This Austin, Texas travel guide covers where to stay, the best time to visit, things to do, packing essentials, where to eat and more!

Austin, Texas Travel Guide

There’s a reason Austin, Texas is the fastest-growing metro in the United States — this vibrant city is brimming with live music, food trucks, art, nature and of course the best Tex Mex you’ve ever tasted! This haven for the young and young-at-heart is a year-round destination (thanks to its notably favorable weather), and one absolutely worth a visit!

The Best Time to Visit Austin

What is the best month to visit Austin, Texas? Two words: AVOID SUMMER. There is a reason the city’s most popular events occur in early spring or late fall — the humid Texas summers are not for the faint of heart! Not only will you curb the predictable summer tourist crowds, but you’ll find the climate to be much more enjoyable in the off season.

This said, I would also suggest saving your trip for before or after February, as late January and February has consistently brought sudden severe winter weather that can shut the entire city down for a day or two.

The famed Austin City Limits music festival occurs in early/mid-October, so note that — while weather is typical warm and balmy — you’ll find hotel and Uber prices to be sky high during these few weeks (not to mention nonexistent parking and traffic frenzies!).

Weather and crowds considered, the best time to visit Austin is late October to December, or March to early May.

Read more: Travel Guide to Tucson, Arizona in a Weekend

How many days should you spend in Austin?

While there’s easily enough going on in this youthful city to keep you occupied and entertained indefinitely, I’d recommend staying for at least four days. This will give you enough time to enjoy the outdoors, explore the local hangouts and hopefully see a show or two.

Is Austin safe?

YES — in fact, a recent report created by AdvisorSmith indicates Austin ranks higher in safety than major metropolitans like Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Nashville and all three other major Texas cities (San Antonio, Houston and Dallas).

Statistics aside, there’s been fewer cities (especially in the U.S.) I’ve felt more comfortable and safe in as a solo female traveler.

This said, be sure to keep standard safety precautions in mind. It is not recommended to leave valuables in your car or in plain sight. There have been some car break ins — especially at a few of the popular hiking trails.

Read more: Sedona Travel Guide & The Best Hiking Trails

Where to Stay in Austin

Austin Motel

Often featured in photography for its notable neon sign, the Austin Motel is everything you’d expect from a funky, revamped motel in the heart of the city. Located in the South Congress neighborhood, you’re a short walk over the Congress Ave. Bridge to everything downtown has to offer.

The Carpenter Hotel

Ideally situated in South Austin between downtown and Zilker Park (a local favorite), The Carpenter Hotel is modern, minimalistic and earthy — a perfect serene getaway right in the middle of the city. This is an awesome choice if you do decide to bring your fur baby along, considering the close proximity to the park!

Hotel Indigo

The chic hotel in the heart of the Red River District, Hotel Indigo, has three major selling points: location, affordably priced (under $200/night) and heated rooftop pool with a bar and city skyline view.

This is the perfect spot for night owls who plan to enjoy some music in the city, given it’s directly across the street from Stubb’s BBQ — one of the city’s most popular live music venues! The Red River District is known for its nightlife, good food and great times, so if you don’t mind the noise this is a great option in the middle of all the action.

Canopy By Hilton Austin Downtown

On W. 6th street, you’ll have access to all the expected downtown attractions plus some! This neighborhood is a historic entertainment district with variety, ranging from casual fine dining to mechanical bull riding at Bull & Bowl. Canopy by Hilton is the perfect embodiment of Austin — modern and chic, but not pretentious.

The Driskill

If you’d prefer a more traditional southern experience to the hipster vibe, there isn’t a single hotel that beats The Driskill; this refined historic hotel screams “old money” luxury and practically transports you back in time! Located on E. 6th in downtown, you’re just a few short blocks from the State Capitol.

Read more: The Best Weekend Getaways in the USA

Where to Eat & Drink in Austin

Austin is known as a food haven — not only will you find high-quality food from unexpected places, but you’ll find plenty of dietary restriction-friendly options at that! No matter your taste, you’re bound to find a new favorite restaurant that gets your taste buds tingling.

