Last spring we decided to trade in our life of driving across the US in our converted Sprinter van for something a little more unusual…travelling across the UK by narrowboat. Our 3-day journey through the canals from England to Wales included going through tunnels, under bridges and floating over the world's tallest aqueduct!
One of the highlights of this trip was our flight from the US to the UK in JetBlue business class, which we managed to book for free! At the end of this article, we’ll show you how you can also book what is now one of our favourite ways to cross the Atlantic so you too can have your dream UK holiday!
But first, let's talk about our crazy barge adventure!
Day 1
After taking the train from London to Ellesmere, London, we collected our 16 metre long barge which would be our home for the next 3 days. The boat hire company gave us a brief lesson on how to steer the boat and then we set off on our own for a 35 kilometre journey through the canals. At first, driving the boat seemed deceptively easy as the barges have a speed limit of only 2.5km/h, but after nearly crashing into the side of our first bridge we realised we were in for a bit of a struggle.
However, the sailing wasn't so difficult that we couldn't enjoy the stunning views of the English countryside – seriously, it was like floating in a painting! All around us, the sun was shining, birds were chirping and ducklings were swimming in the water. In the evening, we parked the boat by the canal and spent our time eating, drinking wine and gazing out at the rolling green hills and fields of sheep!
Day 2
By the second day, we felt like we had gotten a little more adept at steering, so we spent some time exploring the inside of our boat! This boat can technically accommodate a total of 6 people, so it’s the perfect little adventure to take with a group of friends. If you book your flights with credit card points and split the cost of the boat with your group, you’ll be looking at a pretty affordable vacation.
Our boat had a total of 3 double beds and 2 bathrooms, so there was plenty of space for us both to relax. The UK can be a little chilly, but the boat has at least 4 heaters, so we stayed nice and warm at all times. Inside the kitchen, we had a stove, oven, fridge and all the necessary cooking utensils. The shelves were filled with glass mugs, which is a testament to how peaceful and quiet this trip was, because if we were inside our van, these mugs would absolutely fall to the floor and shatter. The boat also had a back deck, which was perfect for spending time dining, sipping coffee or wine and enjoying the view!
Our adventure today was learning how to navigate our boat through a couple of locks, which are basically boat lifts. After watching a YouTube video and freaking out throughout the lock, we managed to figure it out and get through. Luckily, there were people to help us through our second lock. Since we managed to make it through this challenge alive, we parked the boat and took a short walk to a nearby pub right on the England/Wales border before heading to our parking spot for the night.
Day 3
On the third day we faced the biggest challenge of the whole adventure: crossing the highest aqueduct in the world, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. We had already had the opportunity to cross a smaller aqueduct, but we didn't feel prepared enough for this one yet, but we continued.
Fun fact: The world's tallest aqueduct has no guardrails, so the entire crossing feels like you might fall off the edge. At the end of the aqueduct, you have to make a tight 90-degree turn to continue across the canal. Apparently, the turn is so difficult to do that people gather on the bridge above to watch tourists attempt it and often fail. Luckily, we made the turn without too much trouble, and once our final challenge was over, we were able to relax and enjoy the last few hours of relaxation while taking in the views of the Welsh countryside.
Our opinion
This adventure is affordable and the perfect combination of fun and adventure. We recommend getting some friends together, renting a boat and enjoying the beauty of the British countryside. We would definitely do it again!
How to book with miles and points
Have we convinced you that you need to visit the UK and embark on your own narrowboat adventure? Are you ready to learn how to book your own business class flights to the UK for free?!
Booking these flights with points and miles is pretty simple. They can be booked through the rewards portals of any of your favorite travel credit cards. However, you can find even better deals if you book directly through JetBlue's True Blue loyalty program. We've seen flights starting at 15,000 miles in economy and 35,000 miles in business class. You can easily transfer your credit card points to JetBlue miles and then book from there. To learn exactly how to transfer your credit card points to airline miles, check out our and our transfer partner cheat sheet.
You are probably wondering now: “How do I earn enough miles and points to book this flight?“We’ve found that one of the fastest ways to earn points is through credit card sign-up bonuses. We know credit cards can be scary for some, but if you’re strategic, they’re a great way to access unique experiences like this that you might not otherwise be able to afford. To learn more about earning points, we recommend the course completed on as a great starting point!
Need more free trips?
Want to learn more about all the must-see travel adventures you could book for free? You can head over to our website to sign up for our to receive, you guessed it, daily tips on all the best travel deals around. If you want to see the full report of our UK canal boat trip, check out the video below and we hope to see you floating around the canals soon!
Hi! We’re Kara and Nate. High school sweethearts from Nashville, TN, we share a passion for travel and travel hacking that led us on the adventure of a lifetime. In 2016, we quit our jobs to spend a year traveling the world. Seven years later, we still haven’t stopped! We quickly fell in love with life on the road and capturing our travels on video. We’ve visited over 100 countries and have been fortunate enough to build an amazing community of subscribers on our YouTube channel and Daily Drop newsletter. We’re so grateful to be doing what we love every day and hope our story and content can inspire you to travel to new places!
