Travelling to Europe – Finding The Best Deals

Carrying on my run of take over bloggers, today Pete from Household Money Saving, has some fantastic ideas for making sure when you’re travelling in the EU, you are getting the best deal possible.

The Pound has taken a hammering over the last year, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune travelling to mainland Europe. Discover how to find the best deals below.

Living in Europe, we have a unique advantage over most of the world. We are surrounded by countries rich with culture and heritage, all just an hour or two away. As Brits, we also have an added advantage that, nearly anywhere you go, you’ll be able to find an English speaker.

You don’t need to spend a fortune travelling to Europe, and the more you save on your journey, the more you have to spend when you arrive.

Flights

There are some amazing bargains to be found. You may remember the story of Jordan Cox who discovered it was cheaper to fly via Berlin on a trip from Sheffield to Essex, rather than travelling directly by train. He was able to find flights for around £10 each.

Take a look at some flight comparison sites such as Skyscanner.

Be flexible about the time you’re willing to fly and take a look at changing your departure and arrival airports. And you can potentially save even more money if you only take carry-on luggage with you.

Car

As we’re surrounded by water (for those of you who haven’t noticed), if you’re planning to take your car to the continent, you only have the choice of ferry or tunnel. The quickest crossings are from the South-East, but if you live nearer to places like Poole or Hull, it may be easier for you to travel from there. To find the best prices, use a comparison site like AFerry. Don’t be fooled by the name though, they also compare prices for the Channel Tunnel. Similar to flying, try to be flexible about the times you’re willing to travel to find the best price. Booking a crossing at night will often be cheaper.

Once you’ve found the best price, don’t click straight from the comparison site. Take a look at cashback sites like TopCashback and Quidco. The major ferry companies are listed and you’ll often receive around 5% back.

Unfortunately, Eurotunnel isn’t on cashback sites. However, if you’re a Tesco Clubcard holder, you can find a much better deal. LeShuttle is one of their boost partners, which means you can convert vouchers for 2x their worth.

Coach

Possibly the cheapest and most underused method of travel into Europe. FlixBus run a service from London Victoria (and a few extra sites) to many major cities in Europe for some very low prices. The cost of travelling to Paris starts at £23, Bruges £27 and Amsterdam £26. The coaches all have Air Con, free Wifi, power sockets, extra legroom, toilets, and you’re allowed to take two pieces of luggage – one onboard and one checked in.

I admit that it’s not the shortest of journeys, but it is certainly good value. And don’t forget to use a cashback site before booking your ticket.

Before you go…

Download the Navmii app for your smartphone. The app is free and acts as a decent SatNav. The best feature is that you can use it without it eating up your data. It’s a great addition if you’re discovering new places.

Take a look at how you plan to spend when you’re out in Europe. Nearly all debit cards charge you a fee every time you withdraw money, or you may be hit by poor exchange rates. Take a look at prepaid card such as the Revolut, or my personal favourite, the Halifax Clarity card.

And don’t forget…

It is worth looking out for an affordable data plan for Europe so you can keep all your friends and family on top of all the adventures you are having!

Happy travelling!

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