Photo: Swanksalot
Author David Rich
The recession has seriously emptied the wallets of many while some of us never had any money even during the boom years. Bottom line is that going on holiday abroad now seems like an absurd and irresponsible luxury. However it doesn’t necessarily have to be like this. You can still travel abroad without playing havoc with your personal finance and at Momondo we’ve dicovered ways to make your holiday affordable.
Photo: ChrisGoldNY
If beer prices are in any way an indicator for the general price level in a country you should be able to find some affordable destinations on the site The Price of a Pint. This is a database of the average price of a pint in different countries across the world based on visitor’s reports.
When you have chosen a destination, you need to find out how to get there. Going by car or maybe even hitchhiking will often be slightly too unmanageable and time consuming and then there is always the plane.
Photo: Things.I.like.in.SP
The prices of airfares are now as low as ever but there are a few ways to cut the price even further.
- Always use a comparison engine such Momondo (not that we like to boast, but…), as these sites will save you time and probably also money.
- Choose popular routes where carriers compete on prize.
- Don’t insist on travelling on specific dates as you will pay a lot more for airfares. If you're flexible about when you want to leave and return, you can get much better deals.
- Save money and book your ticket at least two weeks ahead (preferably three) and at least 30 days in advance for international flights.
At Momondo we have checked fares for return flights from London to Barcelona:
102 euro – booked 5 days in advance.
72 euro – booked 2 weeks in advance.
41 euro – booked 3 weeks in advance.
- Fly Wednesday, return Wednesday. Don’t expect to find the cheapest fares if you fly out Monday morning and return on a Friday evening (or on busy holiday dates). The best deals are almost always found on the midweek days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
At Momondo we checked sample fares for return flights from London to Barcelona:
136 euro - Leave Monday, return Friday.
41 euro - Leave Wednesday, return Wednesday.
- Always check the round-trip price even if you're flying one-way. For some reason one-ways often cost more than a return flight.
- Using neighboring airports sometimes gets you cheaper airfares. It might be less costly to fly into Luton than Heathrow and take the train from there. Just be aware that the transportation from some airports into the city center can be ridiculously expensive and cost you more than the plane-ticket.
Photo: Digiart2001
One thing is getting a cheap flight ticket, another thing is to find cheap accommodation. In cities like New York, London and Amsterdam finding a cheap hotel room in the high season can be as difficult as getting a Campari soda in Jeddah during the Ramadan.
Photo: Taylorandayumi
It is always a good idea to look for good offers on hotel comparison sites such as....eh, Momondo. But if you are out for some serious budget travel and are more than open to meet other people you should become a member of the couch surfing community and get unlimited access to sofas in private homes across the world. Your host will certainly tell you how to get around and where to find the best offers on food and drinks. Remember that the couch surfing service is not 100 percent for free, as you pay with your company and with an open-door-policy to your home when a couch surfer visits your town.
Remember on Momondo Travel News you can always be updated on good offers on flights and new routes.
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