When traveling it is always good to orient oneself based upon the travel centers, even if one is not originating from them. The reason is that travel is based upon getting from hub to hub or station to station. It also has peripheral points that people frequently use like a hotel. Getting from Luton to Oxford is a matter of finding which points in each area are key. Then design a trip based on that information.

Luton Airport is one London’s five international airports and makes a good point to start a trip. It has bus routes from the terminal and a railway station associated with the airport. This is in addition to the availability of car rentals, car services, and taxicabs. Coach service going from Luton to Oxford is found with National Express. Those who are originating at the airport (getting off a flight) will be happy to know the bus is available right at the terminal. It runs eight times a day, takes about two hours, and is economical at £7.

One can use the railway station at the Luton Airport Parkway to get from Luton to Oxford. The rails are more frequent, however one must travel into central London to make a connection. One of the best routes is to take a train into Victoria Station. From there find a train to Oxford. The travel time may bit a bit longer with Luton to Victoria and Victoria to Oxford taking ninety minutes for each leg. That puts the travel at about three hours, one hour longer than bus. However, because of frequency of trains one may get to Oxford faster by rail.

Driving to Luton Airport is an excellent way to arrive as public transport in the United Kingdom simply can’t be relied upon in the same way as it can in mainland Europe, especially not with the likes of Switzerland! If you are going to drive down, you’ll need somewhere to park your car for your stay; Luton can provide with such parking and for affordable prices. There are four main types of car parking available at Luton and these take the names short-term parking, mid-term parking, long-term parking and priority parking. Short-term parking is what Luton call their ‘premium product’ and is located just a minute or two from the terminal. Parking for motorcycles is free of charge in the short-term parking bays, but cars can rack up a considerable charge if they are parked here for a lengthy stay; a 50% discount can be achieved if you book well in advance via Luton Airport’s website.

Mid-term parking is an airport designed for all users (business and leisure) for lengths of staying ranging from one day to a week; any longer and long-term car parking bays become more effective in terms of price. For stays of over a week, especially for long summer holidays, long-term parking becomes the best choice for people to park their cars. The car park is situated 10 minutes away from the terminal and can be accessed by bus. Finally, priority parking offers a real luxury service; parking staff will meet you when you arrive directly outside your terminal (meaning less distance to cover with your heavy luggage!), help you unload your car, and then drive your car off to a secure location. When you return it will be waiting for you in the same spot outside the terminal when your flight lands.

Many thousands of people come into the UK via Luton airport every week, from a variety of destinations whether hot or cold. As an airport it isn’t quite as big as the likes of Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, but it is still a very good airport to fly into. Luton has earned its status as a very busy airport most likely due to the large amount of destinations offered and a wide range of budget carriers being available to take you where you need to be for very affordable prices. A lot of people in fact choose to fly from Luton airport rather than City airport, even if they live in central London as they find that, even with transport costs getting to Luton airport, it can work out much cheaper to do so. Luton in general is a much cheaper place to stay than London so if you’re visiting the capital it makes sense to fly in here and then commute into London via car or public transport.

With Luton being a fair, but not unreasonable, distance away from London you may find it best to rent a car to drive in with. Public transport is always an option, but it is unrealistically far to travel in by bus so you are left with the option of trains – the rail links around London are very good, but they can get cramped and in rush hour it is simply a nightmare to catch. Therefore hiring a car is often the best option.

Luton hosts a spectacular carnival every year, that draws crowds that runs into the thousands which is simply not recreated anywhere else in the whole of the UK. Anything, and indeed everything, goes at the carnival, and you can expect to see everything from massive floats to exotic musical bands. Not much information is known about the 2010 carnival quite yet, but everyone can be sure that it will be a fantastic day to remember. The procession starts at Wardown Park, and then goes down New Bedford Road, passing around the town centre by going through St George’s Square, and then back down New Bedford Road finishing where it started in Wardown Park.

Every year since 1976 (apart from 2007 where flooding and severe winds made it unsafe to have the carnival) without fail Luton centre comes to a standstill on the 31st of May, with cultural events such as Brazilian Dancing and African Drumming and a whole load of free cultural acts such as jazz, reggae, house soca, roots, salsa and soul music. Even if it is an awful, dreary day the crowds and performers will still be there – the schools and businesses in the area will still parade with their floats down the procession route. Naturally, if you’re considering renting a car for this period, you might struggle to get around because a lot of roads are blocked off. Getting to the procession area though is best done by car, and you will see that the local car hire companies join in the festivities and offer some wonderful discounts.

Taking place on the late May bank holiday Monday every year and attended by over 150,000 people each year, the procession starts at Wardown Park in Luton before making its way down New Bedford Road, around the Town Centre via St George’s Square, and back down New Bedford Road to finish up back in Wardown Park. The first carnival in Luton was in 1976 on a much smaller scale than today as a modest Victorian street fair as part of the Borough Council’s centenary celebrations. The carnival developed and evolved over the years and in 1998 Luton Carnival acquired international status, receiving the largest single lottery award for carnival development. In 2000, to mark the beginning of the new millennium, Luton celebrated with an expanded three-day event with more than 140,000 revellers taking to the streets for the massive international event.

