Welcome to this week’s holiday hotline which – totally unintentionally – has become a bit of an ‘October Special’.
If you haven’t heard of the holiday hotline before, it’s something I do over on my Instagram stories where I ask you for what chap getaway I can help find for you.
A LOAD of you asked about Tuscany this week and so I hope this helps a few of you tick the Italian countryside off your bucket list.
FLIGHTS
There are two airport options if you fancy visiting Tuscany – Florence or Pisa. And whilst the former may be the region’s capital, you’re going to be hard pressed to find cheap and direct flights outside of London.
FGS FLORENCE, YOU BOUJIE MADAME.
Therefore, we’re going to be taking a look at Pisa which is much more satisfactory on the ol’ pocket.
Manchester to Pisa Thurs 17th Oct – Tues 22nd Oct easyJet £69 each
If you often fly Ryanair, you’ll be pleased to hear that easyJet still allow you to wheel on a cabin case which I think is more than big enough for this 5 night getaway! You can find out more about their luggage allowance here.
CAR RENTAL
Before we crack on with accommodation, we’ll need to find something to get us around once we land in Pisa.
If you’re wanting to go cheap, I’d definitely recommend looking into Agriturismo, which is the Italian for ‘farm stay’.
Now, before you tell me I’m barking up the wrong tree, BEAR WITH ME.
Once Italy’s best kept secret, agriturismo have really come a long way and you can expect well-appointed rooms, outdoor pools and stunning views across the owner’s land.
However, those on the cheaper end of the spectrum are more traditional in the decor department than the ‘stylish’ Tuscan break that’s been requested, so onwards we go!
Airbnb Plus – it’s verified for its “quality and comfort” La Spezia – 56 mins drive from Pisa Airport £76.20 a night – £190.50 each (you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
Airbnb Plus – it’s been verified for its “quality and comfort” Pistoia – 53 mins drive from Pisa Airport £79.20 a night – £198 each (you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
TOTAL
Flights – £69 each Car hire – £13 each Airbnb Plus – £190.50 each
Total = £272.50 each for 5 nights in Tuscany
THE REQUEST: Premium 5 star holiday for a 3 star price
Extra Details:
From London
For 2 people
Okay, so when I saw this request come through I got a bit giddy because I saw a deal in passing last week which I think will fit this request perfectly.
It’s important to say that last week, this was a good £80 cheaper so if you’re into it, I’d book it fast!
But here’s the reason I’m so excited…
This isn’t just any old hotel.
This is a FOUR SEASONS HOTEL.
Four Seasons, if you didn’t know, is one of the top luxury hotel brands in the world. We’re talking proper, 5 star service here, lads.
✨TOTAL HONEYMOON VIBEZ ✨
And usually, this would cost you around £400 a night for the room on its own. Minimum.
However, one of the cheapest Four Seasons hotels to stay at is in Marrakech.
What’s more, you can book the Four Seasons Marrakech through British Airways’ Holiday Finder – basically, their package holiday website – which in this case, saves us even more money.
As I said, this was just £536 when I saw it last week so it’s definitely worth getting on this deal soon before the cost rises even more!
The perks you get by booking both the hotel and the flight with BA is that:
You get 23kg checked luggage for free
There’s an option to just pay £150 deposit each
Booked separately, the hotel would cost £927 and the flights would cost £197 each (without any luggage) or £237 (with luggage) meaning you could save up to £84.50 each by booking through BA
Though, it is worth saying that you could fly with Ryanair for the same dates for just £119 each, but the flight times and lack of hand luggage aren’t so fun (they only allow a small backpack!)
LOOK. I know it’s not quite a 3 star price, but it is unreal value for a true, premium travel experience. SO I HAD TO SHARE!
THE REQUEST: UK mini-moon lodge with hot tub
Extra Details:
For 2 people
Leaving 28th October
4 nights
£700 budget
Within 3.5 hours drive of Bedfordshire
A site that is amazing for lodges both in the UK and abroad is Canopy & Stars. In fact, they even have a page dedicated to places that have hot tubs!
Here’s my favourite that I found!
Holly Cabin Powys – 3 hours drive from Bedfordshire £660 for 4 nights
THE REQUEST: Budget Greek holiday for two
Extra Details:
From London Gatwick or Heathrow
For 2 people
Late Sep/early Oct
Southern Greece – maybe Rhodes or Crete?
Budget – but not too rustic!
