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Lets Go Somewhere Else

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You are here: Home / England / MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH NATIONAL EXPRESS
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MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH NATIONAL EXPRESS

12/12/2019 Comments : 16

Heathrow Coach Terminal, Heathrow Central AD| Please note this post contains an advertisement for National Express. I was gifted the journey to Manchester and back home again. All opinions are my own.

As the year comes to a close, I always find my self reflecting and reminiscing of where life has taken me in the year. As the year started, I, as usual, set out my goal to explore more of home country throughout the year; feeding my never ending bucket list of places I need to see.  So when National Express approached me and asked if I wanted to see Manchester and York, I immediately said yes.

Interior National Express Coach

There is something about York…

For me, York has been my number one destination to see for a long time.  With The Shambles being dubbed as the real life Diagon Alley, the Harry Potter obsessive in me has been screaming for a visit! The only problem (previously) being, it’s a long time for my boyfriend to drive and trains are extortionate price. Luckily, National Express came to my rescue on this occasion and off I was on to the 6 hour journey to Manchester!

The weekend we went, I clearly forgot to wear my lucky travel earrings. Our original plan had changed in the space of a few hours before we took off. Our original plan was to head to Manchester, take a day trip to York and then head back from Manchester.  There was a slight snag with the accommodation in Manchester, so we ended up grabbing an Airb&b in York for the whole weekend instead. We took the coach to Manchester and then hopped on a train to York, before returning from Manchester anyway. (National Express does actually offer a direct service to York too by the way!)

National Express Coach and Board

The Journey

We got to the airport quite quickly and got comfy in our seats on the coach straight away. You can reserve your seats on some services for £2, but on this occasion we decided to not to. You are always guaranteed a seat anyway, but the reservation comes in handy if you absolutely *need* a window seat (if you get travel sick!). I dragged my other half with me on this occasion, but if I was heading on a solo adventure and had no one else to talk to, the window is definitely something I would want as it gets quite busy!

Coach View with National Express

The Reality

I’m sure I am not the only one, but when someone says “coach travel” I imagine the idea of a rundown coach, ripped seats and in the middle of a desert. Chugging along slowly and needing to pee desperately.  I am happy to say that National Express is the complete opposite of this vision and incredibly modern.  Admittedly, I got quite excited that there was a toilet on board. Yes, I am that annoying traveller that needs the bathroom every 5 minutes, so knowing that I didn’t have to wait 3 hours for a stop to pee was such a relief (pun not intended!).

Not only do they have bathrooms on board but they all coaches have leather seats (mega comfy!), air conditioning, power sockets and free entertainment. We didn’t make use of the free entertainment in the end. My boyfriend and I shared some headphones and listened to some Disney soundtracks (don’t tell anyone that part) watching the world go by.

Coach Interior and National Express Entertainment

National Express Coach Interior

The National Express Environmental factor..

When I said National Express was modern, not only did I mean about the equipment on board but actually a big supporter of reducing their carbon footprint. With all the fleet being less than 5 years old, any coaches that were purchased after summer 2014, meet the engine emissions requirements. A 56 seated coach actually is more environmentally friendly than driving on the road your own car. Not only that, but with coaches being the most environmentally friendly way to travel any way, each coach is fitted with a system to switch off the engine after 5 minutes of it not moving. As we enter 2020, I am doing more and more each day to reduce my own personal carbon footprint too. Coach travel is a good way to start for me personally for these weekend trips, instead of hopping on a plane to somewhere else in the UK.

National Express Coach Trip and View

Let’s talk budget

The biggest thing for me when I travel is that it must always be plausible in one pay check. With the exception of Disney World (my biggest splurge) I am always searching for the best and cheapest deals I can find. National Express is big on keeping costs low and reasonable for everyone. The lowest ticket on their site is about £5 (plus a booking fee). My route was a little more, but totally acceptable.

Heathrow to Manchester > £30pp
Manchester to Heathrow > £27pp

This service was direct and involved no change overs. Knowing myself well enough, once I get comfy I really don’t want to move for a while! I was thinking of this while booking and how right I was! I was so comfy I ended up falling asleep several times on the way there. Which was new to me, as I usually cannot fall asleep while travelling!

This service stopped at several other places but none long enough to grab food. I packed a lunch for my partner and I and we had a nibble in between our own personal mime renditions of Into The Unknown (Frozen 2) and I’ll Make A Man Out Of You (Mulan). There were some vending machines in the Manchester Coach Station and a few sweet shops which was handy in case you forgot your most important snacks.

National Express Coach View

Overall, I would recommend National Express to anyone in the UK as a good method to travel. They take the stress out of directions for drivers and you can quite literally sit back and relax. I know this was a big thing for my partner as he usually drives me to these places. I also usually get travel sickness in cars but didn’t find myself feeling poorly at all on either journey. We also wanted to add that even though we were sitting for 6 hours each way, the seats were so comfy that we didn’t get a numb behind! (a pet hate for my boyfriend!) I am disappointed in myself for not considering coach travel sooner. This is definitely going to be firmly added in my agenda for 2020!

