Britain, Irish go on road trip or cruise?

At the beginning of August last year, Xiaoqi went to England and Ireland and spent 16 days driving around. The most direct feeling is cool, which is both a trip and a summer vacation. You know, it was 36 degrees in Beijing. The highest temperature in Britain is generally above 20 degrees, so I want to come to Britain every summer. There are so many tourists in China. After Britain withdrew from the EU referendum, the pound depreciated. Now is a good time to visit Britain.

A friend said, Xiao Qi, isn't your home a cruise ship? Why don't you take a cruise when you go to England? Wouldn't it be better to cruise go on road trip? Haha, you think too much about this. This time I went to England with a mission. I had to compare cruising with road trip, so that I could listen to Xiaoqi talking to you.

Besides her favorite cruise ship, Xiaoqi also likes road trip. I have been to many countries suitable for self-driving and feel good. The main reason is that I don't like the itinerary and sightseeing of regular group tours, and I don't have to drag my luggage to catch the train and plane, which is more casual. Compared with cruise travel, the fun of the two is different.

My go on road trip flew from Beijing to London, drove across England to Scotland, flew to Northern Ireland, then started the second stage of self-driving and finally flew back to Beijing from Dublin, Ireland. There is no turning back in the whole journey, going back and forth for 16 days.

Xiaoqi didn't drive in London, but completed the arrangement for three days by bus, subway and walk. Public transportation in London is very convenient, but the roads are narrow, and the parking fees and charges in the central area are expensive. Driving is not recommended. On the fourth day, I went to Cambridge and Windsor Castle and lived in Windsor. On the fifth day in Oxford and bicester Village, you can stop by Churchill Manor and live in Gloucester. On the sixth day, the beautiful colleague of Xiaoqi strongly suggested an extra day, which I understand as a country tour in England: Cheltenham visited sudeley castle, the former residence of Shakespeare-Stratford, then Broadway-Burton-Bibury on the water, and then returned to Gloucester. This is a semicircle tour, including all the rural towns with British characteristics, and it is a very good route design; On the seventh day, I set out from Gloucester early in the morning and went to Manchester via Birmingham. Needless to say, there are big cities. On the eighth day, I first went to Lancaster in the northwest corner of England. For personal reasons, Xiaoqi visited Lancaster University, and then traveled across the middle of England to York. The road through the middle is rugged and narrow, which is really difficult to drive, but the scenery along the way is very different from other places. On the ninth day, York went to Edinburgh and decided to go to Glasgow on the way. On the eleventh day, Edinburgh Airport returned the bus and flew to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The airport rented another car and started the second trip to go on road trip. I drove to see the dark hedges and giant dams in the ice and fire. On the twelfth day, I visited the Titanic Museum, visited the scenery in Belfast, and then drove to Dublin. Xiaoqi also stayed in Dublin for three nights, one day went to Moher Cliff, the other day went to Phoenix Park to chase deer and went shopping. On the fifteenth day, I went to have a rest and flew back to Beijing at night. The whole trip is relatively easy. It takes more than 300 kilometers in two days, and it is not long at other times. The two self-driving trips are about 2600 kilometers, of which England walks about 1 600 kilometers to Scotland and Ireland walks about 1 000 kilometers.

Then let's talk about the cruise in the British Isles that Xiaoqi is familiar with. We usually fly directly from China to London, arrange sightseeing in and around London for three days, including Windsor, Cambridge, Oxford and Stonehenge, and then board a cruise ship in Southampton, Wales, England. The cruise ship will stop at Guernsey, the southernmost tip of British territory; Corcket, the second largest city in Ireland, is the capital of Corcket, Ireland. Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has a huge embankment and is listed as the fourth natural wonder in Britain. The coastline stretching for 1 1 mile near the huge dike is beautiful. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest city in Britain. In recent years, it has gradually developed into one of the top ten financial centers in Europe, and many Scottish companies are headquartered here. Kirkwall is the largest town, fishing port and capital of the Orkney Islands, located in the east of the mainland island of the Orkney Islands. Because of Furness/Loch Ness, Furness is the northernmost city in Britain and the capital of the highlands, and it is the most famous tourist attraction in Scotland and northern England. Loch Ness has always been shrouded in mysterious colors, and the scenery of the Scottish highlands is concentrated; Edinburgh is the center of the southern lowlands and the capital of Scotland. It is surrounded by mountains and waters, with beautiful scenery, humid and mild climate and rich cultural heritage. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Britain and is known as "Athens in the North". Newcastle is one of the core cities in England, one of the most popular cities in England in the 20th century, and the largest gathering city with satellite towns on the Tyne River, with many medieval churches and other buildings. Finally returned to Southampton.

