TRAVEL ARTICLES
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Planned your wedding - Now for the Honeymoon
Many couples prefer to arrange their own honeymoons rather than booking packages to tropical destinations such as Mauritius or the Seychelles. Reasons can include a phobia of creepy crawlies infesting where you are going to be staying or the cash drain inflicted by your wedding, which may encourage you to decide to create your own personalised package and save a little money in the process.
To get the most out of your self organised honeymoon here are a few tips to help you on your way. Getting the best deal on cheap airline tickets is likely to happen online if you're prepared to search for them. You will find a cheap deal at Expedia or Travelocity, only to check out the lesser known Cheap Flights and find cheaper plane tickets; albeit a month later. This might shock you if you are unaware of the functioning of online airline ticket vendors.
Online agents can sell greater amounts of tickets applying lower margins as they employ less staff and in the majority of models this equals lower overheads than traditional travel agents who tend to be less able to compete. Also online companies acquire tickets in bulk and sell the tickets online for a smaller margin thereby passing the saving onto you. But again, no online ticket seller will be able to give you cheap airline tickets all the time.
You should always try to consult at least three sites that can compare travel deals for you. If you are a bit flexible with your honeymoon and would like to discuss the package with someone who has already been there, you can get a good bargain travel deal from Travelzoo or look for flights to the USA on flight comparison sites like Cheapflights.co.uk or Dialaflight.
If you would prefer to deal with operators directly, consider going direct through one of the better budget operators such as Flymonarch. Flights such as short haul EU destinations are very well serviced by these types of operators. UK Travel Zoo also offer cheap flights and bargain holidays that are well worth a look.
If you observe the following basic guidelines to keep the airline ticket charges to a minimum:
-Travelling on a Wednesday can be the best for cheap tickets.
-Stopover on long haul flights - stopover flights are more often than not cheaper than direct flights.
-Look into flights to a second airport in the city you are visiting. However do not depend on this tactic too much as you might end up paying more than you can afford for going from the airport to your destination.
-Last Minute Flights - Last minute flights are generally cheaper; you can grab a bargain if you are fortunate. The last important thing to do is book a hotel (unless you have a luxury villa to stay in courtesy of a friend!).
A number of the websites online today that offer hotels obtain their data from just a hand full of sources. So while you may think that you are shopping around and that there is in no real variation in price, you may be greatly mistaken.
Prevent this by finding localised or smaller websites to search for your hotel on e.g. if you are travelling to Athens, Greece use a site like Athens Hotels. Also you may find lesser known comparison sites such as Travel XL give a truer idea of the market. You can always check these types of site for dates and availability and then contact the hotels directly to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Last but not least, definitely don't skimp on travel insurance - but at the same time don't fall for the trap of buying expensive travel insurance from the travel agent or web site. The price variation when it comes to travel insurance is astounding. Buy your travel insurance directly from Go Travel Insurance, AA Travel Insurance or the Post Office for the best deals.
To get the most out of your self organised honeymoon here are a few tips to help you on your way. Getting the best deal on cheap airline tickets is likely to happen online if you're prepared to search for them. You will find a cheap deal at Expedia or Travelocity, only to check out the lesser known Cheap Flights and find cheaper plane tickets; albeit a month later. This might shock you if you are unaware of the functioning of online airline ticket vendors.
Online agents can sell greater amounts of tickets applying lower margins as they employ less staff and in the majority of models this equals lower overheads than traditional travel agents who tend to be less able to compete. Also online companies acquire tickets in bulk and sell the tickets online for a smaller margin thereby passing the saving onto you. But again, no online ticket seller will be able to give you cheap airline tickets all the time.
You should always try to consult at least three sites that can compare travel deals for you. If you are a bit flexible with your honeymoon and would like to discuss the package with someone who has already been there, you can get a good bargain travel deal from Travelzoo or look for flights to the USA on flight comparison sites like Cheapflights.co.uk or Dialaflight.
If you would prefer to deal with operators directly, consider going direct through one of the better budget operators such as Flymonarch. Flights such as short haul EU destinations are very well serviced by these types of operators. UK Travel Zoo also offer cheap flights and bargain holidays that are well worth a look.
If you observe the following basic guidelines to keep the airline ticket charges to a minimum:
-Travelling on a Wednesday can be the best for cheap tickets.
-Stopover on long haul flights - stopover flights are more often than not cheaper than direct flights.
-Look into flights to a second airport in the city you are visiting. However do not depend on this tactic too much as you might end up paying more than you can afford for going from the airport to your destination.
-Last Minute Flights - Last minute flights are generally cheaper; you can grab a bargain if you are fortunate. The last important thing to do is book a hotel (unless you have a luxury villa to stay in courtesy of a friend!).
A number of the websites online today that offer hotels obtain their data from just a hand full of sources. So while you may think that you are shopping around and that there is in no real variation in price, you may be greatly mistaken.
Prevent this by finding localised or smaller websites to search for your hotel on e.g. if you are travelling to Athens, Greece use a site like Athens Hotels. Also you may find lesser known comparison sites such as Travel XL give a truer idea of the market. You can always check these types of site for dates and availability and then contact the hotels directly to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Last but not least, definitely don't skimp on travel insurance - but at the same time don't fall for the trap of buying expensive travel insurance from the travel agent or web site. The price variation when it comes to travel insurance is astounding. Buy your travel insurance directly from Go Travel Insurance, AA Travel Insurance or the Post Office for the best deals.