Flights from Gatwick and Heathrow to Rhodes and Crete were coming in a little pricey (okay A LOT PRICEY) and so I’m gonna throw a curveball in here.
KEFALONIA.
Kefalonia is an island just west of mainland Greece, so sure, not quite the Southern Greece that was requested, but just have a quick peruse of #Kefalonia on Instagram and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied!
The great thing about Kefalonia is that not only are there some great flight options, but the accommodation is so, damn cheap too.
FLIGHT
London Gatwick – Argostoli Kefalonia Sat 5th Oct – Sat 12th Oct Norwegian – 1 cabin bag plus 1 personal item £101 each (pssst you can fly for just £54 return later in the month!)
ACCOMMODATION
There are loads of great options but I personally loved not only the price, but the view from the terrace here. What a dream!
If you’re looking for a bigger group, I also recommend taking a look at Unique Kefalonia who have got some outrageous villas for amazing prices. I kept seeing the same properties on Airbnb but for so much more!
TOTAL
Since you’ll also need a car, I’ve chucked that price in here too.
Flights – £101 each Car hire – £25 each Accommodation – £221.50 each
Total = £347.50 each for 7 nights in Kefalonia
That’s it for this week’s holiday hotline!
Again, I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of requests and so please do accept my most sincere apologies for not getting to you. I will do my best to work through all the responses this week so that if I can steer you in the right direction, I will!
Remember, you can get involved in the next holiday hotline by simply following me over on Instagram and looking out for it on my stories.
I have used some affiliate links throughout this article. They don’t charge you more, but if you book through them you’ll be helping me to continue my cheap travel booking hobbies. For full transparency, I earn about 10p if you book a flight through a link so… Yeah, I’m rolling in it 😂
Cyprus has 4 international airports but for the UK crowd, your best bets are Paphos and Larnaca but coming in at almost half the price at the end of September, is the latter!
London Luton to Larnaca, Cyprus Tues 24th Sep – Tues 8th Oct £75 return
Cheap flights also available Thurs 26th Sep – Thurs 10th Oct for £80.
ACCOMMODATION
As you’re going for 2 weeks, I’d deffo use this as an opportunity to stay in a few different types of accommodation. I tend to start a little cheaper and then towards the end of the holiday, treat myself to a LUSH hotel. It gives you something to look forward before you go home!
So, let’s take a look at some different types of accommodation.
Airbnb £50.85 a night – £356 a week (you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
Located in the beautiful village of Bellapais, there’s ancient buildings, sights for daaaaysss and also, you’re only a 4 mile drive from North Cyprus’ coast.
Set in a complex, this may be a little less ‘traditional’ but you have your own terrace and access to the village’s roof, garden, pool and gym. Plus, you’re not too far from the sea either!
I am full on obsessed with place and have taken to visiting it online once a week. It’s adults only, on a vineyard and brags an amazing restaurant. Plus, at just £90 a night in October I think it’s great value for something a little bit more special.
What with the to-ing and fro-ing, a car will need to be hired too!
THE REQUEST: Long weekend in Europe in late Aug/early Sep
Extra details:
From London
Hot and sunny
£300pp max
Hannah likes exploring, her boyf likes relaxing!
How about… MILAN! Not only are there cheap flights all the tiiiimme, you can combine an explore around the city with a couple of day up at Lake Como which only takes an hour to get to by train – and is as cheap as €4,80!
FLIGHTS
London to Milan Thurs 29th Aug to Mon 2nd Sep From £66 return
ACCOMMODATION
Okay, I’m thinking a jaunt up to Lake Como for some chill time first I personally prefer to stay at a hotel on the last night as it means you can easily leave your things at the front desk if you decide to take the later flight home.
So, let’s look at Lake Como.
There are lots of options all around the lake but for ease, I’d take a look at Airbnbs around the town of Como itself for easy access from the train, and a central starting spot for exploring.
Airbnb Thurs 29th Aug – Sat 31st Aug £119 a night – £238 total (you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
Next, we’re heading back to Milan and let’s think HOTELS.
Now, there’s plenty of options on this Sat/Sun night for under £75 but I loved the look of this next place, which also features pretty high up on The Telegraph’s best hotels in Milan list.
