Traveller guides

Students, gap years and young travellers

Discount cards that overseas visitors can buy, hostels, and the three immigration routes young people use most: a visit, a Student visa, or the Youth Mobility Scheme.

Facts checked 2 November 2026 against the sources listed at the end. Britlens is independent: see our editorial policy.

The round domed Radcliffe Camera, part of the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries
Photo: Diliff, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Rules are summarised from GOV.UK on the date shown. They change, and they are not legal advice: check GOV.UK for your own case before you book.

Discount cards worth buying

Read on the operators' sites, 2 November 2026
CardQuiSavingRemarques
16-25 RailcardAges 16 to 251/3 off most rail fares [1]£35 for a year; a £12 minimum fare applies Monday to Friday between 04:30 and 09:59 [1]
26-30 RailcardAges 26 to 301/3 off most rail fares [2]Digital only, bought online; you can prove your age with a passport or national identity card number [2]
Young Persons CoachcardAges 16 to 26, or full-time students1/3 off National Express Standard and Fully Flexible fares [3]£30 for a year plus £3 postage; the card is posted, or buy it at a National Express travel shop [3]

A Railcard discount can also be loaded onto a registered Oyster card for a third off off-peak pay-as-you-go fares on the Tube and DLR. [1] See rail tickets and coach and bus for how the networks work.

White National Express long-distance coach on a road
Photo: Mikey from Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hostels

Hostelling Scotland is a charity running hostels in cities and in the hills, including Edinburgh Central, Glen Nevis below Ben Nevis, Cairngorm near Aviemore and Portree on Skye; many have private rooms as well as dorms. [4] In England and Wales the equivalent is YHA (opens in new tab), whose site refused our automated check, so we state nothing from it. Our where to stay pages compare areas in each city.

Studying here

  • Courses up to six months: you can study as a Standard Visitor. [5]
  • Longer courses: you need a Student visa, which requires a place from a licensed student sponsor; you can apply up to six months before the course starts. [6]
  • Recreational courses: courses of up to 30 days, such as a dance course, are allowed on a visit. [5]
The Gothic Revival main building and tower of the University of Glasgow
Photo: Diliff, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gap years: the Youth Mobility Scheme

The Youth Mobility Scheme visa lets you live and work in the UK for up to two years if you are from an eligible country, aged 18 to 30 or 18 to 35 depending on nationality, and have £2,530 in savings. [7] The application fee is £340 and the healthcare surcharge is usually £776 a year. [7] You can work in most jobs and be self-employed with limits; nationals of Australia, Canada and New Zealand can extend by one year. [7]

Working on any other visit is not allowed: visitors cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company. [5]

Spending less

Many national museums are free; our free things to do and budget guide list them by city, and the students and young travellers overview collects walkable areas and routes.

Quick answers

Can an overseas visitor buy a Railcard?

The 26-30 Railcard is bought online using a passport or national identity card number. [2] Read the eligibility terms on the 16-25 Railcard site before you buy one.

Can I work on a gap year in the UK?

Only with a visa that allows work, such as the Youth Mobility Scheme visa if you are eligible. [7]

Guides associés

Sources

Read on the dates shown. Rules, dates and services change: check the source before you rely on it. Pages marked “not read” refused automated access, so we state nothing from them.

  1. 16-25 Railcard (opens in new tab), Railcards (National Rail), read 2 November 2026
  2. 26-30 Railcard (opens in new tab), Railcards (National Rail), read 2 November 2026
  3. Young Persons Coachcard (opens in new tab), National Express, read 2 November 2026
  4. Hostelling Scotland (opens in new tab), Hostelling Scotland, read 2 November 2026
  5. Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor (opens in new tab), GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), read 2 November 2026
  6. Student visa (opens in new tab), GOV.UK, read 2 November 2026
  7. Youth Mobility Scheme visa (opens in new tab), GOV.UK, read 2 November 2026