If you are departing form Heathrow airport for the first time you are sure to be amazed at the huge variety of shopping outlets available. Heathrow is much like a large shopping centre in itself, but with so much on offer it is easy to spend much more then you budgeted for. However there are a few simple ways you can save yourself time and money when visiting the airport.

If you pass through this airport regularly you should consider getting a world points card. This is completely free to join and will allow you to collect points on every purchase you make. In return you are given special rewards and discounts for future purchases.

If you are dining in the airport then it can prove to be quite expensive. However if you check online for special discount vouchers (either on the Heathrow website or the particular restaurant’s site) you could save yourself a lot of money.

The new shop and collect service allows you to pre-order any specific item and it will be ready for your collection when you arrive at the airport.

And finally if you are considering hiring a car then you can save yourself cash if you book in advance. Online providers often get much better deals then if you were to book at the airport in person. Check the special search feature on this site which compares all the top brand companies and see how much you could save today.

London tends to have a reputation for Big Ben, the Royal family and red buses and phone boxes but there is a lot more to this vibrant city than just that. If you leave Heathrow airport in your hire car then you will straight away be able to see what the country of England has to offer with interesting buildings and great roads. Once in London you will have a huge amount of things to do. You can visit some of the many art galleries, museums or other places of interest. There is Trafalgar square, Piccadilly circus, the Mall and of course Buckingham Palace to look at if you fancy some free and out of door activities. You can even watch the changing of the guard, which happens twice a day, which is quite a show.

There are some lovely parks in London too, Hyde park for example has some lovely walks and it is great to be in a relaxing green space in the middle of such a busy city. There are of course lots of shops to see as well including the very famous Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Hamleys. Then there are famous restaurants and hotels such as Claridges and shops such as Tiffanys. These lovely places will keep you amused for ages but you will also find a great range of mid price shops and cafés so that you can buy cheaper things if you do not have the budget for the other shops.