Enterprise Hotel Design & Boutique Sat 31st Aug to Mon 2nd Sep 4 star spa hotel £92.50 a night – £185 total
THE REQUEST: Chill Croatia break in early October
Extra details:
2 people
£350pp budget
FLIGHTS
CHECK OUT THESE CHEAP ASS FLIGHTS TO PULA:
London to Pula Weds 2nd Oct to Weds 9th Oct £30 return
ACCOMMODATION
Having flown into Pula recently for a little ‘chilled’ break myself, I know that there are plenty of places within an hour’s drive to choose from. I stayed in Rabac which was a cute resort town (though perhaps a little too resorty for me) so instead, we’re going to take a look at Rovinj which is a 40 min drive from the airport.
Flights – £30 each Car hire – £16.50 each Airbnb – £125.50 each Hotel – £136 each
Total = £308 each
That’s it for this week’s holiday hotline. If I didn’t get you then I’m SO SORRY but blimey, there was a lot of you to get through and I hope I can help you out in the future.
If you fancy being involved with the next one, make sure you’re following on Instagram and checking on my stories.
Until then!
That’s it for this week’s holiday hotline. If I didn’t get you then I’m so sorry – I hope I can help you out in the future!
If you fancy being involved with the next one, make sure you’re following on Instagram and checking on my stories.
I have used some affiliate links throughout this article. They don’t charge you more, but if you book through them you’ll be helping me to continue my cheap travel booking hobbies. For full transparency, I earn about 10p if you book a flight through a link so… Haha!
With both Spurs and Liverpool through to the Champions League final in Madrid on Saturday 1st June 2019, flights to the Spanish capital from the UK havesky rocketed:
Jesus wept.
Therefore, I’ve pulled together a load of different ways that you can get yourself over to the final for less.
If this helps you at all, feel free to help a gal out by giving me a follow on either YouTube, Instagram or Twitter and I promise even more top money saving tips when it comes to your future travel.
1 hour 40 train from Valencia to Madrid – around £80 return for 1 adult
3 hours 40 drive from Valencia to Madrid – car hire as cheap as £5 a day!
London to Valencia – All direct (these have FLOWN up since Spurs qualified)
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £429 (08/05 £572) Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £586 (08/05 £797) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £546 (08/05 £574) Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £293 (08/05 price £396) Sat 1st June – Sun 3rd June – £1118!!! (08/05 price £570) Sat 1st June – Mon 3rd June – £637 (08/05 price £492) Sat 1st June – Tues 4th June – £590 (08/05 price £314)
Liverpool to Valencia – One stop
Fri 31st May – Tues 3th Jun – £415 (cheaper option for overnight layover)
Manchester to Valencia – One stop
Fri 31st May – Fri 7th June – £289 (cheaper option for longer durations)
East Midlands to Valencia – Direct
Tues 28th May – Tues 4th June – £254 (08/05 price £136)
Bristol to Valencia – Direct
Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £468 (08/05 price £466) Fri 31st May – Fri 7th June – £254
4 hours 10 min bus from Bilbao to Madrid – prices from around £50 return
4 hours drive from Bilbao to Madrid – car hire as cheap as £7 a day!
London to Bilbao – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £341 (08/05 price £452) Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £768 (08/05 price £761) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £494 (08/05 price £358) Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £255 (08/05 price £126) Sat 1st June – Sun 3rd June – £516 (08/05 price £522) Sat 1st June – Mon 3rd June – £494 (08/05 price £281) Sat 1st June – Tues 4th June – £228 (08/05 price £79)
Manchester to Bilbao – All direct
Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £469 (08/05 price £485)
Bristol to Bilbao – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £509 (08/05 price £474) Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £199 (08/05 price £170)
Edinburgh to Bilbao – All direct
Weds 29th May – Sun 2nd June – £260 (08/05 price £261)
Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £633 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £323 Thurs 30th May – Weds 5th June – £272 Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £742 Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £431 Fri 31st May – Weds 5th June – £380
Birmingham to Barcelona – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £599 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £341 Thurs 30th May – Weds 5th June – £261 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £531 (note that morning flight back!) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £531
Bristol to Barcelona – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £354 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £171 Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £437 Fri 31st June – Tues 4th June – £254
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £477 Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £336 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £167 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £551 Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £410 Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £241
Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £257 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £143
REUS
6 hour overnight bus from Reus to Madrid and 7 hour bus back to Reus around £70 return (they don’t run often so check before booking)
6 hour drive from Reus to Madrid – car hire as cheap as £17 a day!