Brunch

Paperboy and Better Half have been hailed by locals as the best brunch spots, but you can likely expect a line during peak hours. Not up for the wait? Make a reservation at Hillside Farmacy. Breakfast tacos at Tacodeli are also a true Austin staple!

Vegan/Vegetarian

In E. Austin is a small cluster of vegan and vegetarian food trucks, some of the best veggie bites in the city. The beer-battered cauliflower tacos at Velvet Taco will have you coming back for more, as will the Frito Pie burger from Arlo’s. I have yet to try a solely vegan/vegetarian eatery in the city that has disappointed.

Rooftop bars

Downtown you have your pick of rooftop bars, from tiki-themed Zanzibar and Asian-inspired P6 to the laidback Upstairs at Caroline and lively Maggie Mae’s. You can get out of the city for an awesome skyline view at Sway, which also serves up some of the best non-alcoholic mocktails in the area.

Texas BBQ

Franklin’s is easily the most well-known BBQ joint in the city (even the state!), but you’ll pay the price of standing in line for hours — if you’d rather not waste precious time, Sam’s BBQ, LeRoy & Lewis, and Terry Black’s BBQ are great alternatives.

Tex Mex

There’s something for everyone when it comes to Tex Mex, which you can find on every corner in Austin; just a few favorites are Torchy’s Tacos, Matt’s El Rancho, Iron Cactus, and Pelon’s.

Rainey Street bars

An absolute must for a night-out in Austin is Rainey Street — a street of historic bungalow-style homes converted into bars. You can’t miss on Rainey, though favorites are Container Bar, The Alibi and Parlor Room.

Read more: The Complete Travel Guide to Nashville in a Weekend

Best Things to Do in Austin

Lady Bird Lake

Austin has a few different lakes, though Lady Bird Lake in the middle of the city is easily the most accessible and tourist-friendly.

The 10-mile trail around the lake offers the perfect scenic opportunity to see downtown by foot or bike, or you can rent a kayak or paddle boat and get on the lake yourself! If you’re up for a little splurge, opt for a private dinner cruise with Capital Cruises.

Live music

It wouldn’t be a trip to the live music capital of the world without seeing a show, would it?!

The Continental, Broken Spoke and White Horse offer a true honky-tonk-esque vibe and fun, casual atmosphere, while Stubb’s BBQ and Hole In The Wall offer some bigger names year-round. If jazz is your scene, check out Antone’s and The Elephant Room.

Mount Bonnell/Covert Park

If you haven’t visited the area before, you might be surprised by some of the awesome scenery and viewpoints — Mount Bonnell included. At one of the highest points overlooking Austin, you’ll get a beautiful view of the river and a bit of a workout on the short hike.

The Domain

The Domain in N. Austin is a one-stop location for everything from — you can go straight from luxury shopping at designer stores like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany’s to casual rooftop appetizers and a trip to the Instagram-worthy Museum of Ice Cream.

While you’re in there, try an edible cocktail at Somersault Innovative Cocktails, treat yourself at Viva Day Spa or get a hands-on cooking experience at Second Bar + Kitchen.

Barton Springs Pool

If you’re visiting during warm weather, enjoy the afternoon at Zilker Park and then take a dip at the natural pool! Feeling adventurous? Go night swimming — locals are known for adding to the fun by howling on nights of the full moon, but any night spent at this widely-loved swimming hole is bound to make memories.

Read more: Must-Know Tips For Taking A Road Trip In The USA

Packing Essentials for Austin

Layers

I don’t think there’s anything more fickle than Texas weather, so bring layers for every (yes, every) weather — you may see sunny, warm weather one day and thunderstorms the next.

I’d recommend accounting for three layers (t-shirt/tank, sweater and jacket) for each day, unless you’re visiting in summer — in summer, the only thing you’ll need to layer is sunscreen!

