How to...Get your holiday cheaper (or free)

No need to go on hunger strike for months before your annual fun-bout. We pick the six best ways to keep the costs down.

1. Hammer the air miles

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Air miles are the fast track to saving significant amounts of money or, if it’s your wont, treating yourself to a spot of business-class luxury. And they don’t have to take an eternity to earn either: you can earn Virgin Flying Club Miles, for instance, in the usual way by flying with Virgin, but you can also earn them with a Virgin credit card if you’re a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member (it’s free to join). You earn one mile for every £1 spent on the card, or, if you pay an £80 annual fee, double that. Either way, if you spend more than £15,000 on the card, you get a free companion ticket when you buy a qualifying flight. American Express has a similar card, which earns British Airways Miles. As for earning miles without credit cards: Virgin introduces new earning schedules from March 1 that will mean even a discounted return flight to Los Angeles earns one mile for each one flown – that’s 10,884 miles. Full economy fares earn 1.25 miles per mile flown. BA miles are earned at one mile for each mile flown, though discounted flights earn 0.25 miles per mile flown. You can often pay with a combination of cash and miles, so if you can’t get a free flight, you may get a discount. And if you have enough miles, you might want to consider turning your holiday into a special event by using them to upgrade your ticket. If you really want to splash out, 100,000 miles will let you fly from London to Los Angeles return in Virgin’s upper class. The return is an overnight flight, and Virgin’s flatbed seat is sensational, the best in any business class. Be warned though, it will spoil you for flying economy again. If 100,000 miles seems a lot, bear in mind you’d need 50,000 miles to fly economy. But for double the miles you’d get a flight that is often ten times as much as an economy ticket (at time of writing Virgin is offering £323 economy, £5,206 Upper Class) – so miles might be your most cost-effective way to luxury.


2. Become a airborne beast of burden…

… and try courier flights. This is where you agree to carry valuable documents on behalf of a courier company and buy a heavily discounted flight as a result. If it’s paperwork for cargo, you don’t have any contact with the cargo itself – the courier-company representative handles that and will tell you when they meet you at the airport. You should dress smartly. As always, flexibility is the key. You usually have to travel alone, though some destinations have several courier flights a day, or you could buy a second ticket in the regular way. It may help if you’re prepared to travel at short notice, and sometimes you may not need to carry any paperwork. If you want to be a courier – and the opportunities are now much less common than they were – a good place to start is the website for the International Association of Air Travel Couriers (www.courier.org). International membership costs $50. Or there’s www.couriertravel.org, which is similarly explanatory and charges $40 membership. It’s currently offering flights to Sydney for £525, which is a good price. BA’s website recommends calling British Airways Travel Shop on 0870 606 1133.


3. Book the night before

Well, if you can be flexible about when you fly, obviously you can make the most of late-availability offers such as those at lastminute.com. Or, if you’re flying long-haul at peak times such as Christmas, New Year or August, and you don’t mind going or coming home a day or two later, you might enjoy being bumped. It’s not as painful as it sounds. Airlines sometimes overbook flights and need to offload people. Bumped passengers can get cash, travel vouchers and more, plus overnight accommodation, meal allowances and travel on the next available flight. It’s not always an option, but it’s worth looking out for signs on check-in desks or asking just in case. Similarly, if a plane is empty, both BA and Virgin are often keen to make more money by selling upgrades cheaply at check-in. Again, there’s no harm in asking if you can pay to upgrade (though the query ‘Any chance of an upgrade?’ is heard by airline staff all the time, so make clear that you’re offering money to avoid a frosty look).


4. Make like it’s the nineteenth-century

Budget airlines may have largely superseded the need for trains, but for longer, extensive trips, rail travel can still be worth a look. The Inter-Rail Pass has been going for years and can still offer good value if you plan carefully. Prices start at £145 if you’re under 26, £215 if you’re not; it lasts for 16 days and takes you around Europe. Longer-lasting tickets that take you further (including north Africa) are also available. Go to www.raileurope.co.uk. Rail passes are also available in the US, New Zealand and Australia; check these out at www.thetravelbureau.co.uk. Eurolines, meanwhile, describes itself as Europe’s express-coach network. There are bargains to be had if you can be flexible when you travel. ‘Fun fares’ start from £3 each way to Paris, for example. Check out www.nationalexpress.com/eurolines.


5. Pay as you go

Consider a working or volunteer trip. You mostly need to be aged between 18 and 30 to have the right visa to work abroad, but you can volunteer at any age. There are options to work with disadvantaged kids in South Africa, or in a lion park where work is described as ‘unglamorous but crucial’. You pay for your flights and a fee for transfers from the airport, accommodation and meals. For the lion park, the Place of Kings, you pay £269 per week and you need to go for at least four weeks. You’ll be busy, but it can be a good way of spending less on your holiday. Check out www.overseasworkingholidays.co.uk or call 0845 344 0366 for more details.


6. Get a career in politics

Prime ministers, it seems, get holidays for free.


To read more of our clued-up guide to getting the most out of life in London click here

David Phelan
Time Out London Issue 1852: February 15-22 2006

Time Out London magazine (Issue 1852) How to... a super-smart and easy-to-follow guide to upgrading your life in London, including How to... flog your stuff at a car boot, How to... get married on the cheap and How to... travel for free. [Buy Now ] Availiable in bookshops and direct from timeout.com/shop