You can book your next trip with National Express by clicking > here <

Stay tuned for my guide to York which will come next week!

Do you travel by coach often? Will you consider it after my post? Let me know in the comments!

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Comments

  1. hayleyxmartin says

    12/12/2019 at 17:40

    Wow!! National Express coaches are so much nicer than I would have anticipated! There is one that runs through my home town and goes straight to London, I know it’s mega cheap but it does take a long time. However, if you factor this into your plans it’s great to be able to minimise impact on the environment!

    Hayley || hayleyxmartin

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      13/12/2019 at 09:16

      Thanks Hayley! I definitely agree with you in exceeding expectations!

      Reply
  2. Jess Rigg says

    12/12/2019 at 17:48

    I always try to travel by coach. They’re generally pretty punctual and the interiors are fab. The environmental impact is much lower than most modes of transport – and it’s economical!

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      13/12/2019 at 09:17

      I agree Jess!
      I was definitely a little more uneducated on coach travel before this than I’d like to admit!
      I’m super happy it’ll be on my future agenda!

      Reply
  3. Jazmin says

    12/12/2019 at 17:55

    I travel with national express really often! Although I’ve just graduated from uni, while I was at uni I would mostly use national express coaches to travel from Canterbury, where I was at uni, to London. The route was really smooth and I rarely had delays. I agree with you that the coach is really comfy. I don’t think there is a single time that I’ve taken one of their coaches and not fallen asleep. I’ve never taken one for a long journey though!

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      13/12/2019 at 09:34

      Ah that’s so good to hear!
      I fell asleep on both journeys so I can definitely attest to it being mega comfy.

      What was uni like in Canterbury! I’ve been there and I loved it!

      Reply
  4. Sahara says

    12/12/2019 at 17:57

    York sounds like a fun place to visit – you had me at real life Diagon Alley! Window seats are always the best to look out of, though the aisle seat is great if have to hop to the bathroom real quick! But all in all window seat is the best seat!

    YAY for there being a bathroom on board – I’m the same!! I drink a lot of water so I’m always running to the bathroom!

    That’s amazing to hear that they are environmentally conscious with their travel to bring down the carbon footprint! Finding an affordable way to travel is the best, I’m always out to search for the best deals there are. Great to hear that they have tickets going for 5 (plus the booking fee!) they really kept all customers in mind for their pricing!

    Sahara
    https://www.saharasdreams.com/

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      13/12/2019 at 09:36

      Thanks so much Sahara, I definitely recommend York a thousand times and National Express haha.
      I was so excited about the bathroom haha!
      Super affordable to everyone and that’s what I love. I always try and encourage those to travel but it’s not always possible for less income households. I’m glad there is companies like National Express and AirBNB out there! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Jaya Avendel says

    14/12/2019 at 01:01

    My jaw is dropping right now! I cannot believe the prices, and how nice it looks! They have not sat you in the squished section, and you have a view from the window. I would take that over the plane any day. 🙂

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      16/12/2019 at 12:05

      Thanks so much Jaya!
      Me too at this point. I still get flight anxiety after all!

      Reply
  6. Amanda says

    14/12/2019 at 08:46

    Very informative and interesting post.

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      16/12/2019 at 12:06

      Thank you Amanda

      Reply
  7. Kim says

    20/01/2020 at 18:57

    I always travel by coach if I can and National Express is usually my go. Having said that I’ve travelled further than Birmingham or London with them. But it’s great to know they offer services to Manchester and York! 🙂

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      22/01/2020 at 10:11

      Thanks Kim!

      Reply
  8. Millie says

    19/02/2020 at 08:18

    I’ve never actually travelled using National Express before so when I saw that you had written a post I was very interested! To be honest, what you assumed people though of coach travel is exactly what I thought. I was surprised to hear that they are actually quite modern! I think I will definitely consider a coach next time for something that would cost ££££ on a train – thank you Kirstin! 🙂

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      19/02/2020 at 14:44

      Thank you Millie!
      I’m still a little surprised to this day. I think we all imagine the Greyhound buses from 90’s movies? haha!

      Reply

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About Me

Welcome to Lets Go Somewhere Else! My name is Kirstin, I'm a 28 year old solo traveller who knows what it's like to want to travel so much but not have the time. Let's Go Somewhere Else covers destinations on a budget, within work holiday allowance and while you have a 9-5! I also cover Hotel and Restaurant reviews, journal tips and much more! All photos on this blog were taken by me unless otherwise stated. ✉️ If you want to contact me, my email is: Kirstindalton@yahoo.com

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Hi everyone, I hope you’re well.

As most of you might know, London is in a second lockdown so I have been unable to travel anywhere.

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