It also gets very humid in summer months, so consider packing an extra shirt and pair of underwear for each day; you may find yourself more comfortable if you have the opportunity to change midday.

Casual clothing

Rarely will you find a dress code anywhere in Austin, as even in cocktail bars you’ll find people in jeans. Skip the heels and flashy dresses — or don’t, but you’ll probably the only one in the room wearing them! Casual clothing passes pretty much anywhere in Austin, so pack your favorite staples (like a sundress, your favorite leggings, jeans and a couple of casual loose fit tops).

Sneakers

Unless you plan on fine dining, you can realistically get away with a pair of comfortable, versatile sneakers (these are my favorite and I wear them with sundresses!) being the only shoes you’ll need your entire trip. Be sure you can dress them up or down as needed.

Hat or beanie

If you’re like me and hate hair whipping in your face in the wind, pack a hat or beanie as wind gusts can pop up unexpectedly!

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Once you have found the right mortgage deal and got your foot on the property ladder, your mortgage is likely to be your biggest and most important monthly outgoing. The consequence of not being able to keep up with the payments means you could lose your home. It’s a sobering thought.

Mortgage payment protection insurance is a policy that covers your monthly mortgage costs if you can’t make repayments because you’re seriously ill, injured, or have lost your job.

Sometimes, this cover is described as ‘accident, sickness and unemployment insurance’, but in practice you can choose a policy that covers you only for one or two of these concerns. Or you can buy a combined policy, though cover for unemployment has been difficult to find during recent years.

‘The redundancy element disappeared during the pandemic, but is coming back through limited suppliers,’ says Kevin Carr, an insurance expert and managing director of Carr Consulting and Communications.

How does mortgage payment protection insurance work?

When you buy a policy, you start paying monthly premiums. You are then entitled to claim if you have an accident or fall ill, or lose your job, and you lose your income as a result. The insurance will pay tax-free monthly sums to cover the cost of your mortgage and bills.

Policies usually require you to wait for a time before receiving your first payment; this is known as a deferral period and is a bit like the excess on other insurance policies, where you meet the first chunk of the claim yourself. This could last a few weeks up to a few months.

Pay-outs usually last for one or two years, with a maximum benefit likely to be up to 65 per cent of your pre-tax salary.

How much does it cost?

This will depend on your circumstances and how much income you’re insuring, but you could reasonably expect to pay anywhere between £10 and £30 a month.

In one example, a female teacher in her late thirties was quoted £15 to £18 per month. This was for a combined mortgage payment protection insurance policy – covering accident, sickness and unemployment.

The policy was based on her earnings of £30,000 a year and monthly mortgage repayments worth £400. The deferral period was two months, and the policy was designed to pay £500 per month for a year.

Image credit: Future PLC/James French

In practice, prices vary according to a range of factors. For example, your age, your health, how much you pay on your mortgage, the type of work you do, and how comprehensive you want the policy to be.

Office workers are regarded as lower risk for accidents than builders, for example. The more high-risk your profession, the more expensive the policy.

You might get cheaper cover if you only cover accident and sickness, or unemployment, rather than a combined policy.

The longer the deferral period, the cheaper the policy. So, if you have a generous sickness policy at work, a longer wait time could save you money.

You might also want a pay-out to cover more than just mortgage payments. So, if you want a benefit to cover other bills too you will pay a higher monthly premium for that security.

Am I eligible for mortgage payment protection insurance?

Most people can buy this cover, but there are some traps to watch out for. Self-employed people will struggle to get unemployment cover, for example. And if you have a pre-existing health condition, it is likely to be excluded from the policy.

There are also standard exclusions for stress and back pain, and there’s typically an upper age limit of 65.

If you need help looking for protection insurance, speak to a broker. You can find one using the ‘find insurance’ tool from the British Insurance Brokers’ Association.

Do I need it?

