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How-to Guides » OLD GUIDE Have a cheap holiday

Find out how to cut the cost of your flights, get discounts, tip correctly, spend wisely, get cashback and most importantly, cut the cost of your holiday.

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OLD GUIDE Have a cheap holiday

Get organised

How-to Guide Tips 16 tips on this task | Tweet

1) Make a checklist

To ensure the smoothest trip possible, make a checklist of all the things you need to do before going away.

Ten travel tips to keep you safe provides a good starting point.

2) Avoid airport rip-offs

Buying food and other essentials at the airport is likely to cost you a small fortune. So eat before you leave, or pack sandwiches to bring with you if you're flying on a budget airline, where food costs an arm and a leg.

Just be careful when it comes to bringing drinks as you won't be able to take liquids over 100ml through airport security. Don't forget to bring your own sealable clear plastic bag for these liquids - otherwise you might be forced to pay for one!

Read Avoid these airport rip-offs for more stings to steer clear of.

3) Get stuff for free!

If you're off to Europe, it's worth remembering that several museums across Europe offer free entry on the first Sunday of each month. So, if it’s a family holiday you’re planning, time it well, and you could avoid paying entrance fees altogether.

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Tips on this task (16)

78

bellini said

A good site to look at for cheap hotel rooms is http://www.laterooms.com/

Report on 07 January 2010 | Love 0 love
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tmischler said

If you're after a package, find the best deal you can get on line and then approach a few smaller travel agents and see if they can beat (or even match - it's always easier if you only have one person to deal with and they often have reps where you're going) your quote.

Report on 26 January 2010 | Love 0 love
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Noonar said

I'm looking for a cheap flight to India, any suggestions?

Report on 27 January 2010 | Love 0 love
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justget said

possibly the best site ive found is www.travelrepublic.co.uk

Report on 10 February 2010 | Love 0 love
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compuconcepts said

I need a travel guidline to Lithuianian

Report on 18 March 2010 | Love 0 love
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holidayinsider said

I always use www.holidayholiday.co.uk they have millions of cheap holidays all ABTA/ATOL bonded

Report on 22 March 2010 | Love 0 love
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kimmie50 said

Found this amazing site for cheap hotel deals www.hotelsmart.co.uk

Report on 24 March 2010 | Love 0 love
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frenchcoastbunny said

I kept track of my spending on various holidays and found that certain hotel charges inordinately put up the total cost and the so called pleasures that bought often also affected my waistline.
You can still enjoy drinks but far more reasonably by using local supermarkets and shops rather than hotel bars and at one hotel I found that even the mineral water was prices at 20 times the retail price.
Watch the cost of starters, desserts as well as pre and particularly after dinner drinks. You do not have to abstain or skimp but you need to be aware that having all the options frequently steeply bumps up the bill.
Check out exactly what you are being offered before agreeing to opt for breakfast in a hotel. This is why hotels try to get you to sign up the night before. it's not about having to buy products in but tyig you down before you have a chance to say no.
With breakfasts you are often paying for convenience rather than quality.Unless your hotel is one of those rare places with an incredible buffet breakfast where they also cook what you want to order it is often more fun and better value to have breakfast in the local café than paying through the nose for hardening bread and second rate croissants.
Think first and watch the pennies and eurocents and the pounds and euros will look after themselves!

Report on 30 March 2010 | Love 0 love
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sealover1 said

I still think Expedia.co.uk provides the best selection and service for holidays. They don't always have all the cheapest deals but are close to them and provide quality assurance.

Report on 13 April 2010 | Love 0 love
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vickystowe said

I always make myself a little currency converter on excel using the rate I've bought my currency at (Travelex by the way). I include the most likely values - 1 to 10, then maybe 15, 35, 45 etc and print it out to keep in my purse so that I am always aware of how much things cost

Report on 14 May 2010 | Love 0 love
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levycky96 said

try www.skyscanner.net
logs all direct and indirect flights & orders by price

Report on 28 May 2010 | Love 0 love
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infonow said

I found this website and got some great price http://www.costpriceholidays.co.uk
Seems to do exactly what is says on the tin! I priced up holidays compared to going to direct to Thomas Cook, Cosmos and others - great prices.

Report on 10 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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bogdanintheuk said

My last holidays were in Italy where I spent 2 weeks skiing in my beloved Dolomites. I went from Bristol to Insbruck (Austria) and there after 2 days my friends from Slovakia took me with them to Predazzo (by car). Flights from and back to Bristol without any problems. The only 2 very unpleasent days I`ve got in Austria. Thanks for thousands british 'tourists' constantly drunk and/or after drugs it was very difficult to talk and spend time with austrian citizens. Thanks God I speak german language and when I stopped using english theirs aproach changed immidiattely. It was very important lesson for me. My next holidays I`d like to spend travelling across continent (Europe) far away from places where UK travel agencies send british tourists for holidays. So-called 'tourists' whose only purpose is to drink to death have done such an opinion about UK citizens as You can expect no warm 'welcome' in any country in Europe (excluding staff especially trained how to deal with tourists from GB). Sad but true.
bogdanintheuk

Report on 10 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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leftlung said

hi i'm going to Torquay on in July and im looking to do it in the cheapest way possible way. I have accomodation, it's just eberything else i need help with, tourist attraction etc. please help.
lisa
x

Report on 15 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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malawijohn said

planning to visit Kerela in India for ten days in September. never been to india.Not a beach person. Any tips greatly apreciated.

Report on 23 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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JohnVickers said

I use a combination of sites. The first one will be http://www.laterooms.com and http://www.lastminute.com for the special deals. If you use http://www.quidco.com or http://www.mutualpoints.com , you can look to get cash back on the holiday quite often, saving you money too! I also look at using voucher code websites (http://www.myvouchercodes.com) as sometimes travel companies provide discounts to these sites.
With laterooms and lastminute.com, once you have found a holiday you like, there is no reason why you couldn't see if it's cheaper booking directly with the operator...

Report on 04 November 2010 | Love 0 love

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