England is not a cheap vacation destination by any stretch of the imagination, (especially when compared to Cuba or Mexico City).
We did figure out one good trick to save money, however: hand pies. Hand pies are a cheap (<$2) alternative to sit-down food and can be carried with you as you move along the city quite easily. They can be filled with cheese, meat, vegetables, pesto… basically anything that can be folded into pastry. I can’t promise that they will be delicious, frankly. But they will sustain you for your London walking tour. You can find them in grocery stores, bakeries, and pastry and pie shops. The cheapest and tastiest we had actually came from the local grocery market, so don’t think that a fancy shop means a better pie.
Add in a water bottle, good camera, and tripod and you’re ready to hit Parliament Street!
Other cheap food options include:
- Pizza (make sure to order cheese on your pizza, otherwise you might accidentally end up with marinara bread like we did), and
- Cooking breakfast in your Airbnb kitchen. We had English breakfast tea, toast, and eggs every day thanks to our gracious Airbnb host*.
(*For more info on how to use Airbnb to live with a local in another country, and a $40 off coupon, click here.)