You’re not obliged to have it, but it may prove valuable. Rose St Louis, protection director at insurer Scottish Widows, doesn’t mince her words on the importance of protecting your income.

She says: ‘The vast majority of renters and homeowners have no cover in place and the impact of this could be really frightening.’

As St Louis points out, if someone cannot work because of ill health they ‘may be unable to pay their bills and asked to leave their home’.

Still, while it makes sense to protect income, mortgage payment protection insurance isn’t the only option.

Image credit: Future Plc

What other types of protection insurance are there?

• Income protection insurance does as it sounds – it protects income you’re paid through employment. It can cover your monthly outgoings if you’re too poorly to work or have an accident. Payments are also tax-free. Policies usually have fewer exclusions and last longer, but are more expensive.
• Life insurance pays a tax-free lump sum to your family if you die. You can also buy mortgage life insurance, specifically to cover your home loan.
• Critical illness cover pays a tax-free lump sum if you’re left dealing with a serious illness such as cancer.

It’s always wise to have savings too. But few people are likely to have enough in reserves to cope with significant periods of being off work.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst

Try the quick and free Percy the protection calculator from the Association of British Insurers. It gives you a better idea of your financial resilience if you’re too ill to work.

The post Mortgage payment protection insurance – do I really need it? appeared first on Ideal Home.

Martin Lewis has told people to take a meter reading today, before the April price cap rise. The money-saving expert says anyone who pays for their gas and electricity through a direct debit should take a meter reading on March 31st.

He has also shared what to do if you simply can’t take a reading today. With the average annual cost of energy bills rising by around £700 next month, we all need to look for energy-saving tips for the home and ways to reduce costs.

Image credit: Alamy

Martin Lewis’ tip basically means your energy supplier knows exactly how much you’ve used before bills rise, so you’re not charged extra. If you’re away or won’t have time, he recommends taking a meter reading as close to today as possible, so ideally over the next few days.

‘The nearer to today you do it the less chance of misestimates, so don’t panic about missing it (either through your own or the firm’s issue) just get it in as soon as you can,’ he says.

Martin Lewis advises people to take meter reading today ahead of April price hike

Speaking on his ITV show, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, he said, ‘You can’t give a falsely high direct debit reading at the end of March, that’s fraud. But I would say, diarise now to take a meter reading on the 31st March.

‘That way you draw a line in the sand that says to your energy firm that says, “I’ve only used this amount at the cheap rate, don’t start charging me more on the high rate and estimating that I used some of it afterwards,”‘ he explains.

Image credit: Getty images / pixelnest

For those on a pre-paid, non-smart meter, Martin Lewis recommends topping up as much as possible before the energy price hike on 1st April. This will save you money because you pay according to the rate on the day that you top up.

So by paying in advance (if you can afford to), you could end up paying for energy in April at the lower pre-price hike rate. Martin Lewis is urging people to get up to date with their energy meter readings at the end of this month so suppliers know just how much they’ve used.

It’s worth bearing in mind for future that smart meters will do this for you. They also give you accurate calculations for your utility bills and sending monthly meter readings to your suppliers automatically.

Image credit: The Radiator Company

They will also help you keep track of what you’re using. There are also plenty of smart heating options, too.

If you can take a reading today, do it, so you don’t end up paying an unnecessarily high estimate. If not, try and get the job done over the weekend or early next week.

The post Martin Lewis urges people to take a meter reading today to avoid higher bills appeared first on Ideal Home.

A record £13bn of stamp duty tax receipts were collected by HMRC last year according to analysis by Coventry Building Society. Your contribution depends on the stamp duty bands that apply to you, your property type and your circumstances.

Stamp duty is charged when you buy a property or land that is valued at more than the minimum tax threshold for your country. Use our stamp duty calculator to see how much stamp duty you will need to pay if you’re buying a house.

Some bills can run into the tens of thousands of pounds, so it’s really important to work out what your stamp duty bill will likely be before deciding how much you are willing to spend on your new home.

