Travel Like a Local

I do not purport to be an expert traveler, by any means, but I am always on the hunt for tips on how to make a trip more enjoyable and less costly.  So when I can pay that forward and offer the same help to others, I like to do so.

On my recent trip to London, I encountered large groups of tourists in possession of the London Pass.  I know they had it, because usually it was dangling from a lanyard around their neck.  The London Pass is a pass you pay for by the day with unlimited access to a large number of London attractions.  They have similar passes for other cities, such as New York City.

My family did not have London Passes, and here’s why:  We paid a fraction of the cost to see the sights we wanted by purchasing an annual family membership to Historic Royal Palaces.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of the annual family pass; they are available for everything from your local zoo to the nearest amusement park.  Why would you buy an annual pass for attractions in a foreign country, you ask?  Because it’s cheaper.  A lot cheaper.

Here is the comparison:

Six day London Passes for a family of four:  $470.

Annual membership to Historic Royal Palaces for a family of four:  $120.

The annual membership gets you the same skip-the-ticket-queue privilege as the London Pass, plus gets you 10% off in all the onsite gift shops and restaurants and a souvenir book.  To be fair, the list of attractions covered in the London Pass is quite long, and there are only six Historic Royal Palaces:  The Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace, The Banqueting House, and Hillsborough Castle.  Hillsborough Castle is not in London, but if you happen to include Northern Ireland in your trip, this could be a bonus for you, I suppose.  The first five, however, are among the top visited sights in and around London.  Hampton Court Palace is my personal favorite and I’m pleased to say my family agreed when I was able to share it with them.

So my recommendation is to do the math before you decide which is right for you.  If your goal is to pack as many attractions into as few days as possible, the London Pass may be your best bet.  Consider, though, that’s not always the most relaxing way to take a vacation.  For my family in our five days of touring London, the HRP membership was a much better deal, even after we paid separately for Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds (I do have tweens after all).  And, yep, we used it in the gift shops and the restaurants, too.

Hopefully this will help you have an enjoyable and affordable London vacation!