Madrid one more time 2

If I had known the near impossibility of buying a train ticket for our outing to Segovia, I would have set the alarm for about 6am and skipped our lovely breakfast at a Chuecatown cafe. You just don't expect to spend half of the day trying to buy a train ticket for your daytrip!

All attempts at buying a ticket in advance through the otherwise helpful national rail website proved futile. I found an online travellers' forum where hundreds of people were lodging their horror stories and complaints. Some blamed the servers as being too slow, others said their banks had declined the transactions, while a few stated that the website would not accept overseas bank cards. For whatever reason, I simply could not book ourselves on a train in advance.

Giving up on the online discount, we showed up in person at Chamartin mainline station with about 20 minutes before our train. In Britain, this is not a problem, there is always a ticket machine or you can buy your tickets from the conductor on the train. Worst case scenario is maybe having to queue up for 10-15 minutes to be served at a ticket window.

Arriving mid-morning on a weekday in September (in other words, nowhere near rush hour) and the Chamartin ticketing hall had five ticketing windows mobbed by dozens of travellers. We swooped down on the handful of automated ticket machines. There were two types. The first only seemed to be for printing pre-paid tickets off the aforementioned worthless website. The others only sold tickets for the slower regional trains (we were hoping to catch the superfast AVE service).

We gave up on catching the AVE train which meant waiting an hour until the next (slow) train. We bought our tickets from the machine, which on my first try spat out all my change right when I was ready to put in my last 10 cents. For shits and giggles, we queued to buy tickets for our trip to Toledo we had planned for later in the week. I took number 823. The counter was serving ticket number 784. And I knew every single one of those 40 people ahead of us in the queue would be asking the Spanish equivalent of: 'What if I travel on a Tuesday, changed in Crewe and caught the 18.24 to Newton le Willows, is that any cheaper?'

This gave us time to buy snacks, sandwiches and water to tide us over during the 1 hour 45 minute journey from Madrid to Segovia (nearly the time it takes us to travel between Manchester and London). At least it is a scenic journey, through forests and up into the Guardarrama mountains, the first half or so we recognised from our trip to El Escorial.

The train pulled into Segovia and we soon surmised that the fast AVE trains depart from a different station, so there was no means of buying our return ticket just then. We stepped outside and caught a bus from out front which saved us a 20-minute walk into the old town.

The bus dropped us off practically underneath the magnificent Roman aqueduct.

It's amazing to think that nearly two thousand years ago the Romans could build such a structure (167 arches without mortar), all part of a network that transported water down from the mountains over 10 miles away and into their city along a steady 1% grade.

The aqueduct acts as a bridge in order to maintain the flow of water right into the fortified town, soaring over 90 feet into the air in order to span a gap nearly a half mile wide.
 
In my mind's eye, it ranks alongside Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids as one of the great monuments of the ancient world. Well worth all the rigamorale for getting here on the train!
 
The whole town of Segovia is a UNESCO World Heritage site and you'll find out more in my next post.

It all adds up

As this article in the New York Times points out, the amount of additional fees the so-called low-cost airlines extract from their customers is reaching ludicrous levels.

The first three rules for saving money are:-

Pack light. 
Pack light.
Pack light. 

That means only hand luggage, if you can manage it, although you will have to limit yourself to travel-sized toiletries if liquid restrictions are in place.

Next, follow the airline's rules. That means reading the fine print and keeping an eye on things like the size of your carry-on, the weight of your checked luggage and the deadline for checking in. Not paying attention will be costly.

And finally: book online, but be careful. You can find the best deals yourself online, but when making a booking be sure to doublecheck dates and times before paying. Also, have you spelt your name correctly? Has your passport number been entered accurately? Because again, not paying attention can be costly when it comes time to make changes, not least if you have to ring the airline's premium-rate call centre.

Cheap London Hotel - second verse

With much publicity, including a spot on BBC news no less, a budget hotel has opened in London. And it is big news, because as I've mentioned before, it takes a lot of effort to find a hotel room for under £75/night in London that isn't a flea-bitten flophouse.

