I don’t think you are way overestimating on the food. Depends on what the dollar does between now and then but a meal for 2 people can easily cost $40-50, without any alcohol (I am unaware of prices of alcohol since we don’t drink, but it is expensive…that much I know). If you eat out three times, then it could get pricey. I don’t think that you are “way over” on your food budget.

Everything here seems to be expensive. I spent something like euros 7-9 on a sandwich at the airport in France coming back home to Poland last fall. That’s just the sandwich.

We’re getting ready to go to Germany/Denmark (drive) for 5 of us during the last week of August. I’m going to keep close tabs on our costs… I can let you know if you are interested.

I too, dream of visiting Paris and London someday. We’ve been to Germany numerous times since it is close. After the kiddos leave home, maybe we’ll fly over to Paris (or maybe before…) :)

Recently snow in the UK deafeted air travel with cancelled flights and the departures sections were busy and crowded, while the new international rail links were in full operation, taking new airline passengers. I have travelled from St Pancras and Ebbsfleet International and have been impressed by both new stations. St Pancras International is easy access from London and has rail connections to the main airports, however if you are driving then Ebbsfleet International is even better.

Ebbsfleet International offers easy access by London’s major motorway route M25 (10 minutes drive) and they have over 9000 car parking spaces at Ebbsfleet International station. The BBC had claimed that a statue of a horse will be built nearby 160 ft tall or visible from 60 miles away, so if you have not herd about it by then you will see it from anywhere tall in London. Also just 5 minutes from Ebbsfleet is the Bluewater shopping center, which is one of the largest in Europe and very popular for frequent tourists to the UK and if you really have lots of time, then Kent is a very historical and nice place to visit in the UK.

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Here are some tips. Consider taking the National Express bus from London to Paris. http://www.nationalexpress.com. Depending on the day and when you book, you could get a fare for 15pounds one way. For some, meals, there is a sandwich shop on sandwich shop glouchester road ½ price sandwiches after 4pm. If you do an internet search you’ll find it. Basements of department stores have food shops with takeway food. Use http://www.priceline.com for the hotels. I’ve seen amazing deals on 3 or 4 star London hotels for under 90 dollars. http://www.betterbidding.com, is the unofficial board where people report what they got for their bid. Learn the system and strategies by that website. If you want more of a budget deal still with privacy, look at Travelodge’s UK website. They have a certain amount of rooms for 19 & 29 pounds. Read the reviews on the hotels first. Some are nicer then others.
Buy a tube pass for transportation (oyster card).
If you think you’ll like hiking or the English Countryside take the tube to the outskirts of the city. Richmond Park where deer roam freely, and Hampstead Heath. For a daytrip to another town, consider Cambridge. 2 hours away by bus. Sometimes you can get a sale fare of 1 pound each way (I did) on National Express website. To see a play, London has a 1/2 price theatre kiosk for day of show tickets. I saw Blood Brothers for about $20 and absolutely loved it. Enjoy!!

If you end up getting your plane tickets online, the best prices are usually on Tues or Wed mornings.

I agree with others that taking the Eurorail is better than flying into Paris. It’s quick and comfortable!

London has soooo much to offer! I was a little disappointed with the Tower of London and thought the Eye was neat, but very pricey. Definitely check the hours for all places you’d like to see – when I went, I missed a lot of things because my timing was slightly off and some places were closed at odd times.

In Paris, I highly recommend visiting Versaille! They operate their fountains only at certain times/days and I highly recommend checking when they do that, as it’s a gorgeous site! You could easily spend hours walking around just the gardens! And you can buy and print your tickets online to save time.

Also, if you have a student id, take it and use it! Many places, including the Louvre, offer discounts with one.

And you may want to keep an eye on the exchange rates, so you’ll know when you see a good deal.

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