What's your best 'ridiculously cheap travel' story?

twopenny

Two techniques I used to use pre pandemic.

Brochures, easier to dig out exactly what was on offer as to tours where if you're not careful you are travelling as much as seeing places. Highlight, notes etc which you have to keep turning pages for on the net and can't note.

A new hotel on the books could bring lower prices or benefits elsewhere.

So a 4* art deco hotel in Sorrento area with it's own beach (rare), sea view rooms, all inclusive, 3 trips free that I wanted, bus stop nearby, flights BA and transfers £635.

Borneo tour and stay in 5* Shangri La @ HB and entertainment, marble bathroom, 7ft wide bed, view across South China Sea, pool, own beach, 10 day tour, 3 week stay flights and transfers £1600.

Using the TUI shop I would give 3 options of where I wanted to go and ask for last minute deals.

They would check and follow the price in case it came down. Last minute was several weeks. They would print my documents and give local advice.

Nerja on Costa del Sol, 4* HB, pool, spar, entertainment, flights and transfers £345 at Christmas. Mind the reason for the price was that I travel Christmas Day. Great. Spain puts on fiestas before that. Traffic and airport almost empty so quick through, quick home where I got my Christmas all layed out.

smudge56

Ryan air penny tickets to Dublin - cost us 4p to go for the day.  Did that a few times back in 2008

bigfer

Weeks car rental from centeuro in center of Madrid for less than 8 euros total. September 2020. Don't know why, but they honoured it without any hard sell. 
 Never see that again.

Gem-gem

With a two together rail card. Two Sundays ago, my husband and I travelled from London to Birmingham for £4.50 each. 

A couple of years ago, took a bus round Guernsey for a £1.00. There was a coach excursion doing the same journey, advertised for £20.00.

Magnolia

Was looking for a holiday to Pefkos, Rhodes.  Search came up with The Lemon Tree which was new refurbished at a price of £370.  Doesn't sound too cheap until you work out its for 2 people, 14 days with breakfast included!

Doshwaster

I did Ryanair Stansted to Santander for 1p each way when they opened the route. 

Jumblebumble

MSE_Laura_F said:

Took a roundabout route on public transport to halve your fare? Found a glitch that got you a £5 flight to Berlin?

Please impress me with your ridiculously cheap travel stories, however long ago they took place.

London to Birmingham 25p each 
( When the new loco hauled services were introduced )


Journey: Journey: 1 London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street

Ticket type: Advance Single Valid only on your chosen service. Not refundable. Changeable prior to date of travel for a fee. 

Route: Chiltern Railways Only 

Outward journey: 16 May 2012 

departs London Marylebone at 10:37 travel by Train service provider Chiltern Railways to station Birmingham Moor Street arrives 12:25 ( seats reserved: Coach: * Seats: ***, *** )

PROMO ADVANCE £0.50 (2 @ £0.25) 

phatbear

bagand96 said:

I would have thought there's a few people round here that remember the days of the Ryanair 1p each way flights and benefitted.

Never managed it myself, but I've had a few £20-40 return fares with them, which is rediculously cheap to fly accross Europe. 

Happy days they were too.

Due to working at the same airport i was flying from i didnt need to pay for parking either so i saw best part of 50% of european countries for 1p each way

stoneman

Northwest airlines as was had
a glitch at their Australia end. Flights from LHR/LAS £149 economy. Think it was about 2006? We went twice in 2 months

linz

I took a Megabus from Cheltenham to London for a theatre weekend near Christmas about 10 years ago. It was when they had the £1 journey promotions on. It was delayed by well over an hour due to the incoming coach being stuck in accident traffic on the M4. The Megabus employee was joking with me while I was standing freezing on the prom that I couldn't really moan as i'd only paid a quid. He had a point!

Also had a nice 5 days in Krakow a few years ago - flights from Liverpool - Krakow with Wizzair were £56 return and I stayed in a hostel for £5 a night. Came home with change from £100.

My mum saved enough Nectar points about 25 years ago to redeem for 3 return flights with BA to South Africa to take my nana to visit her nephew. So yeah, effectively free but God knows what she spend in Sainsburys beforehand to reach the criteria.