Are you looking to travel to Europe or further abroad? We have compiled a list of tips and websites that will hopefully open up options and give you the best chance to find the best travel deal for you.
The best and easiest way to find value for money flights across Europe is to use comparison sites such as Momondo and Cheap Flights. Both pick up both budget and mainstream airlines and link you to the airlines/travel agents website.
If the long haul flight you are looking for is fairly straight forward use comparison sites such as Momondo and Cheap Flights. If you are looking for a Round the World ticket, stop over or connecting flights than it can be worth using the services of a travel agent. Students under 26 should look at STA travel along with some other agents to compare. Travel agents that are usually very competitive price wise include Travel Pack, Trailfinders and Travel Bag. There are many others hunt around for the best deal.
If you are good at managing your money and credit cards it can be worth getting a British Airways American Express Credit Card. Earn Avios (points) that will enable you to fly for just the cost of the taxes/charges on the flight. There are a lot of people who purchase everything they can with their Amex BA Card and they get rewarded
These are businesses which inform you when popular destinations offer cheap flights. Jacks Flight Club is a popular one in the UK.
An example of this is a direct flight to Havana in Cuba was going to cost £800. Miami (which often has cheap flights from London) was going to cost £400 and then a return flight Miami-Havana £120 meaning it was a £280 cheaper then what the comparison sites/travel agents were suggesting. They were not suggesting going this way this way even though Miami is just a 45 minute flight from Havana! You still use the comparison sites such as Momondo to find the flights but sometimes it is worth thinking outside the box to see how you are going to arrive at your final destination.
Check my bus is the easiest way to find pricing for individual journeys across Europe other than researching each individual countries National bus services. Busabout offer excellent value for money with their hop on- hop off bus service to popular European destinations designed for travelers looking to explore various European countries.
RailEurope is the best website start to source the journeys you may be looking to do to find prices as well as times/duration of travel. If they don't have the information themselves will direct you to the relevant railway site. In some cases it may be cheaper/quicker more convenient by bus so use the Checkmybus website alongside RailEurope.
If you are exploring Europe and will be traveling to numerous destinations it maybe worth considering purchasing a Eurail Pass (non European citizens) or Interrail Pass (European Citizens). Do your research above to see whether it is worth purchasing a Eurail or Interrail Pass. Some countries such as Portugal have relatively cheap train travel where other countries are more expensive.
Eurostar will often have some good deals if looking to go to/from London to Paris (Disneyland), Amsterdam, Brussels (Bruges).
Car Hire in Europe can be relatively cheap and a great way of seeing exactly what you want but you also need to know the tricks to protect yourself from added costs.
Find the car you need by using a comparison site such as Car Rentals, Enjoy Car Hire, Travel Supermarket or Momondo.
- Don't be a wood duck at the rental desk only rent what you originally asked for. (They will always try and upgrade you and this can make the cost balloon)
Make sure you organise Car Hire Excess Insurance prior to being at the car rental desk. The car you hire will often have insurance attached but with a hefty excess (usually a few thousand pounds). The car hire company will then look to sell you car excess insurance at an inflated rate. You can beat them at their game by organising car hire excess insurance yourself either for the specific car hire or if looking to hire cars regularly an annual plan which costs around £50 a year! To source car excess insurance we recommend looking at TravelSupermarket and ICarHireInsurance.
Touring Europe as part of a tour can offer excellent value for money with total cost often considerable less than if you booked accommodation and travel directly yourself. Popular tour companies for 18-35's are Contiki and Top Deck while Trafalgar is good for all ages. A good source to find tours and operators is Tour Radar.
Hunt around for a deal, tour operators will often discount tours to get seats on the bus.
The key to saving money and getting the accommodation you want is either to book early or wait for last minute offers if you are open to the destination you are heading.
Hostel Bookers, Hostel World and Hostelz are three websites that all have a large database of Hostels, compare prices to make sure you get the best deal.
This can be a cheap way of finding a great place to stay with a more homely feel. Try Air BnB and 9Flats.
It can be worth hunting the different websites for the accommodation you seek. Hotel Info and Trip Advisor are always worth looking at for the customers ratings of places which they have stayed. Other popular websites worth looking at in general include, Lastminute, Hotels, Late Rooms and Expedia.
If looking for a Villa/Holiday Home AirBNB is always worth a look but also try the following websites Holiday Lettings, Villa's to Go and Premier Holidays.
Last Minute, EBookers, Expedia are a good to start with when looking at booking a beach holiday while the following holiday companies are always worth looking at Low Cost Holidays, Virgin Holidays, Thomas Cook, Thomsons, First Choice and On the Beach are all good resources when searching for holidays.
Secret Escapes is a free to join travel members club that offers some amazing discounted deals on luxury/boutique holidays. Well worth registering with.
Last Minute, EBookers, Expedia are all good websites for finding value for money flight/hotel packages for City breaks while Shortbreaks offers value for money Eurostar/Hotel packages to Paris, Lille, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels.
For appealing Ski offers hunt around on the following websites Last Minute, Ski France, Expedia, Crystal Holidays.
Radical Travel (Busabout - hop on hop off bus around Europe as well as tours through Ireland and Scotland), Contiki (Is a well established tour company offering various tours through Europe and the rest of the world.) Trailfinders,Top Deck, Intrepid Travel, Sta Travel and G Adventures.
2fore1 Golf will get you discounted green fees across many courses in the UK and Europe. So save quite a bit of money combined on a golf trip.
Try all the websites listed above to source the best deal or if open to where you travel try group buying websites: Groupon and Living Social Also try Cashback websites: Quidco and Top Cashback.
It can often be cheaper to pre-organise Airport Transfers rather than paying when you get there although make sure you do your own research with your destination. Check local buses, trains, shuttle services with the airport you are arriving at.
The following companies provide Airport transfers although can be a touch expensive but worth checking just in case. Holiday Extras, Holiday Transfers, Holiday Taxis and Shuttle Direct.
There are so many companies it can be hard work getting the best deal which is unlikely to be what is being offered by the agent or website you have purchased a product from.
The easiest way of sourcing the best travel insurance deal is using a comparison website such as Confused.com or Go Compare. Coverwise specializes in travel insurance and can also be worth looking at.
Check first that you are not covered by your bank, and if so, is that cover suitable for the travels you are taking?
- What activities are you likely to do on holiday?... and does the insurance you are getting cover these activities if you have an accident?