Budget but Boujee Things To Do in the UK

We all love to look good. It’s no secret a lot of people post on Instagram just to show off; most of us have done it at least once. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have the money to spend lavishly – but don’t worry! I’ve compiled a list of budget but boujee things to do in the UK, no matter what area you live in. I’ve personally done each one in this list, so I can confirm – you will look expensive on a budget whilst having fun.

I’d first recommend using sites like Virgin Experience Days and Buyagift as often they are cheaper than the original companies themselves. If you’re a student, you can even get a 20% student discount for Virgin Experience Days on Student Beans and Unidays.

Things to do:

• Falconary Experience Days. In August last year, me and my friend, Mae, bought a falconary experience day. It was £30 for 2 people, so £15 each. We got to learn about a variety of diffrent birds and even hold them and got them to fly to us. It was so much fun, for so little money. We also got some great photos taken of us with the birds!

• Lama trekking. This is where you basically take a lama on a walk! How many people can say they’ve done that? I certainly don’t know many. There are lots of places all over the UK that do lama trekking, so if you’re looking for something different, why not have a look if anywhere near you provides it? The centre closest to where I live offers it for abut £25 per lama, so if you’re on a budget, you can split the cost with someone.

• Afternoon Tea has a reputation for being posh. I had never had afternoon tea before in my life, until I was 19 – and I live in the UK! I purchased an afternoon tea for 2, which cost me £20 altogether and it was so worth it! Depending on where you choose to go, it will usually come with a drink (we had mocktails because it was a ‘tipsy afternoon tea’), some sandwiches, mini cakes and scones.

• Castles, are everywhere in the UK. In England alone, there are over 4,000, which means that you’re probably living close to one. They can be a bit tricky to get to sometimes if you don’t have a car but some are even in the middle of cities – Conwy Castle, Wales and Edinburgh Castle, Scotland for example. I’ve been to so many castles in my lifetime so I can’t choose a top 3, but I highly recommend: Raglan Castle, Wales; Conwy Castle, Wales; and Warwick Castle, England.

• National Trust gardens and houses are scattered throughout England, Wales and N.Ireland (Scotland has a diffrent orginisation). They look after more than 500 places to be more precisie. You can purchase a membership for £72 a year if you’re an adult aged 35+, or you can just purchase tickets as you want at the attraction. You will definetly find something near to you by the National Trust, whilst knowing your money is going to contributing to the ukeep of the place. Here is a map of everything owned by the National Trust.

• The UK is filled with vast countryside and therefore has plenty of walks you can take to suit all abilities. It’s almost always free, except for the odd times you might have to pay for parking, and you’ll never know what you could find. I’ve gone on walks before and come across hidden pubs, castle ruins and amazing photo spots. Walking Britain has produced an amazing map to find walks near you here.

• Cooking classes, are a cheap but boujee thing to do – and you get to eat what you make too! I first took a cooking class in Warsaw, and I loved it! The interior was beautiful, but what was even better is that there was no washing up for me to do! So if you want to learn something new, I thoroughly suggest trying a cooking class in your area. Prices can be as little as £20 to as high as £100, so do some research into what would fit your budget.

• The Cotswolds is a huge area of almost 800 square miles, covering 5 counties. It is filled with quaint little villages and rolling hills. It’s particularly beautiful in the Autumn months as the countryside looks golden in the sunlight paired with the leaves. It’s up to you where you want to visit, but I would suggest Bourton on the Water, Bibury and Chipping Campden as they are all so picturesque and like something out of a fairytale. I also suggest visiting Cotswolds Wildlife Park if you’re close to it. Here you will witness Rhinos roaming over fields, Giraffes eating out of your hands and plenty more amazing animals and grounds surrounding.

• The Black Country Living Museum is located near Birmingham (Dudley). If you’ve heard of the Peaky Blinders (TV show), you may or may not know that some of it were filmed here. It’s a living museum with lots of activities to do. You can visit the old school and get taught a lesson on what it was like back then, or even go down into the mine!

• Helicopter rides are an amazing experience! If you’ve never done one before, you should! I got gifted mine for a birthday present a few years ago, but they sell them on Virgin Experience Days for as little as £25 for a 3-mile ride. Not many people have been on a helicopter ride before, so you’ll be sure to stand out!

• Drive to a little town. I’ve done this a lot and end up discovering places I otherwise wouldn’t have. It’s cheap and fun, and you will probably have a great story to tell at the end!

• Go to the theatre. There’s a theatre almost everywhere in the UK, with cheap prices depending on the show you want to see and where you sit. Even if you don’t feel like going to watch a show, plenty of theatres offer tours of the premises, so you can go behind the scenes!

If you like things on a budget – you might like this previous post of mine, all about getting the cheapest flights!