Promising 5-star beds at 1-star prices, Tune Hotels have properties across Malaysia and promise rapid expansion in Britain. With the 2012 Olympics right around the corner, Tune has plans for over a dozen hotels across the city.

Taking a cue from the no-frills business model which has revolutionised air travel, Tune offers a basic product with numerous extras at a cost. You need a towel? You can rent one for £1.50. Want to watch TV? Yours for £3 a day. You need the room cleaned during your stay? That's £7.50.

How about a chair, wardrobe, telephone or desk? Tough. The room is just big enough for a double bed and tiny bathroom, so there's no furniture. Some rooms don't even have a window (that's another £5 - seriously).

And in another page out of the no-frills rule book, there is its misleading location. For now, Tune has one London site, advertised as 'Westminster' which in my mind conjures images of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. In fact, it's across the river in Lambeth, about a mile from Parliament Square but almost on top of a tube station.

Finally, there's the pricing policy. Rooms 'from' £35, the website trumpets. Just like the no-frills airlines, advance booking is required for this rate and weekends are excluded. My test booking for a weekend stay in October offered 2 nights in a basic room for £130, while for a midweek stay in March a windowless cell could be mine for £40.

Personally, I don't think I'll be singing along to this Tune anytime soon!

Getting to grips with British trains

An interesting article in The Independent reported how queues at train station ticket offices are longer during the quieter 'off-peak' travel times, even while automatic ticket machines stand empty. The reason? Many people find the ticketing machines too complicated!

Put off by unfamiliar jargon or unhappy with the fares quoted to them, they are storming off to join other travellers at the ticketing window, often missing their intended train in the process. The one consolation? Ticket-selling staff are obliged to sell the cheapest ticket possible, whereas many people using the ticketing machines are paying over the odds because they don't fully understand the options.

That doesn't mean standing in line at the ticket booth allows you to walk onto the next train after paying a cheap fare. The ticketing system in Britain works like this:-

ANYTIME FARES
A ticket bought at this price is fully flexible and is valid on any train at any time to and from your destination. You'll also pay a fortune for this, which is why it's aimed at business travellers with expense accounts who want the convenience of boarding any train they like after their high-powered meetings. Throw in first class travel as well and you can easily pay £399 for a trip from Manchester to London and back (for that price, I'd expect the train to wait for me - after all, a taxi would probably be cheaper).

OFF-PEAK FARES
This is the easiest way to slash the train fare if you must walk up to the counter and buy your ticket on the day you travel. The ticket does not allow you to travel during the rush-hour period (usually Monday-Friday before 9.30am). However, this is extended until 10.30am for weekday travel to London (so there is no cheap way to leave Manchester and reach London before noon) PLUS travel OUT of London from 3pm-7pm. No, I don't know anyone who leaves the office at 3pm either, but that's apparently when London's rush hour starts. If you can arrange your travel plans outside these hours, a return trip to London from Manchester and back in standard class drops to £66.

ADVANCE FARES
The simplest and cheapest option, as long as you have made plans weeks in advance and can commit to travelling at a set time. The ticket is non-refundable and only a certain number of seats are available, so you have to book these 4-6 weeks in advance. So if you fancy a trip to London from Manchester in October, by booking today you could end up paying as little as £16 for return travel. There is no need to call in at the ticket office either, just click over to my favourite train ticketing site, EastCoast (which despite the name sells tickets for all trains in the UK, without charging booking or delivery fees either). It's certainly easier than trying to work out a ticket machine!

Making a claim? Find out when your insurance policy won't cover you

In a recent post I highlighted the need for proper travel insurance and offered some ideas on finding adequate coverage cheaply.

It is vital that you understand what your insurance will cover. I found this handy article which lists many common reasons why your insurers will not pay up.

So take the tip and stay safe on your trip!

Cattle class becoming a reality?

Every so often*, just to grab some headlines, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary makes a crazy announcement which guarantees himself plenty of free advertising.

Anyone remember his plans to install seats with video poker machines? The idea was that passengers could fly free, as long as they played the one-armed bandits.

