Travel Tips

Posted on by Debs and Mike

Travelling Light

If you are wanting to travel light there are ways to maximise the amount you can take for carry on baggage.

  • Buy toiletries in airport – this means that you can take what ever size you want and are not restricted to the 100ml rule .
  • If needing more than one jacket/coat wear them – you can always take them off when you are in the airport.
  • Wear coats/jacket with pockets where you can put items in them (not creams or liquids).
  • Travel Vacuum packs are a good investment as they come with a light weight mini USB pump vacuum which enables you to fit triple the amount of clothes in a suitcase. (always check the weight of the case when full to avoid additional charges).
  • If you want to take toiletries with you instead of buying at airport, buy the empty travel bottles/tubs (can buy for as little as a £1 per pack) and fill them with your own products.
  • Mosquito repellent is expensive at the airport and some of the bottles are over 100ml. Mosquito repellent wipes are ok to be left in your hand luggage and have worked fine for me in the past.
  • If you have more than one carry on bag and are limited to one bag. Get a duty free bag and put things in that as it is not counted as a carry on bag.

Train Travel UK

  • Using the Train split website is a good way to save money on most journeys – just enter your details in to the website and it will calculate the savings for you. You don’t have to change trains to get the savings – https://www.trainsplit.com
  • If there is more than one person travelling together it may be worth checking out getting a Two Together Rail card which costs £30 for a year. I have bought more than one of these as I have used one with my friend and another with Mike. You just need a photo of each of you to add onto the railcard – https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk
  • Booking in advance can save a lot of money. You can usually book up to 3 months in advance.

Cheap Flights

  • When airlines advertise a sale try to be ready to search at the time they state the sale starts to bag a bargain.
  • If you are flexible with where you want to go and dates try skyscanner – https://www.skyscanner.net/skyscanner/flights. In the search specify the month you are wishing to travel and leave the destination as Flexible. This will bring up all the destinations with the cheapest price for that month.  We have had return flights to various places including Prague, Portugal and Poland for under £45.
  • Booking flights in advance is good too as when the demand for the flight goes up so does the price.
  • Be aware of additional costs with certain airlines as although the headline price of the flight may seem cheap, when other elements are added, such as hand luggage or reserved seating, it can increase the price considerably and if you are on a tight budget that’s the last thing you need. Certain airlines now charge for a small suitcase. Other airlines may charge a bit more for the flight but include hand luggage and therefore could work out cheaper.

Airport Lounges

Different airports and terminals in different countries all have different choices of Airport Lounges. Search the following to weigh up if it is worth the amount that is being charged.

  • What is the cost.
  • What is available in the lounge (wifi, Tv, newspapers etc).
  • What drinks are available (alcoholic and non- alcoholic).
  • What food and snacks are available (hot and cold).
  • How long can you be in the lounge prior to your fight departure.
  • re you able to stay in the lounge should your flight be delayed (some lounges offer this at a small cost).
  • Search for discount codes prior to booking . We have used discount codes in the past for airport lounges and have saved up to 12%.

Considering the cost of food and drinks in airports we have found that the lounges are often good value for money and the whole experience more relaxing than being in the main terminal concourse.

Airport Transfers

There are so many transport companies in every country to choose from with various prices for the same journey.

  • Check prices for more than one company.
  • Look for discount codes before booking.
  • Check the companies reviews as some companies have been known to take the money and not turn up.
  • Check if your accommodation offers airport transfers as this can often be safer and cheaper.
  • Ensure you have your flight times and address of accommodation prior to booking.

Accommodation

Again there are so many companies to choose from that offer the same accommodation at various prices.

  • Check price comparison sites such as Trivago and Tripadvisor.
  • When comparing websites always check you are looking at the same hotel with the same board details. For example one site may offer the hotel at a cheaper price but this may be on a room-only basis, whereas another site may offer you the same hotel at a slightly higher price but this may be on a bed and breakfast basis.
  • If you have a disability or children do check whether the hotel can accommodate your needs.
  • Always check package holidays for price as it is not always cheaper to book accommodation, flights and transfers separate.
  • Check out reviews but be aware if you are paying 3 star prices you are not going to get 5 star accommodation.  Take any extreme views with a pinch of salt and look for common elements of feedback from a number of reviews.
  • Secret escapes – https://www.secretescapes.com/luxury/hotels is a good site to look at if you are wanting a bit more luxury in accommodation but without a large price tag.

Package Holidays

Many companies can offer the same package holiday’s at different prices.

  • Check out what the package includes (does it include baggage and transfers)  and if it doesn’t include everything research the cost of the additional elements.
  • Check out reviews of both the package holiday company and accommodation.
  • Check if the company is ATOL and ABTA registered.
  • Check price comparison sites.
  • Some hotels offer various board bases – do check to ensure that the board basis is what you want before booking.
  • If booking all-inclusive check out what is included as all-inclusive varies from hotel to hotel.
  • Some all inclusive finish at 11pm others may be later. Many offer 24 hour all inclusive. Always check that the all inclusive is within the times you want. If you like to have a drink in to the early hours and the all inclusive finishes at 11pm this may put added cost on your holiday.
  • Many travel agencies advise to book in advance which can work better for a lot of people. We have found booking around 2 weeks before we want to travel as saved us a lot of money. For example 2 weeks to Egypt 5 star was £1200 we paid £680 last minute.