Low cost travel

Bargain Travelling

Getting a bargain when travelling always feels good. But sometimes cutting costs can mean cutting corners. These tips from travel writers Marcus Waring, Chris Leadbeater and Nick Haslam – some of the UK's most experienced travellers – will help you to get a cheap holiday that doesn't involve staying in a building site.

Tip 1: Planning ahead will help you get the very best cheap holiday deal

Research is key. Where I would once phone flight bookers like DialAFlight, now I use Google, search the online travel sections of quality newspapers like the Times and Guardian and use flight comparison sites. On these, packages to Sri Lanka that can cost £700 can be as little as £200. I have also found fantastic accommodation deals online and Spain is a great example for this. Madrid's hotels still represent excellent value compared with Paris or Rome if you book rooms online. For low cost travel insurance, comparison websites can be brilliant, skimming through 450 policies at the touch of a button. Remember to see what travel experts are recommending – I always read Nick Trend on the Telegraph travel website. And don’t forget to use your network of friends, bloggers and Tweeters. Find out what worked or didn’t for them. A personal favourite is the Guardian’s excellent Been There website, with fresh tips from genuine travellers.
Marcus Waring

Tip 2: Sign up for online newsletters to find out about the best deals

My own best low-cost trip was catching a hideously early flight from London Luton to Basle with easyJet. It’s useful to sign up with the newsletters for airline and flight comparison sites as they give you the ‘heads up’ when sales are on, which often start at midnight. So I knew that good deals were coming up and we duly booked tickets for an 8.20am departure. The downside was an alarm call at 3.30am in the morning. The upside was that our tickets cost just £45 each including taxes. The outward leg was just 99p. We were at a friend’s house in time for brunch, hiked in the first snow of winter in the hills and went to some of the most festive-looking towns in Europe, where in Colmar every windowsill has a Father Christmas and wrapped presents on it. Getting up at 4am is sometimes worth it.
Marcus Waring

Tip 3: Read the small print on any added extras or missing essentials

I question taking the ‘full board’ option on any holiday, and I always ask to see the price for half board and bed-and-breakfast. That way, you can work out how much the ‘included’ meals are costing you, and whether you would be better off feeding yourself. While it might seem reassuring to have every dinner taken care of, full board can be quite restrictive, and, by keeping you in the same place each night, can stop you fully experiencing a destination. That said, do a little research into the place you are staying. Are there plenty of restaurants in the area? If not, choosing full or half board might actually be a cheaper, as well as easier, option. Transfers can be another bone of contention, but I would say that this is a corner that should not be cut. Arriving in a foreign destination after a long flight can be a disorienting situation, and having your onward journey to your hotel already taken care of, rather than having to worry about public transport, is often worth the money.
Chris Leadbeater

Tip 4: Take your time and shop around

It’s an old chestnut, but shop around. It can be helpful to look at insurance comparison websites to figure out the best price – you don’t necessarily have to buy from them. If you are planning a city break, do your research. Is the best deal a package or can you get a better price by booking your flights and hotels separately? I always compare the two possibilities. Dealing directly with a hotel will sometimes produce a better room rate than going through a major booking engine. Also, try to envisage what you are going to do with your time when you reach your destination. Are you going to be doing a lot of sightseeing, and therefore spending little time in your hotel? If so, it may be sensible to go three-star rather than splashing out on a four-star room you won’t see much of.
Chris Leadbeater

Tip 5: Read the small print again

Always - and I mean always - check on what’s included in your package. On my first visit to Polynesia where the tour would take me to some of the most expensive and exclusive islands on earth, I neglected to notice that no meals – not even breakfast - were included in some of the more remote destinations. So in Tuamotus, where the resort held a virtual monopoly on the tiny but lovely palm bedecked atoll, I and my partner were faced with either shelling out some £50 a head for dinner or going hungry. We eventually found the only tiny shop on the island beyond the reach of the grasping resort owners a good half an hour’s walk away. We lived on biscuits, tinned sardines and processed cheese for a week, to return home tanned yet covered in zits!
Nick Haslam

While you're busy dreaming of distant lands don't forget to buy holiday insurance! MORE TH>N offers a range of discounttravel insurance options, from single trip holiday insurance to annual policies. Once you've bought your bargain travel insurance then you're free to enjoy your holiday.