Luton International Carnival is organised by Luton Borough Council Arts Development Unit in partnership with the Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust. The Carnival is sponsored by Bedfordshire Newspapers (Luton Herald and Post and The Luton News) and by local radio stations BBC Three Counties Radio and 97.6 Chiltern FM. The 2007 carnival, due to take place on Bank Holiday Monday 28 May, was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Major flooding, following 24 hours of heavy rain, meant New Bedford Road was impassable, and Wardown Park was waterlogged. This was the first time that the carnival was called off. In addition, continuing high winds meant that stages and other temporary structures were unable to be erected due to safety concerns.

The choice of transport for the majority of people in Britain is the car. The reasoning behind this is relatively straightforward; with a car, the world is your oyster! You can leap into your car and drive to practically anywhere that you want to, stay for as long as you want and then drive back. This is simply not possible if you are using public transport because they run to a schedule. You end up constantly checking your watch throughout the day which detracts from the experience of taking part in the activity. Plus there is the cost; over reliance on public transport ends up being much more expensive and time consuming than a car and, as we live busy lifestyles, we want to cut down on as much of this unnecessary spending as possible.

This, of course, means that places such as Luton need to be able to accommodate plenty of cars whilst ensuring that the roads remain free for travel. This is certainly the case as Luton offers one of the most comprehensive car parking systems in the country. With numerous car parks dotted throughout the city, each able to hold upwards of 70 people there is no fear about being unable to find a place to park. The price is very cheap with an hour costing as little as 30p meaning that you can relax and enjoy your day out without constantly looking at the clock or watching your bank balance slowly drain away; a much better way to spend your day!

Being without any source of transport is an absolute nightmare for anybody. You know the feeling; you’ve been stuck on the motorway for hours after your car has packed up and you’ve been told that you can’t have it back for a few weeks until it has been fixed. You get home and realise that you have no way of getting about; suddenly, every trip becomes a challenge and you have to use all your acquired skills of organisation and route planning to be able to navigate the bus and train routes to get to your destination. You are no longer in control of any journey that you make which leaves you feeling more vulnerable and, quite frankly, a bit naked – in this age where car driving has become second nature, it is almost as routine to leap in your car and drive to places as it is to put on a shirt in the morning.

The good news is that there are ways to get around the problems you may face if you choose to hire a car from Luton Car Hire Centre. The service is incredibly quick and easy to use; you can either give them a call or you can order online – both ways are very straightforward without any undue hassle. Once this has been done you can saunter down to the pickup centre and, once there, pay the very low fee that is charged and be out and about again in no time. No fears about being without a car – you can just hire one instead!

With the recession hitting many people hard there are numerous ways in which people are trying to cut down on necessary costs whilst still having a fun holiday. For many, this means not booking a flight and instead taking a ferry abroad or staying in Britain. The only issue with holidays is that the costs soon add up – transport, accommodation, food and activities all add to the ever mounting price of a holiday that you are trying to keep cheap. There is, however, a solution that will not only satisfy your needs but also decrease the cost of your holiday by a considerable amount.

Buying a caravan may sound expensive and it is true that caravans can cost upwards of £2000 which seems like it is out of the question for anyone who is looking to save money. However, if you look to the long term benefits then you soon realise that this is actually a very wise investment and one which you will not regret. On average, for a small family the cost of accommodation can be upwards of £400. But this is £400 every time you decide to go on holiday – buy a caravan and after only 6 holidays you have made a saving! The cost element is only one side of it. At Luton Caravan Centre there is a wide range of caravans to suit you; each of varying sizes and costs. The best thing is that a caravan will never go out of fashion – once it’s been bought you can use it until it breaks which may not happen for 20 or 30 years – just imagine the saving you can make on that!

The vast majority of people who are flying to another country decide to drive to the airport. At Luton airport this is certainly the case. The main issue with Luton is the location. Unlike many of the other airports in the London area, Luton airport isn’t easily accessible by public transport. There are trains and buses running to it, but whilst that may be useful for those based around London, for people travelling from other parts of the country it is unnecessary hassle and an expense that is not welcome – especially in this age of recession where budget holidays are more popular than ever!

In terms of cost, parking at Luton airport is much cheaper than any other method if you aren’t local. If you are using public transport, both when you arrive and when you leave, then you have to get a train into London and then back home. This can be as much as £150 which is a lot to be forking out for the hassle that you will have (to be reliant upon British public transport is something to be advised against!). More inventive ways of getting to the airport in Luton include getting a flight down from a more local airport, but this is too expensive for the majority of people who are flying out. The cheapest and easiest option is definitely to drive to the airport and park. For only £10 per day, you are not reliant on the transport services and can feel much less stressed when you’re trying to arrive for check in.