your friends, you’re probably feeling incredibly excited. But have you thought about how to be smart with your spending while you’re out and about? It’s easy to get carried away when you’re having a good time, but keeping a hold of your purse strings can help you to do more trips in the future rather than scrimping and scraping for the next few months. No matter what you have planned for your time in the big city, these tips will help you to stick to your budget.
Split the bill
It can be tempting to take turns paying for meals and drinks, but the easiest way to keep things fair in a group is to split every bill equally. Most restaurants will allow you to do this, but if you’re in a rush or the bar you’re visiting won’t accommodate six different credit cards, you have the option of paying your friends later. The simplest method of paying friends back is by sending money with a bank wire transfer. Make sure you can do this quickly to avoid leaving anybody short during your trip. Most banks will allow you to send money instantly to friends with online banking on an app.
Book in advance as a group
Travelling as a group can have many benefits, including discounts when you’re visiting attractions. By booking tickets online before you leave home, you could benefit from some significant savings. Prices tend to be higher on the day and some venues won’t offer the group booking discount when you’re at the door. If you already know what you plan to see, then you might as well create an itinerary that you know you’ll stick to.
Be aware of everyone’s financial situation
It’s easy to assume that everyone in your friend group is just as happy to spend money as you are, but that’s often not the case. It’s worth chatting with everyone before leaving about how much money they can afford to spend and whether they need to stay within a particular budget. Thinking everyone has the spare cash to go on a night out for five days in a row could put some of your friends in a difficult position. Equally, if you’re the one who’s trying not to spend too much, be honest with your friends and try not to feel pressured to shell out more cash than you’re comfortable with just because everyone else is.
Car share
Depending on where you live, car sharing can be the cheapest way to travel to London. There’s no sense in everyone driving down on their own if you all live close to one another. This way you can split fuel costs, which will be a fraction of a train or bus ticket. Just make sure your nominated driver is happy to sit behind the wheel, or arrange for each of you to take turns.
