Save time and valuable resources by getting around London on public transport like other Londoners, with the special ‘pay-as-you-go’ Oyster card available for Overseas Visitors. They offer cheap fares, daily price-capping and the card doesn’t expire (so you are eligible for refunds of unused balances). It is easy to use and it gives you the ability to hop on and off the Tube or bus whenever and wherever you need to within London! Oyster Cards are widely available throughout London at: all standard Tube stations; London Overground Rail stations (including the Gatwick Express, which connects London and Gatwick Airport); Oyster Ticket Stops; National Express Coach ticket offices; the Eurostar; some Easyjet flights arriving in Luton, Stansted and Gatwick airports; and London Travel Information Centres.

Food prices at Kew can mount up quickly, so try to take as many drinks and snacks into the Gardens with you that you can carry! If you arrive at Kew by Tube train, outside the station there's a choice of local shops in which to buy your drinks and snacks in more cheaply.

Overseas Visitors Oyster Cards are available from select overseas travel agents, so make life easier and ask for your card before you arrive in the UK. Initially, cards cost £2 each in the UK, but may cost more through local travel agents. In South Africa, cards are available from:

Thompson’s Tours - Johannesburg 6 Hood Avenue Rosebank Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 770 7700 Thompson’s Tours - Durban 20 The Boulevard Westway Office Park Spine Road Westville Durban Tel: +27 31 275 3500 Thompson’s Tours - Cape Town 15th Floor Main Tower Standard Bank Centre Hertzog Boulevard Foreshore Cape Town Tel: +27 21 408 9504 Travelpass International (Pty) Ltd AMR Office Park - Building No 2 (Ground floor) Concorde Road East Bedfordview South Africa Tel: +2711 450 2558

Visit Bekonscot Model Village and Railway with young children; they'll love it! It's a short British Rail train ride into the country-side from Marylebone station, London, and it's easy to get to from the other side! It's great value for money!

Family day-trips children trains model-villages London value-for-money Beaconsfield buckinghamshire

Chakalaka specializes in all things South African-people and food! This place is great-Down a few Castles while trying the 25 oz Namibian Rump Steak challenge-clean your plate in 25 minutes and you get a free SA t-shirt -not cheap at £25, but worth it!

One of the first things to do when you get to London is go on the Big Bus Sightseeing Tours -it takes you past every famous tourist spot you'll want to see (so you can orient yourself too), you can sit and ride or hop on and off the bus as much as you want, and you also get free passes to ride on river boats, which breaks up the day nicely. They're not 'cheap' but are well worth it for the whole day. Baker Street is one of the places you can get onboard the tour.

If you travel on British Rail trains you might be eligible for 2 for 1 vouchers to a of London tourist attractions-so ask about your ticket and how to get a voucher- that's a lot of money you could save for minimal effort...