What are the different stamp duty bands in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for a main residence?

Stamp duty bands for your main residence ‒ classed as the home which you live in the most ‒ work slightly differently across the various countries that make up the United Kingdom.

Let’s look at England and Northern Ireland first

The threshold at which stamp duty kicks in is £125,001. If you buy a property worth £125,000 you pay no stamp duty.

After that, your bill is calculated by applying the tax rate to the portion of the purchase price that falls within the stamp duty band.

So for example, if you bought a property for £200,000, you would not pay stamp duty on the first £125,000 of that purchase, only on the £75,000 that falls within the 2% stamp duty tax band.

The Scottish system is called Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). These are the bands and corresponding rates in Scotland.

In Wales the system is called Land Transaction Tax (LTT).

While the stamp duty bands are set at different levels for Scotland and Wales, the tax itself works in much the same way. You will pay tax based on how much of the purchase price falls within the relevant tax band,
First-time buyers may be exempt from paying stamp duty depending on where they buy a home and how much it costs.

Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole

How do stamp duty bands change for a second home?

In April 2016, the government brought in an additional stamp duty charge that would apply to buyers of second homes or buy-to-let properties.

Part of the reason for the introduction of the additional stamp duty levy was to dampen the appetite of buy-to-let investors who often compete with first-time buyers for the cheapest homes.

Matthew Todd, national technical tax and advisory manager at RSM UK, explains: ‘When buying a second home, a flat higher-rate surcharge is added to your stamp duty bill. In Scotland this is known as the additional dwelling supplement.’

‘This surcharge is 4% in Scotland and Wales, and 3% in England and Northern Ireland. This surcharge applies to people buying second homes or buy-to-let properties, as well as companies that buy residential properties. The surcharge will not apply to households who are replacing their main homes, regardless of any other property interests that may have.’

How do I work out my stand duty band?

Working out your stamp duty band, and therefore what your stamp duty bill is likely to be, is relatively simple.

Let’s say you are an existing homeowner who is moving house, and the house you are buying is priced at £300,000. Breaking your purchase price down into the stamp duty bands, your bill would be:

0% on the first £125,000 ‒ £0

2% on the portion between £125,000 and £250,000 ‒ £2,500

5% on the portion between £250,000 and £300,000 ‒ £2,500

That means a total stamp duty bill of £5,000.

If you’re buying the property, in England, as a second home or a buy-to-let investment, then you will need to add an extra 3% to each band. This would therefore be:

3% on the first £125,000 ‒ £3,750

5% on the portion between £125,000 and £250,000 ‒ £6,250

8% on the portion between £250,000 and £300,000 ‒ £4,000

As a result, you would have a total stamp duty bill of £14,000.

Remember, in Scotland and Wales the surcharge is 4%.

There may be occasions where you inadvertently own two properties simultaneously, without planning a move into buy-to-let or holding a holiday home. Will this mean a higher tax bill?

Andrew Montlake, director of mortgage broker Coreco, explains: ‘Some homebuyers might find themselves inadvertently owning two homes at once because the purchase of their new home has completed before their old home has sold. Don’t worry, if you find yourself in this situation you have up to three years to sell your old home and apply for a stamp duty refund.’

What is the progressive stamp duty rate system?

The UK moved to a progressive stamp duty system in December 2014. It follows the same principles as income tax.

Using the example of income tax, someone who earns £51,000 and therefore just tips into the higher rate tax band does not pay the 40% higher rate of tax on their whole salary, just the part which exceeds £50,270.

That’s how progressive stamp duty works. You only pay higher tax rates on the portion of your property that falls within the corresponding stamp duty bands.

Before the 2014 reformation, stamp duty bills were worked out using a slab system where one percentage rate was applied to the entire purchase price. So if your purchase price edged into a higher stamp duty band, it meant the higher rate was charged on the full amount you were paying.

The progressive system was introduced as it is generally considered to be a fairer set up for a tax like stamp duty.

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