Okay, let’s start this article off by saying that this is not going to be about telling you that you can find holidays for next to nothing or even nothing. Like most things in life, you actually do get what you pay for. How to find cheap holidays to any destination is all about doing your homework, trying to either book your holidays as far in advance as possible or right at the last minute, not really giving a shit about where you go, within reason of course … I wouldn’t really recommend that you try to book your holiday to downtown Baghdad, no matter how cheap the travel agent tells you the price is going to be or how quiet the district is that you will be staying, or how lovely and colorful people are.
One of the things that you’ve got to try and avoid all the time is some of the scams that are online. One of the best ways to avoid being scanned by a website is to read all the small print.
I know this is boring and in most cases it’s probably not really required, but if you don’t read it and you are ripped off and it did tell me all about it in the small print then you are going to feel a bit of a fool and to, and your wallet is definitely going to be that much lighter into the bargain.
One of the places to really avoid for cheap holidays scams is on eBay. Don’t get me wrong, you can find some great deals on eBay but there is a whole shit load of scammers who are just waiting for some schmo to come round the corner and give their money away. Here are some of the scams:
If you look at some of the options that are on eBay you’ll see that some of them look really good. On the face of it look like they’re offering a real good deal … “Cheap Holidays to Turkey”. Then when you look at the small print you’ll see that all that they are offering is a free pen or a free brochure, or they’ll say something like “you are bidding to reserve your holiday at this particular destination … you’ll have to pay another $175 per night per person once you get there” …WTF!!!! Yeah right!!!!! But plenty of people do fall for this shit.
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Choose Your Cheap Holidays Very Carefully
Travel clubs are another one of those places that you should really try to avoid. As soon as you hear sayings like “free trip” or “special discount vacation” or “free exotic holidays” you should start to get a little bit cynical. I’m not telling you not to believe it … it might be true! Just be a little bit cynical that all. You may click on the link and get the holiday of a lifetime for FREE. But, I doubt it! Nothing is for FREE in this life. Nada, Zip!!
Anyways, enough about that! You should try to choose the destination that you are going to visit very carefully. For example, cheap holidays to Ireland is probably not going to be true. I don’t know if you have ever visited Ireland but I lived there for quite a long time and I can tell you that there is nothing like a free lunch in that country. Don’t get me wrong, the people can be beautiful, they can be charming, they’re full of the Blarney (which is charming in itself), and many individuals are full of charity, kindness, and would offer you their bed at the drop of a hat. But in general, it is a country which will try and squeeze every last dollar or Euro or Yen out of your pocket before you leave. My grandfather, who was Irish by the way …a policeman in Dublin, used to say that “the Irish were never happy just to make a profit, they had to make a killing every time!”
You can travel down to the west of Ireland and meet the folks that are the salt of the earth. But for the most part Ireland is just a big tourist trap. The only way you’re going to get it cheap holiday to Ireland is if you take a camper van, don’t stay in hotel accommodation, buy all your food in supermarkets known as Lidl or Aldi, don’t drink in the Irish pubs and definitely stay away from the restaurants.
Now Spain is a different story altogether. You can get cheap flights to Spain from Ireland, why not do that … forget about Ireland … just hop on a Ryanair plane and get the fuck out of there. Cheap holidays to Spain are a definite reality. This is a country which sells bottles of champagne, locally known as Cava, which is just as good as the real thing but at a fraction of the cost. Champagne for the common man! I love it! I don’t like snobbery and I especially don’t like snobbery in restaurants. At the end of the day it’s only sparkling fizzy water that is going to get you a little bit pissed. I hate being ripped off, and I especially hate being ripped off by some bastard who’s sticking his nose up in the air while he’s doing it! ARRGHHHH!!! In Spain you get down to Earth treatment and down-to-earth prices, and the best part is that the sun is going to be shining on your back all the while.
You know all about the other stuff, go on a road trip, make a budget, negotiate, research your vacation thoroughly on the Internet, keep your options open, shop around, use your air miles or frequent-flier miles, travel during the off-season, travel during the week days, negotiate, book early, book late, buy your travel insurance separately, negotiate, go on picnics, go self catering, drive instead of flying, walk instead of driving, cycle, stay in your home country, and did I say negotiate.
Find the Hotel that you are looking to stay in, give them a call and negotiate a better price. All it can cost you is the price of a phone call, if you use Skype it’s even cheaper … tell them it’s your honeymoon, a surprise birthday present, make up stuff … it’s not going to hurt you and it could save you a fortune.
