{"id":89,"date":"2016-06-01T13:49:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T12:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/188.166.168.151\/2016\/06\/01\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/"},"modified":"2020-05-20T19:43:24","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T18:43:24","slug":"cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Transport Hacks for UK Musicians"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/train2.jpg\" alt=\"alt\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re trying to get from Sheffield to Luton Airport but the train ticket is \u00a390, which is a large chunk of your fee. But there&#8217;s nothing else you can do &#8211; you need to make this flight.<\/p>\n<p>But what if someone could tell you how to halve the price?<\/p>\n<p>Read on for Paula&#8217;s top UK transport hacks and email her at paula@joinencore.com if you have more tips to add to the list! Also check out <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.joinencore.com\/travelling-with-your-instrument\/\">The Definitive Guide to Flying with your Instrument<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_57_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69e20980da46b\" ><span class=\"\"><span style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input aria-label=\"Toggle\" aria-label=\"item-69e20980da46b\"  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69e20980da46b\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#1-When-how-to-buy-train-tickets\" title=\"1. When &amp; how to buy train tickets\">1. When &amp; how to buy train tickets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#2-Where-to-buy-train-tickets\" title=\"2. Where to buy train tickets\">2. Where to buy train tickets<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Virgin-Trains-App\" title=\"Virgin Trains App\">Virgin Trains App<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#National-Rail-App\" title=\"National Rail App\">National Rail App<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#The-Trainline-App\" title=\"The Trainline App\">The Trainline App<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Megatrain-Website\" title=\"Megatrain Website\">Megatrain Website<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#3-Airport-Travel-Hacks\" title=\"3. Airport Travel Hacks\">3. Airport Travel Hacks<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Heathrow\" title=\"Heathrow\">Heathrow<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Gatwick\" title=\"Gatwick\">Gatwick<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Luton\" title=\"Luton\">Luton<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#Stansted\" title=\"Stansted\">Stansted<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#4-Eurostar\" title=\"4. Eurostar\">4. Eurostar<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#5-Railcards\" title=\"5. Railcards\">5. Railcards<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#6-Food\" title=\"6. Food\">6. Food<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/#7-London-Tube\" title=\"7. London Tube\">7. London Tube<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"1whenhowtobuytraintickets\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-When-how-to-buy-train-tickets\"><\/span>1. When &amp; how to buy train tickets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s usually better to book trains as far as possible in advance, especially for longer journeys. It&#8217;s rarely a good idea to rock up at the station and buy a ticket &#8211; it&#8217;ll be the full whack.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it&#8217;s only a few quid more to book a first class ticket and well worth it for longer journeys. Just beware that sometimes weekend first class services don&#8217;t have the complimentary food\/drink that weekday ones do!<\/p>\n<p>Something well worth checking out is whether National Rail charges you a higher price for purchasing a journey involving a change. For example, an anytime ticket with a Network Railcard from London Kings Cross to Bury St Edmunds with a change at Cambridge costs \u00a334.50. A ticket from Kings Cross to Cambridge costs \u00a315.30 and another ticket from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds costs \u00a310 for a total of \u00a325.30.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"2wheretobuytraintickets\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-Where-to-buy-train-tickets\"><\/span>2. Where to buy train tickets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4 id=\"virgintrainsapp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Virgin-Trains-App\"><\/span>Virgin Trains App<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>This is my favourite as you can hook up a Nectar card, it stores your payment info, and you can use it on any train company in the UK (not just Virgin) so no trying to remember 15 different sets of login info. Some services even have a mobile ticket you can show on your phone! The only downside is you don&#8217;t get always seem to get a receipt emailed to you for tax purposes.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"nationalrailapp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"National-Rail-App\"><\/span>National Rail App<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I use this regularly to look up train times. It is also possible to purchase tickets here, but it&#8217;s a clunky interface and it takes you to each separate train company&#8217;s site, where you then have to remember the passwords and deal with a different clunky interface.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"thetrainlineapp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Trainline-App\"><\/span>The Trainline App<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Very popular, but it charges a fee so it may be more expensive.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"megatrainwebsite\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Megatrain-Website\"><\/span>Megatrain Website<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Can have very cheap tickets if you book far enough (usually at least a month) in advance.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/plane1.jpg\" alt=\"alt\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3airporttravelhacks\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-Airport-Travel-Hacks\"><\/span>3. Airport Travel Hacks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4 id=\"heathrow\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heathrow\"><\/span>Heathrow<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Avoid the Heathrow Express unless you want to go near Paddington &#8211; otherwise it&#8217;s expensive and leaves you in an inconvenient part of town.