According to her own experience, Xiaoqi thinks that cruise and go on road trip are two recommended ways to visit Britain, but both have their own advantages. Let's summarize it for your reference.

Go on road trip needs skilled driving skills, experience and psychological preparation, especially in Britain, where cars drive on the right hand side or on the left, which is just the opposite of China. The roads in Britain are generally very narrow, everyone drives very fast, and no one slows down even if there are continuous detours in mountain roads. Do your homework before departure, the design of the route, the arrangement of scenic spots, the location of accommodation and the reservation of the hotel all need to be arranged in advance. The most convenient way to drive by car is to park in your favorite place when running, and your luggage will follow you. In terms of catering, I was told to eat English dark dishes before I left, but most restaurants I saw in Britain were not local, except fish and chips. There are more Italian food, Indian food and Chinese food, especially in London. Italian food is the main food, so eating too much is inevitably a bit monotonous. Although driving by car is fun and casual, it takes a lot of time and sometimes you have to give up some places. Because of the time, I didn't go to Wales and the Scottish Highlands this time. In addition, the choice of hotels and restaurants depends on how the homework is done. Sometimes, hotels with unsatisfactory cost performance are chosen, and the standards cannot be run through. Although road trip is casual, it is inevitable to pack and carry luggage frequently because he has to go to many places. In addition, in Britain and Ireland, car rental is mainly based on small cars and manual car rental. If three or more people travel together, it should be noted that many small cars can't hold three suitcases, and automatic car rental is more expensive. For example, Xiaoqi wants to rent a medium-sized and large car with automatic transmission that can hold three suitcases. Because the route design doesn't go back, he chooses to return the car in different places, so the cost is relatively high.

For friends who are not interested in go on road trip, cruise is the best choice. Cruise has traveled all over the British Isles, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the number of cities he has reached is no less than go on road trip. The cruise ship sails at night and stops during the day without bumps. There is enough time to visit the city. You can arrange sightseeing freely, or you can sign up for sightseeing on the boat. There are many choices of meals, and the meals on cruise ships in each city will change accordingly. There are many kinds of choices, so it is easy to choose your favorite dishes. You don't have to pack every day. On the first day, you live in a room, hang all your clothes in the closet, and put small pieces in the cupboard or drawer. Ten days is as comfortable as at home. Evening entertainment is also very rich. The land tour at night is still on the way to the hotel. You've had a drink in a cruise bar, or you've sat in a theater and enjoyed a performance. That experience is completely different. I also heard a friend say that the time of the cruise ship on land is too short. Actually, it is not. Because cruise ships usually set sail at night, stop in the morning, set sail at night or even late at night, they have enough time to stay in a city and can arrange their time and itinerary freely. Compared with Xiaoqi's trip to road trip this time, the only thing missing on the cruise ship is the circular route near Gloucester, which is the British country tour that day. On the way, Xiaoqi met many British locals and European tourists. Everyone exchanged their travel experiences and found that they all suggested that you spend a week living in the English countryside and experience it slowly. Interested friends can consider it.

The last thing I want to tell you is that Xiao Qi's trip is a temporary idea. As a result, air tickets and hotels are very expensive. July and August in Britain is the best month (of course, the climate in May and June is also good), and it is also the peak season for tourism. I suggest you learn from the lesson of Grade 7 and make sure to book air tickets, boat tickets and hotels in advance, so that you can save a lot of money.