Or how about his suggestion that airports do away with baggage handlers? Passengers would have been expected to stow their own luggage, carting everything through security straight to the aircraft.

At one point he threatened to lay off his check-in staff at airports. Passengers already check themselves in online as it is (and woe betide you if you spell your name wrong when booking your ticket, because you will be charged £100 for correcting your mistake).

Now one of his absurd-sounding schemes may see the light of the day. The airline is looking into 'standing room only' tickets. The last 10 rows of seats of the fleet's aircraft would be replaced with 15 rows of what he coyly calls 'vertical seats.'

Gurneys, to you and me. Or like something off the carnival fairway. Complete with straps to comply with air safety regulations. So, how about it? Would you pay the equivalent of pocket change in return for being trussed up and transported like Hannibal Lecter?

All these announcements promote Ryanair's image as an airline with a ceaseless desire to cut costs simply in order to provide lower fares.

The problem is most of Mr O'Leary's plans result in him plumping up his company's profits, without ever really offering passengers cheaper tickets. It's like Wal-Mart's claim to be always cutting prices, yet nothing yet is free.

Despite all his trumpeting about 1p flights, most passengers end up paying for every other aspect of their trip such as taking luggage, requesting a seat assignment or using a credit card to book their flight.

And right in time for the summer holiday season, the airline has hiked up luggage fees by a third.

Take the tip and don't expect a free trip! Instead, browse this guide to fighting the fees on 'budget' flights.

*Practically every day! Delve into Michael O'Leary's pie-in-the-sky promises in the news section of Ryanair's own website.

Ditch the packaging: Save money on travel insurance

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

You need holiday insurance for peace of mind, especially if you are an independent traveller.

For once, the holiday companies are not exaggerating about the need for paying supplements, at least when it comes to insurance. Be careful though, because right after assuring they would be happy 'to save you the time and bother' by offering insurance for your trip, they will proceed to gouge you on the policy premium. Some holiday companies profit as much from their insurance sales as their holidays. When we asked at high street travel agents about a trip to Malta, we were quoted £32 per person for a fortnight's worth of insurance!

(No lifeguard + Slippery rocks) x No travel insurance could = Big trouble

Yet again, the internet comes to the rescue. Because there are so many things to take into consideration (single trip vs multi trip, winter sports vs extreme sports, etc) my best advice is to spend 5 minutes reading Martin the Money Savings Expert's guide before spending another few minutes online fine-tuning the best quote to suit your needs.

All this can be done online and sorted the night before you travel, so you have no excuse, especially at premiums this low. In fact, some premiums are so cheap that people feel dissuaded from buying them and instead pay extra for enhanced policies.

These are a swizz and aren't necessary. Some of these boast 'platinum' medical coverage up to £200 million, when in fact £2m is more than sufficient for even the most unfortunate travellers out there.

For £200 million they could hire the President himself to airlift you off this mountain in Air Force One

Whatever you do, don't assume your current insurance will cover you abroad. And if you are a UK resident, don't think for a minute that your E111 card will see you through. That's because the E111s were replaced in 2005 by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

EHIC entitles UK citizens to free or discounted healthcare across the rest of the EU. So why do you need travel insurance on top of the free EHIC? For a start, the paperwork can take time to process and you often need to pay the bill upfront before being refunded much later on. In addition, the fine print states that you will be treated the same as a resident from the country you are visiting, so if citizens of that country pay something towards doctor visits and hospital bills, then you will be expected to cough up as well (money, that is, not a lung). Many travel insurance policies will pay this excess for you.

Also, if things turn serious EHIC will not contribute towards your repatriation (a fancy word for 'coming back home' if you've missed your flight, either because you were too ill to fly or have ended up in a pine box). And on a less morbid note, EHIC won't cover for you other things that can go wrong during your holiday, like lost baggage or cancelled flights.

Despite its shortcomings, the EHIC is a free benefit and one every European traveller should take advantage of.

UK residents can apply for an EHIC online, by picking up the form at a Post Office or by ringing 0845 606 2030. Have to hand your National Insurance Number, date of birth and full names of each person you're applying for.