London to Reus – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £313 (08/05 price £313) Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £339 (08/05 price £321) Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £419 (08/05 price £395) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £364 (08/05 price £319) Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £199 (08/05 price £174)
Manchester to Reus – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £292 (08/05 price £292)
East Midlands to Reus – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £340 (08/05 price £311) Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £336 (08/05 price £305) Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £158 (08/05 price £138) Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £428 (08/05 price £419) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £364 (08/05 price £364) Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £219 (08/05 price £239)
Birmingham to Reus – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £174 (08/05 price £174)
Glasgow to Reus – All direct
Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £206 (08/05 price £205)
Leeds to Reus – All direct
Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £255 (08/05 price £141)
MALAGA
2 hours 45 mins train from Malaga to Madrid for around £116 return
5 hour 20 min drive from Malaga to Madrid – car hire as cheap as £1 a day (erm, wtf lads?)
London to Malaga – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £146 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £456 (1100 flight – 2240 is £604) Fri 31st May – Weds 5th June – £179
Liverpool to Malaga – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £752 (1000 flight)
Manchester to Malaga – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £605 (1050 flight – 2110 flight is £649) Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £577 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £396
Birmingham to Malaga – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £407 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £511 (1225 flight – 2120 is £680)
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £468 (1205 flight – 2135 £563) Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £448 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £523 (1205 flight – 2135 flight is £622) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £473 Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £298
Glasgow to Malaga – All direct
Thurs 30th May – Sun 2nd June – £456 Thurs 30th May – Mon 3rd June – £324 Thurs 30th May – Tues 4th June – £187 Fri 31st May – Sun 2nd June – £422 (1325 flight – 2045 is £488) Fri 31st May – Mon 3rd June – £354 Fri 31st May – Tues 4th June – £248
Okay, so for all of these I’ve done a standard ‘whack it in Skyscanner and hope’ jobby but actually, you can save even more if you have a little play around with these ‘one stop’ options yourself.
To do this:
Open a new browsing tab – we’re going to call this tab one – and go to Skyscanner and in ‘From’ type in your departure airport
Next, in ‘To’, write ‘Everywhere’
Select the date you’d like to travel to Madrid
This will bring up a list of countries in price order – leave this open
In a new tab – this will be referred to as tab two – again, go to Skyscanner but this time, write ‘Madrid’ underneath the ‘To’ box
In the ‘From’, you’re going to look back at that lovely list of cheap countries in tab one
For example, for London, my results show that flight to Germany start from £10 so I’m going to go back to tab two and enter ‘Germany’ as my departure country and hit search
Straight away it tells me that I can fly from Berlin to Madrid for £54 and from Hamburg to Madrid for £56 – pretty good – and so now I head back to my London list in tab one to see how much they’re coming up as
Hamburg is pretty pricey at £125 but Berlin is coming in at £44
Next, return to each of your tabs to inspect the flights you’ve found to see if they could work together
You want to check that they’re getting into the same airport and that you’ll have enough time to get on your connecting flight
From the above, I think the £80 LTN flight at 1325 and the £39 TXL flight work well. They both use the same airport – so no having to change – plus there’s more than enough time to make my connection. And at £119, it’s a pretty great price too.
This option simply does not come up on Skyscanner – or if it does, it gets lost in the results. In fact, these are the cheapest one stop options it comes up with:
Now, this was just my first try and so with this method, there’s huge potential to save even more money when booking your flights to the Champion’s League final in Madrid!
And remember – this way, you also don’t have to fly from and back into the same airport so check all the options to be in with a chance of bagging super cheap flights.
Good luck!
I hope this has helped you find a flight that works for both your budget and your schedule. If you end up booking something, let me know so I can holiday vicariously through you.
And if you’ve found this useful, give me a follow over on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter for even more cheap travel tips.
I have used affiliate links throughout this article. They don’t charge you more, but if you book through them you’ll be helping me to continue my cheap travel booking hobbies – and make me feel better about spending about 8 hours researching this!! For total transparency though, I’ll have you know that after 2 years, I still haven’t made enough money from affiliate links to actually withdraw anything 😂😂😂
I know I say this all the time but I genuinely wasn’t planning to go away but when I stumbled across some £5 flights to Gothenburg (cheers Ryanair), I simply could not resist!
That and James had NEVER been to Scandinavia before so we basically HAD to go. Right?!
Now, all things Scandi are known for being chic and… Well, bloody expensive. But the good news is that Gothenburg is probably one of the cheapest places you can visit if you want to get your Nordic on.
Finding your own £5 flights is super simple – watch from 1 min 39 secs to find out how!
This ultimate guide to Poland’s capital will clue you up on transport, accommodation, activities and so much more – so you can spend less time faffing, and more time enjoying your trip!
