UKSECRETS
Don’t miss a visit to The Beatles
Story. At this Liverpool museum,
you walk through the life of the city’s
most famous sons
are some of the original belongings (personal and professional) of
the band, and some recreated—such as the PANAM flight they
took on their first tour to the US. With its show-and-tell and
commentary, it feels as if the Beatles are right around you.
Smart way to travel by train in the UK
Buy a rail pass —First Class if your budget allows. You can then
hop on and off any trains during the validity of your pass. You can
change schedule as many times as you like without incurring any
charges. Buying passes or tickets in advance (especially online) can
cost less than half the regular fare at times.
I would suggest you reserve seats on trains you wish to take.
This does not cost anything extra in the UK. Even if you don’t
turn up for that train, you do not lose anything. Take another.
But seats have to be booked 24 to 48 hours in advance. If you
don’t, it can be a challenge finding an unreserved seat on crowded
sectors—painful to walk through carriages looking for one when
you are lugging bags.
One tip from the trip
If you are doing a journey by train, carry minimum luggage. And
despite the temptation to pick up knick-knacks, leave it for the fag
end of the trip. If you must shop, take sturdy bags with wheels to
make life easier.
Another tip: Skip breakfast in your hotel. There are such lovely
tea rooms, cafes and restaurants calling you in all day—save your
appetite for these. You can always have your omelettes and muesli
back home.
Next time same place, what would you
change
I would spend more time in the Cotswolds and Lake District.
TS
Ajay Jain is a travel writer, photographer, author of
eight books, speaker, and a coffee brewer. He also
runs the popular Kunzum Travel Café in New Delhi,
India. He blogs at http://kunzum.com and can be
contacted at [email protected].
September-October 2015 Travel Secrets 45