Staying in London isn’t the most cost-effective option—but sometimes you have to balance your well-being with your bank balance. And as I’ve been doing this for a while now, I’ve discovered some cost-effective ways to travel and stay, so I wanted to share! I would have LOVED this guidance when I first started, so I hope it helps you too!

Train Tickets

The further in advance you book train tickets, the cheaper the ticket will be. This requires organisation and knowing your travel dates in advance, but trust me it’s worth it. I recently paid £73 for a ticket that would have been £12 if I had booked in advance.

Accommodation

I use Booking.com for all of my reservations. Jumping straight in with that kind of makes it sound like an ad, but I promise it’s not (unless you’re reading this Booking, then feel free to get in touch so we can change that!). But logistics are not my thing. I find it confusing, stressful and all of the different options are overwhelming. It’s probably why my husband books everything for us when we travel!

But with Booking, I find the process so simple. I’m able to compare prices and hotels all in one place and they have a great loyalty scheme that’s tiered so you can get discounts starting from 10%. I’ve just reached the tier for 20% off which is great, but to make it even better you can use these loyalty discounts in conjunction with other promotions they’re running. One of my recent work commitments was happening around Black Friday and Booking was running a promotion for 30% off selected hotels, which led to amazing savings when used with my loyalty discount!

Personal Luxuries

When it comes to business travel, you often need to pick and choose your luxuries. For me, this means knowing when to go for 5-star luxury, and when to go budget. I usually choose based on a few criteria including location and how much time I’ll have free to spend in the room. For example, if I’m out all day and night and will hardly be in the room, I am more likely to choose a Premier Inn or something like that. Whereas if I have an evening free, then I upgrade my options and choose something a little more luxurious as I’ll actually be able to enjoy it.

For example, I was recently in London for an event with an incredibly early start, so instead of getting up well before the crack of dawn to catch the first train into London, I booked a hotel so I could get some rest and start my day and business event feeling fresh. The day before I filled my trip with plans to really make the most of it and it was lovely. I went for a walk around Covent Garden and was in awe of the Christmas lights, I went out for a solo dinner, and then I took myself to the theatre before heading back to the room for a quick skincare routine and sleep. I knew I would hardly be in my room due to the plans I made, so I didn’t require anything too luxurious when it came to my accommodation.

However, at a different time, I booked a hotel, but I didn’t have any plans. Nor did I want any. I wanted rest and comfort and that’s exactly what I had! Oh god, I had the best time! I checked in, went to my room and got straight in the shower before doing a full skincare routine. Then I changed into my PJs, ordered room service (eating pizza on a bed big enough for it to not be icky is such a flex), and put on my comfort show (Gilmore Girls if you’re wondering), to prepare for my speaker event. This booking required a more luxurious hotel because I wanted to enjoy my time there and truly relax, so I booked the Sea Containers. A hotel which holds a special place in my heart, and my husband and I have enjoyed for years, as it’s where he proposed to me! It’s in my top 3 favourite hotels I’ve stayed in, in London. It’s definitely a treat hotel but with Booking.com discount, it actually ended up being priced like an average hotel so it was a no-brainer!