Airtight: How to get flights for pocket money
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Takeaway pizza or a weekend in Italy?
Fancy going on holiday or a romantic city break but money's too tight to mention?
Fed up of seeing adverts for cheap flights, only to find a load of extras added at the checkout?
I know the feeling. I'm late 20s, addicted to air travel - but terminally broke. Excuse the pun.
So about 3 years ago I decided to see just how far the spare change in my pocket would really stretch. And stretch it did...
Return flights to Europe can literally be picked up for less than a takeaway, thanks to low cost airlines like Ryanair. All you need to know is how to search.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1) A prepaid top-up card
What is it? A card that looks like a credit or debit card, but it isn't. It's not connected to a bank account and isn't subject to credit checks. You just apply online, get your card in the post and top it up like you would a mobile phone. Easy!
Why? So you don't have to pay the £6 per person, per way booking fee charged by Ryanair.
Where can I get one? Mastercard UK website - prepaid cards.
(There may be a very small charge per transaction for using a prepaid card, but it's just a few pennies and much cheaper than Ryanair's charges).
Or just Google "prepaid mastercards" to see what else is around.
2) Flexibility. Be able to travel midweek, out of season, or in the middle of the night. At lot of flights are at social times, but some aren't.
3) Don't take a suitcase. Ryanair allow you to take up to 10kg of handluggage on board for free. But if you take a suitcase you have to pay extra. 10kg is quite a lot, especially if you're only going for a long weekend. A decent backpack is ideal.
Hint: Check what you can and can't pack in hand luggage on the Ryanair website - hand luggage regulations.
Wait! I do want to take a suitcase!
Check out the links below for some great value suitcases and other luggage items from eBay and Amazon.
Fed up of seeing adverts for cheap flights, only to find a load of extras added at the checkout?
I know the feeling. I'm late 20s, addicted to air travel - but terminally broke. Excuse the pun.
So about 3 years ago I decided to see just how far the spare change in my pocket would really stretch. And stretch it did...
Return flights to Europe can literally be picked up for less than a takeaway, thanks to low cost airlines like Ryanair. All you need to know is how to search.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1) A prepaid top-up card
What is it? A card that looks like a credit or debit card, but it isn't. It's not connected to a bank account and isn't subject to credit checks. You just apply online, get your card in the post and top it up like you would a mobile phone. Easy!
Why? So you don't have to pay the £6 per person, per way booking fee charged by Ryanair.
Where can I get one? Mastercard UK website - prepaid cards.
(There may be a very small charge per transaction for using a prepaid card, but it's just a few pennies and much cheaper than Ryanair's charges).
Or just Google "prepaid mastercards" to see what else is around.
2) Flexibility. Be able to travel midweek, out of season, or in the middle of the night. At lot of flights are at social times, but some aren't.
3) Don't take a suitcase. Ryanair allow you to take up to 10kg of handluggage on board for free. But if you take a suitcase you have to pay extra. 10kg is quite a lot, especially if you're only going for a long weekend. A decent backpack is ideal.
Hint: Check what you can and can't pack in hand luggage on the Ryanair website - hand luggage regulations.
Wait! I do want to take a suitcase!
Check out the links below for some great value suitcases and other luggage items from eBay and Amazon.
Contents at a Glance
eBay - I need luggage!
eBay - I want one of those!
Find me a cheap flight...
The Ryanair website is a good place to start. You can also use the same steps below on the EasyJet and Monarch websites...
Go to www.ryanair.co.uk
In the search box...
1) Select your preferred departure airport (London Stansted is Ryanair's main base so you get most choice of destinations if you fly from there)
2) Select where you'd like to go
Hint: Certain routes are often very cheap, especially at off-peak times of the year. If you're really not fussed where you go, Stansted to Dublin, Milan Bergamo, Majorca, Porto, Madrid, Rimini, Barcelona Reus and Barcelona Girona are just a few destinations worth searching first.
Decide the month in which you'd like to travel. The more flexible you are, the cheaper you're likely to fly.
3) In the first date box put the 1st of the month you've chosen eg. 1st September 2011. This is the earliest date you will travel.
4) In the second date box, put the last date of the month, eg. 30th September 2011. This is the last day you could return on.
5) Make sure the 'flexible dates' box is ticked
6) Make sure the 'terms and conditions' box is ticked
7) Enter how many adults, children and infants are going
Hit BOOK NOW
Now all you need to do is go through each day one at a time and look at the prices. Either work backwards from the last day of the month, or forwards from the 1st.
Hint: Look out for fares that say "Free online check-in" or "No Taxes" in blue writing. "Regular fare" ones have extra taxes added.
Once you've played about with the dates and found a cheap combination, you're ready to book!
Last hint: Once you're on the booking page, you can see a break down of the total cost. Check it carefully - there may be extras added such as travel insurance which you may not need if you already have it, or you might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere online.
What is Priority Boarding?
Ryanair offer Priority Boarding passes for an extra fee. These mean you can get on the plane quicker than other passengers (seats aren't prebookable or reserved on Ryanair).
You might decide that you want a Priority Boarding Pass. Up to you - but it will bump up the cost.
DONE!
Go to www.ryanair.co.uk
In the search box...
1) Select your preferred departure airport (London Stansted is Ryanair's main base so you get most choice of destinations if you fly from there)
2) Select where you'd like to go
Hint: Certain routes are often very cheap, especially at off-peak times of the year. If you're really not fussed where you go, Stansted to Dublin, Milan Bergamo, Majorca, Porto, Madrid, Rimini, Barcelona Reus and Barcelona Girona are just a few destinations worth searching first.
Decide the month in which you'd like to travel. The more flexible you are, the cheaper you're likely to fly.
3) In the first date box put the 1st of the month you've chosen eg. 1st September 2011. This is the earliest date you will travel.
4) In the second date box, put the last date of the month, eg. 30th September 2011. This is the last day you could return on.
5) Make sure the 'flexible dates' box is ticked
6) Make sure the 'terms and conditions' box is ticked
7) Enter how many adults, children and infants are going
Hit BOOK NOW
Now all you need to do is go through each day one at a time and look at the prices. Either work backwards from the last day of the month, or forwards from the 1st.
Hint: Look out for fares that say "Free online check-in" or "No Taxes" in blue writing. "Regular fare" ones have extra taxes added.
Once you've played about with the dates and found a cheap combination, you're ready to book!
Last hint: Once you're on the booking page, you can see a break down of the total cost. Check it carefully - there may be extras added such as travel insurance which you may not need if you already have it, or you might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere online.
What is Priority Boarding?
Ryanair offer Priority Boarding passes for an extra fee. These mean you can get on the plane quicker than other passengers (seats aren't prebookable or reserved on Ryanair).
You might decide that you want a Priority Boarding Pass. Up to you - but it will bump up the cost.
DONE!
Amazon
Guestbook Comments
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browse4
Jan 9, 2012 @ 10:42 am | delete
- Great Artticle -the more variety the better. http://www.cheapholidaysonline.biz
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bent_tent_from_kent
Aug 10, 2011 @ 7:56 am | delete
- Great article! lots of fab hints.
Maybe we could jet off to Tenerife 11 years later!
x x
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Mollydos
Aug 8, 2011 @ 11:48 am | delete
- This is brilliant, lots of good tips. I feel a holiday coming on!
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BBC News
by airtight
Hello there. I'm 20-something, live in the UK and am addicted to travel. But money's tight. So... just how far can you fly for pocket money?
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