Greetings, travel lovers! Lest you think that I've abandoned you, my husband and I are actually on a brief holiday in the English Countryside. As you probably know, this is not exactly a budget destination, so one of the things that we eliminated was the daily, overpriced Internet access. Nonetheless, I didn't want to wait till Wednesday to report on my trip, so I'll begin with an overview of budget travel to this destination. If you'd like to visit the English Countryside without doing irreparable damage to your piggy bank, here are some ideas to consider:

1. You don't need to take a long trip. We left on Thursday, and will be returning on the following Tuesday. We got to see everything we had planned.

2. Pack light. Nobody dresses for dinner. I never got a chance to wear that Renaissance dress that crowded up my luggage. I would have looked like an utter fool.

3. Lose the dress and high heels and pack lots of rain gear and warm clothing, even in the summer.

4. It's a good time to start your diet. For the most part, unless you are spending a considerable amount of cash, food in the UK ranges from tasteless to terrible. As such, there's no need to order a three-course meal. A Cadbury bar will suffice as desert.

5. You don't need to pay an entrance fee to every single site. Some can be viewed from the outside. With entrance fees averaging at the equivalent of $13 US, the trip can get pricey. However, if you really want to visit every single site, consider the English Heritage Card, which gives you access to over 400 attractions.

6. Stay in smaller towns. Lodging in Cheltenham will be far less expensive than lodging in Bath.

7.Consider basic hotel chains, such as the Premier Inn.