I think you can’t get excited for Christmas until AT LEAST 25th November however, that doesn’t mean to say we can’t all be booking our Christmas Market getaways now…
All deals listed are:
2 night weekend breaks – Fri to Sun or Sat to Mon
Decent flight times that allow at least 1.5 days in your chosen city
Based on 2 people travelling
Less than £175pp for flights and accommodation
And this time, I’m looking at departures from Manchester.
This is a proper cool 3 star hotel – I actually once won a stay at the Qbic in London (I am bloody jammy) which I gave to my parents and they loved it!! A really great way to do a more budget stay but without having to lose out on the style
Whilst on a map you may think it’s fairly far out, it’s in the area of Amsterdam Zuid which is well known for its museums. The hotel is also next to the Metro station and so you can be at Centraal station in just 10 minutes
Total cost – £158 per person
Also for the same dates is a cracking £27 flight to Belfast – their markets are also supposed to be top notch.
Sat 15th Dec – Mon 17th Dec
Basel, Switzerland
Christmas markets start: from 22nd November 2018
This is not your start up Christmas Market, this is your bonafide WINTER WONDERLAND Christmas Market but do keep in mind that Switzerland is PRICEY!
The airport is actually in France so you can say you’ve visited two countries in one – kapow
Flight – £64pp (or just £54pp if you left at 1810)
There are some really decently priced Airbnbs including this and this HOWEVER, in 2018, Basel introduced a nifty little incentive for tourists where if you book into a hotel, you get a free BaselCard which gives you free public transport and a load of discounts! Given how spendy the city is, I think that’s a good deal. The website says that it will be handed to you on check in, but apparently if your booking is marked ‘mobility ticket’ then you can even use it to get to your hotel. Madness. So make sure you email your hotel ahead of time to ask what’s what.
I really wasn’t expecting such lush hotels for the budget! This one is 4 star and really well rated
22 min walk from the markets!
Total cost – £145 per person
Let me know if you end up booking any of these – or if you find your own deals of your own! I STILL haven’t booked a getaway for myself… There are just TOO MANY OPTIONS!
Since I’m full on obsessed with cheap holidays, I see a lot of deals from the numerous newsletters, facebook groups and whatsapp groups I’m signed up to. However, since I can’t be on holiday 24/7 (alas!), many of these brilliant buys are totally lost on me.
Therefore, I’ve decided to collate the best deals I’ve seen in the hope that it may tickle the fancy of one of you lot instead.
Here’s today’s batch of fresh holiday talent:
UK to Orlando, USA for £219
Many UK cities to Orlando, Florida for only £219 roundtrip via Secret Flying Departing: London/Manchester/Birmingham/Newcastle
Airline: TUI
Dates: Availability in June 2018
UK to Dublin, Ireland for £19
Fly to Dublin for £19 return from 10 UK airports via HolidayPirates Departing: Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Newcastle Airline: Ryanair Dates: Availability in June 2018
Europe to Dubai for £55
Fly from European cities to Dubai for £55 if you’re a Wizz Air member via Secret Flying Departing: Cluj, Bucharest, Sofia, Katowice and Budapest Airline: Wizz Air Dates: Availability from June to August 2018
Wizz Air membership is €29.99 for a member + one companion and €59.99 for a member + five companions.
Without the discount of being a member, you can still find return flights for around £82.
Dubai will be hottttt in summer but remember, it’s a great place to fly to Thailand, Sri Lanka and beyond from!
This is pretty UK centric at the moment but leave a comment if you’re interested in flights from elsewhere.
And lastly, share the deals you’ve spotted with me on either @howmanyholidays or @chchchchelsea and I’ll make sure to give you a shout out on here!
I said it was going to be epic and boy it is. The only issue is that darned budget… WHY DIDN’T I JUST MAKE LIFE EASY FOR MYSELF BY GOING ON A 5 NIGHT BREAK TO MOROCCO OR SOMETHING?!! I could have had cash to spare…
But alas, if you’re going to do something, do it properly.
I’m also going to be posting a video a day between now and Christmas (when we arrive home!) so you can find out if we bring it all in for the £1709 limit.
I’ll be honest, right now, it’s looking very, very close… Mostly because I haven’t even booked the last night’s accommodation yet… BUT I’M SURE IT WILL ALL BE FINE (breathe Chelsea breathe).
Tomorrow sees us taking to the city in the search for locals’ recommendations… Should be fun!
