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The Savvy Scot

Personal finance and lifestyle blog

Choosing Your Travel Wisely

By savvyscot

Choosing Your Travel Wisely

Choosing Your Travel Wisely. Travel at off-peak times. Remember to consider that two singles can often be cheaper than a return.

Mrs Scot and I are going for a trip to Scotland over the long weekend (this weekend coming). Our trip is well over 500 miles one-way, so being the Savvy Scot that I am, I checked the price of flights months ago in order to search for the best deal. £260 each…. WITHOUT LUGGAGE!When you factor in the cost of airport parking, fuel to the airport and paying for carry-on luggage, you wouldn’t get much change from £600 ($1000).

When planning trips (no matter the distance) you should always consider the different modes of transport available.

Different Modes of Transport

  • Fly – I recommend to use a comparison site like Skyscanner. It is also worth checking the prices of airlines directly, as sometimes you see inflated prices.
  • Train – You can nearly always get a fantastic deal on train tickets if you book in advance and are willing to travel at off-peak times. Remember to consider that two singles can often be cheaper than a return. Another point to note is that if you book far enough in advance, you can sometimes find first class tickets only marginally more expensive than standard class. If you are planning to use your laptop and would benefit from a power socket / free wifi, it is often a small price to pay on such a long journey. Furthermore (depending on the operator) this can often include complimentary tea and coffee.
  • Car – If you drive at 50 mph you can get up to 30% better economy. This is something that Mrs Scot and I have started doing as of late (more on that later). Secondly, if you avoid motorway / highway filling stations, you can save a few pence per litre on fuel. If you travel with a partner you can share the driving and have the flexibility to choose your own stops. If flexibility isn’t so important, consider car sharing with friends.
  • Cycle – this may only apply for shorter distances, but the benefits are huge! It is free and you get exercise at the same time. If your commute to work is reasonable, look out for government sponsored ‘cycle to work‘ schemes. In the UK you can get substantial tax relief against the cost of a bike as part of a health initiative – it is definitely worth inquiring with your employer.
  • Bus – OK so long bus journeys are a pet hate of mine, but sometimes it is worth sucking it up and giving it a shot! In the UK you can often get an absolute bargain with Megabus if you book off-peak and in advance.
  • Ferry – this is one that I always forget, but (especially around Europe) taking the Ferry can often be cheaper than you would thing. If you are a member of any reward programs (Tesco clubcard for example) you can redeem points against the fare.

Sometimes people get lost in trying to find the best deal with their preferred mode of transport, without considering that there are always alternatives! It would be too easy for me to to think that Easyjet’s price of £260 was a great deal in comparison to British Airway’s £340… when actually driving is substantially cheaper.

Travel

One of Scotland’s Beautiful Castles

If all else fails… Drive

While driving is not the ideal choice (given that it will take 8 hours +) – this is what we have decided upon. Train tickets were unusually expensive (due to the bank holiday weekend) and bus travel would be too uncomfortable. We are going to take it in turns driving and have the privacy of our own car to talk, listen to music… and sing along (believe me this is not something that others would want to hear)! Finally, we will take full advantage of the increased luggage capacity to transport remaining wedding presents home too!

Have you had any experiences of outrageously cheap / expensive transport prices?

Filed Under: Personal Finance, Saving Money, Travel Tagged With: cheap transport, Cheap UK transport, how to travel cheaply, Modes of transport in the UK, transport deals, Transport in the UK, travel, UK transport deals, UK travel, Ways to travel in the UK

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Lovely comments

  1. Modest Money says

    August 22, 2012 at 12:26 am

    Great point about considering different travel methods. A couple years ago I had been tempted to take the ferry up north to my hometown that I grew up in. Unfortunately with the scheduled and route you pretty much get forced to get a hotel for a night. That pretty much killed that idea. Instead we did the 14 hour drive…way too long for me! Still it was the cheapest option.
    Modest Money recently posted..To Have or to Hold: The Pro and Cons of Investing in Real Estate (Either Directly or Indirectly)My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      August 22, 2012 at 6:18 pm

      You make a good point. Quite often travel times force you to add an extra night in the stay or pay for taxis when buses don’t run at unsociable hours! Definitely something extra to consider!

  2. Kim@Eyesonthedollar says

    August 22, 2012 at 1:05 am

    The Scots going to Scotland. I love it! We took a 24 hour driving trip to see family last Christmas because airline tickets were $1700US for the three of us. It was a long drive, but we did stop at Graceland along the way!
    Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..Bartering for Health CareMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      August 22, 2012 at 6:17 pm

      Haha Cliche right?! A stop at Graceland would have been EPIC!! Good decision though – I would have done the same…. More money to spoil people at Christmas 😉

  3. Kris @ BalancingMoneyandLife says

    August 22, 2012 at 2:36 am

    Travel costs can add up so fast! We want to travel to the Montreal area next year for a triathlon. By car, it is a 30 hour drive. But flights run close to $800 per person, plus the cost to transport our bikes! So we’ll make a family road trip of it, but it will take 2 weeks.
    Kris @ BalancingMoneyandLife recently posted..I’ve Quit My JobMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      August 22, 2012 at 6:16 pm

      Wow! That is also ridiculously expensive! I would do the same thing. Given that you have a couple of weeks for the round trip, you can make it fun with stops along the way! Are you taking part in the triathlon??

  4. My Money Design says

    August 23, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    You Europeans have it made! So many different options for you to travel to these different great places. Usually I just fly and drive everywhere. But comparing ticket prices does help a lot!
    My Money Design recently posted..Asset Allocation Models from Author Daniel SolinMy Profile

  5. eemusings says

    August 26, 2012 at 3:33 am

    We’re taking a road trip next month and have hired a campervan to do so – I can tell you it took a lot of planning to make it happen! We decided we didn’t want to take our car – it’d be a lot of strain, and the cost of ferrying between the islands (plus one day of driving just to get through the North Island) was insane. Instead, we’re flying down and then picking up our campervan when we land. Campervanning will give us flexibility in terms of our itinerary and our accommodation, as we’re fully self contained.
    eemusings recently posted..Link love (Powered by Milo and email overload)My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      August 27, 2012 at 5:18 am

      That will be amazing! A campervanning trip is definitely on my To-Do List now!

  6. 100 places to visit says

    August 28, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    Great tips, it is always important to choose the right mode of transport to suit any trip.
    100 places to visit recently posted..G Adventures Promo Discount Codes – August & SeptemberMy Profile

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