<\/li>\n<li>Tube is the cheapest way to get to\/from central London. When taking the tube, Barons Court is the best place to change between the District\/Piccadilly lines. It involves an extra stop, but the interchange is on the same platform, so it&#8217;s much easier with luggage.<\/li>\n<li>Uber pooling is a cheaper option and sometimes if they can&#8217;t match you with another passenger, you&#8217;ll still get the lower fare while having the taxi to yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4 id=\"gatwick\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gatwick\"><\/span>Gatwick<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>It&#8217;s now possible to use Oyster or contactless pay-as-you-go but if you are making a return journey, it&#8217;s still cheaper to buy a return ticket online.<\/li>\n<li>Gatwick&#8217;s train station is located in the South Terminal, so make sure you allow extra time if your flight is at the North Terminal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4 id=\"luton\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Luton\"><\/span>Luton<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>To get to Luton via the train, you have go to to Luton Airport Parkway (LTN) and take a 10-minute bus ride to Luton Airport (LUA). Make sure you include the journey to LUA as part of your ticket &#8211; or alternatively, if your ticket is extremely expensive, sometimes buying the bus ride separately can drastically reduce the cost of the ticket.<\/li>\n<li>National Express offers coaches to Luton, which are generally cheaper than the train.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4 id=\"stansted\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stansted\"><\/span>Stansted<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Stansted Express trains leave from Liverpool St Station and have free wifi.<\/li>\n<li>National Express offers coaches to Stansted, which are generally cheaper than the train.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 id=\"4eurostar\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-Eurostar\"><\/span>4. Eurostar<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Book as far in advance as possible.<\/li>\n<li>Remember to arrive an hour before departure to allow for check-in and security!<\/li>\n<li>Eurostar has discounts for under-26 passengers.<\/li>\n<li>If you buy a coffee before going through security, they have handy little trays especially to hold drinks while they go through the X-ray machine &#8211; ask for one if they don&#8217;t offer it.<\/li>\n<li>There are only two cafes beyond the Eurostar check-in so I definitely recommend getting food before security. When travelling abroad, I always buy lunch before departure so I don&#8217;t have to deal with it when I arrive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4 id=\"5railcards\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-Railcards\"><\/span>5. Railcards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The National Rail has a wide variety of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalrail.co.uk\/times_fares\/46540.aspx\">railcards<\/a>. I especially recommend the 16-25 Railcard and the Network Railcard (all ages, but only certain parts of the southeast and after 10am). If you travel frequently by rail, they will pay for themselves quite quickly.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/bitecard.png\" alt=\"alt\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"6food\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6-Food\"><\/span>6. Food<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitecard.co.uk\/\">Bite Card<\/a> is free and offers 10% discount from food at railway stations, from fast food such as Pumpkin Cafes to a selection of pubs around the UK. You can order it online &#8211; I highly recommend!<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, buy food at the station or bring from home as train food is expensive and low-quality. Bring cash just in case you want a cup of tea and the train card machines are down!<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"7londontube\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7-London-Tube\"><\/span>7. London Tube<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This could be the subject of a dissertation! But a few quick tips.<\/p>\n<p>1. With the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16-25railcard.co.uk\/using-your-railcard\/travel-times-tickets\/\">16-25 Travelcard<\/a> you can get 1\/3 off Oyster Off-Peak pay as you go Daily Price Cap and Off-Peak pay as you go single fares for journeys on National Rail, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway.<\/p>\n<p>2. With contactless card payment, you can benefit from weekly (Monday &#8211; Sunday) fare capping so if you&#8217;re not sure how many journeys you&#8217;ll make, this can be a better option. However, a monthly travelcard is generally cheapest.<\/p>\n<p>3. The Zuti London Tube app gives you journey times between stations (operating without wifi or 3G). A good rule of thumb is that the distance between Zone 1 stations is the number of stations x 5\/3 (e.g. London Bridge to Bond Street is 5 stops so about 8 minutes).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Encore is one of the world&#8217;s largest musicians&#8217; networks and the fastest way to find great musicians. Join now for free at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joinencore.com\">www.joinencore.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/joinencore.com?ref=travelblog\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blogbutton-1.png\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You&#8217;re trying to get from Sheffield to Luton Airport but the train ticket is \u00a390, which is a large chunk of your fee. But there&#8217;s nothing else you can do &#8211; you need to make this flight. But what if someone could tell you how to halve the price? Read on for Paula&#8217;s top UK [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>7 Transport Hacks for UK Musicians | Encore Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/cheap-train-travel-in-the-uk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Transport Hacks for UK Musicians | Encore Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You&#8217;re trying to get from Sheffield to Luton Airport but the train ticket is \u00a390, which is a large chunk of your fee. 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He's responsible for supporting and helping musicians on the platform and writes most of the musician-facing articles on the blog. 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