This article is the first in a three part series for November on how to travel on a budget.
Scriptoeris readers are wise with their money: as much as we want to save up for the big trip away, or for the future, we also want to appreciate the present and scope out new places to explore. Travel doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. A weekend abroad can need only cost a couple of hundred of your hard earned cash. Too good to be true, I hear you say? Never fear, Scriptoeris is here!
The best advice to booking travel cheaply is to book early and be flexible. The earlier you can book the cheaper tickets will be, whether these are trains, planes, ferries , wings or whatever else for that matter that can get you to your destination.
My go to site for cheap airfare is Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.com). I often compare skyscanner prices with those available on STA travel. If you’re a student and under 26 then you stand to save a lot of money through using STA as they have special deals. Signing up to their mailing list will get you regular emails about sales on their fares or special offers. I’m so often tempted by these! It may also be worth cross checking prices on Skyscanner with those on Kayak (www.kayak.com). Kayak is a site very similar, I’ve always been pleased with the prices I’ve found on Skyscanner, but I’ll leave it to you to decide which site you prefer.
For even better deals remain flexible with your dates. The cheapest day to fly appears to be a Wednesday and you can guarantee flight prices soar when the school holidays are on; so avoid them if you can! Skyscanner has a fantastic option where you can search for the cheapest destination from your local airport; especially good if you’re not fussy about where you visit.
Trains and coaches are also great way to travel and can get you across Europe over night. Waking up in a different city is definitely something a bit special! If you’re from the UK take a look at the National Express (http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx) or MegaBus (http://www.megabus.com/ ), both of which travel all over Europe.
The Eurostar from London to Paris or Brussels also has some great rates. If you book early enough (about 3 months in advance) you can get a return ticket from £69! Perhaps the best thing about Eurostar is that you don’t have to check in as early as you would at an airport. It also drops you off in the city centre , saving you money on trains. Signing up to Eurostar’s loyalty programme can save you even more money on fares. I recently earned a £30 voucher to save with my next journey!
Fancy seeing more of France? Why not opt for a less traditional method of transportation? Have a look at Covoiturage (http://www.covoiturage.fr/ ). This website teams you up with people travelling on their own in France. They’re simply looking for someone to contribute to the petrol money, have a little chat with them or even belt out some classic Madonna songs to make the drive more interesting. Cheap travel is a chance to practice your language skills and meet a potential new friend sounds good to me! If you’re a bit nervous about this method of transport travel with a friend, there’s usually more than one space available in the car and this will give you a chance to sleep while your friend chats away.
So Scriptoeris readers, what are your top tips for finding cheap transport? Would you try car sharing to get travel somewhere?