Top money-saving travel tips - beat the recession!

Get away for less

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Although we\'ve moved from credit-crunch into full-blown recession, and many of us are feeling the pinch, we\'re extremely reluctant to give up our holidays. For two-thirds of us, our precious holiday is the last thing we\'d give up when we\'re having to cut spending. And it\'s not hard to work out why we feel like that. A holiday is something to look forward to, a time to escape everyday life, it offers the chance for relaxation, sampling a different way of life and culture, and the experience gives us great memories to look back on. So we\'ve tracked down the best tips on saving money on that all-important break - see how we saved a total of £260.38...

 

Click here for money-saving days out - and how to find more

Escape the eurozone

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As sterling flounders in exchange-rate hell, it makes sense to look further afield than euro-using Europe, to places where your holiday money will go further.

Click here for our outside-the-eurozone destination guide

What\'s it worth?

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Exchange rates can fluctuate daily, so check the up-to-the-minute figures with our handy currency converter

Book a budget airline

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Try the fantastically flexible Budget Airline FlightChecker from www.moneysavingexpert.com. Type in your dates of travel, set your price limit and see the results. The FlightChecker searches AirBerlin, BMI Baby, Easyjet, Flybe, FlyMonarch, Norwegian Air, Ryanair, Sky Europe, Thomsonfly and WizzAir. Between them, these budget carriers cover 30 countries, including Europe and the US. This is one of the best ways to find those elusive \'seats from 1p\' that are promoted but which no one you know has ever nabbed.

 

For a flight from London to Paris leaving next Friday, returning a week later, British Airways quoted £162.70. Using the FlightChecker brought that down to £76.32, using EasyJet. Sample saving: £86.38

Take the Ehic

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The European Health Insurance Card, or Ehic, replaces the old form E111. It entitles you to reduced-cost (sometimes free) necessary state medical treatment in all EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It\'s free and could save you money and hassle. Each traveller needs one.

Make sure you check the expiry date; three million cards that were issued in 2005 expire at the end of March 2009. Click here to renew or apply for your Ehic online: www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad. Don\'t make the mistake of many travellers: it\'s not a substitute for travel insurance - see the next frame for cutting the cost of cover. 

Channel Islands: From April 1 2009 you\'ll need travel insurance for your trip 

Make sure you\'re covered

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Unless you want to run the risk of being bankrupted if, God forbid, you or yours have an accident abroad (or even in the UK), take out travel insurance. An annual policy usually works out cheapest if you\'ll be going away more than once a year. You must shop around, though. The \'tick here for travel insurance\' box on a booking form is rarely the best option. You can compare over 450 policies at www.moneysupermarket.com where the quotes for a week in Morocco leaving next Friday varied from £5.30 to £47.90. Sample saving: £42.60

Taking the train

going abroad,UK travel,on a budget,travel advice train tracks outside Edinburgh station Megatrain (www.megatrain.com/uk) offers train journeys from £1, plus 50p booking fee. For my random journey to check its prices (London to Derby, this Friday, returning on Tuesday) it offered an outward fare of £12.50; return, £9. You don\'t get your choice of any train in the timetable but if you can be flexible, it\'s worth a try. This compares with the cheapest fare quoted on www.nationalrail.co.uk at £42 out, £13 return. Sample saving: £33.50

Pick your ticket

best buys,UK travel,on a budget,travel advice new train ticket types: Advance, Off-peak, Anytime

There are now three types of ticket for national rail services: Advance, Off-peak and Anytime. Advance - the cheapest - go on sale 12 weeks in advance but, and it\'s a big but, they may still be available the day before or even nearer you departure time. The difference? London-Weymouth this Friday is £28 with an Advance fare; £48.50 Off-peak, and £48.80 Anytime. Sample saving: £20.80. Click here for more details of the ticket types

Plus the bus

best buys,UK travel,on a budget,travel advice Megabus coach

Megabus (www.megabus.com/uk) offers coach journeys from £1, plus 50p booking fee. My random check produced a ticket price for London to Glasgow this Friday, returning next Tuesday of £19 outward; £13 return. This compares with www.nationalexpress.com\'s £25 each way. As with Megatrain, services you can travel on are limited. Sample saving: £18

Make like a bee: fly for Nectar

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Book a flight on Expedia and earn 200 Nectar points (www.nectar.com); it makes no difference whether your flight is to Manchester or Melbourne. If you book a flight and a hotel or car hire, you can earn up to 3,000 Nectar points, which is enough for a return flight to Madrid, and some change.

Avoid the airport express

going abroad,UK travel,on a budget,travel advice London Undergound tube to Heathrow

If you\'re using Heathrow or Gatwick - and 97 million passengers a year do - don\'t take the airport express train. It\'s one of the world\'s most expensive rail journeys per mile.

 

The Heathrow Express (www.heathrowexpress.com) from London Paddington to Heathrow takes 18 minutes and costs £32 return - cheaper with a railcard. Heathrow Connect (www.heathrowconnect.com) does it in 25 minutes for £13.80. The Express has more luggage space and video screens; the Connect stops five times. Sample saving: £18.20. Even cheaper, take the Piccadilly line tube. An adult single to Heathrow costs £4 in cash (£3.80 with an Oystercard), and takes around 48 minutes. Sample saving: £28

 

The Gatwick Express (www.gatwickexpress.com) from London Victoria costs £28.80 return for a 30-minute journey. Normal trains from Victoria to Gatwick Airport cost £15.90 for a similar journey time. From London Bridge it\'s £16.80 return; similar journey time. Sample saving: £12.90/£12

Save money on petrol

going abroad,UK travel,on a budget,in the car,travel advice woman at petrol pump If you\'re doing a long drive to your destination, it\'s in your interests to spend less on filling up your fuel tank. Click here for seven ways to cut down the cash on petrol

Stay in the UK

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Avoid currency confusion, airport delays, bolshy baggage handlers, air-traffic control strikes and the other foreign holiday miseries by celebrating the best of British and taking a holiday on home turf. Our guide explains why it pays to stay in the UK

 

 

More for you

going abroad,places to stay,UK travel,on a budget,travel advice woman with euros and rucksack

Planning a trip? Use our online accommodation search, then rank your results by price, from low to high, to find the cheapest place to stay

 

Find more money-saving travel ideas here: ferry fares, cheaper cruises, half-price hotels...

 

Enjoy great days out for less, plus ways to find more bargains

 

Get the most from a stay in the UK with our guide to short breaks in the country, in the city and by the sea - nationwide

 

Know before you go: great online travel advice

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