Family trip to London serious budget concerns

[Rome Addict]

My brother is a truck driver and his wife is a nurses aid. They have 3 kids still at home (6 in all). Obviously money is a big concern for them. They live extremely frugally in the US (raise chickens, huge vegetable garden, all the ways to cut costs).

As a 55th birthday present to him (and graduation present for the oldest) I am paying their airfare to London.

A friend has offered us a house sitting job for the summer in Horley so housing isn't an issue.

With Brexit this may be the only year that this would ever be affordable for them.

HOWEVER, after airfare they are going to have to come up with their own transportation, food, entertainment costs. Any suggestions like the Oyster card, train passes, bus passes, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

They will obviously cook at least 2 meals a day in the house but cheap eating out suggestions are also appreciated. Feeding 5 mouths can be expensive even cooking at home. Our last trip in 2013 we never got out of a grocery store for less than $100 so I am concerned about that.

The kids are 11, 14 and 17. Are there any deals for US students?

 

[Eleanor]

For food shopping, there is a Lidl supermarket on the edge of Horley which is a lot cheaper than the other supermarkets, although it may not stock everything you need. Waitrose is the most expensive so I would suggest if price is a concern you don't shop there. For items you can't get in Lidl, use Tesco.

Iceland is excellent for frozen food. It also has some fresh food but compare prices before buying.

Check out free attractions in London here.

If you use the train, you can get 2 for 1 vouchers to some of the London attractions. Full details here.

Children under 16 get reductions on travel and reduced entry (usually half price) to most attractions

 

[Ian Sutton]

Certainly worth checking out family tickets / family railcards for the trains
This link to national rail seems fair and reasonable in it's advice.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types.aspx#Best

There are occasional specials, that can be brilliant but I've not looked in years

Lunchtime feeding is quite competitive, with so many office workers, so it's surprising how good and decent value a lunch can be in independent sandwich etc. places.

The usual London advice applies just as well here - get an A2Z map and often you'll find it's faster to simply walk there than taking the tube, often walking a mile in stale air in the process! Zoning the day saves criss-crossing London - the tube gets dull very quickly.

London certainly has it's share of free attractions and these should prove rewarding, but simply the concentration of famous landmarks can be a huge (free) bonus.

Nearby day trips - certainly Horsham and Brighton have appeal, though Brighton perhaps has more appeal with cool things that are nominally free e.g. the pebbly beach, walking along the pier and promenade, seeing the Brighton Pavilion from the outside.