Apply well before your holiday. They aren't nearly as slow as the passport office, but you will need to allow at least a fortnight for your card to come through.

If you have your EHIC already, be sure to check its expiration date as they last only up to 5 years.

So take a couple of easy steps towards saving money on your travel insurance, so you can sleep easy during your trip!

When you go: Madrid practicalities

I've described most of Madrid's main sights in previous posts, so here are some practical tips for folks making the trip.

Madrid-Barajas is the largest airport in Spain, serving as the key link between the country and its former colonies in Latin America. Over fifty million passengers travel through in a year, making it one of Europe's five busiest airports.

Flights from the UK to Madrid are offered by Ryanair, Easyjet, British Airways and Iberia. It also sounds fairly easy and enjoyable to make the trip from the UK by overnight sleeper train.

New terminals and extra runways added in the past few years have helped Madrid-Barajas earn the title 'Best Airport' recently in the Conde Nast Traveller Readers Awards. The size of the place means changing planes or heading into the city can take awhile. For instance, landing at Terminal 1 as we did means a long trek to the closest metro stop (there are only two, near Terminals 2 and 4).

The airport is about 10 miles out of town, linked to the city centre by an ultramodern underground metro system (although I hear there will be a rail link soon leaving from Terminal 4). Ticketing machines are multi-lingual and easy to use. A trip to or from the airport requires a small supplement of €1 on top of the standard fare.

A ticket good for 10 trips on the metro at the time cost €9 and can be shared with other people (the first person through the gate hands it back to the next person wanting to come through the barrier - there are no barriers when leaving stations, except at the airport). The ticket is also good on the local EMT bus network.

The metro system is easy to navigate with clean, comfortable and modern trains that put London's tube to shame. There are an astonishing number of intersecting lines though...

...so most journeys involve a bit of chopping and changing. Distances are short enough in the compact city centre that there is little need to rely on public transport. The same 10-journey ticket lasted the pair of us for our entire 5-day trip.

One of my obsessions when abroad is to stock up on cheap postcards (and good wine). Ever since the euro was introduced the price on tourist essentials has skyrocketed, with most merchants eager to rip off tourists. Ridiculous prices like €1/postcard seem to have become standard. After a little legwork I tracked down this souvenir shop which, by a stroke of marketing genius, is called Madrid Gift & Souvenirs.

Head west from Puerta del Sol down the pedestrianised avenue of Calle del Arenal to number 5 and you will find decent postcards as cheap as 8 for €1.

I make a point of spending as little as possible on postcards because of the cost in posting them overseas (in Spain at the time air mail stamps cost 80 cents each). The most central post office is in the Corte Ingles department store, off Puerta del Sol. You will need to go down an escalator to the basement, out a small door and through the underground carpark, following the trumpet and crown logo along the way.

After paying for food and lodging, the next most expensive part of the budget is sightseeing. Each of the Big Three art galleries charge hefty admission fees which comes as a rude awakening to those of us who are used to the national collections in Britain being free.

Certain people are entitled to free or discounted tickets (youth, students, the unemployed, over 65s, etc).

Admission to the Prado costs €8, although it is free in the evening on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 6-8pm and Sundays 5-8pm. CLOSED Mondays.

Thyssen-Bornemisza's entrance fee is €7, with no free hours that I could find. CLOSED Mondays.

Reina Sofia charges €6 but is free Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings from 7-9pm, Saturdays 2.30-9pm and Sunday 10-2.30pm. CLOSED all day Tuesday and Sunday afternoons (so go here if you're in town on a Monday).

The free opening hours attract crowds in high season and you can't expect to spend the entire time in the museum. Rooms will be closed and guards hustle visitors along well before closing time. Regardless, it's a good way to spend extra time looking around if you've already been around the museum once, but I wouldn't recommend it if this is going to be your only visit.

Supposedly you can buy the Tarjeta Paseo del Arte (Paseo del Arte Card) at any one of the museums for a bargain €17.60 which allows one visit to each of the Big Three, but when I enquired about this at the Prado they couldn't sell me one.

Finally, if you fancy a daytrip, there are a number of options close by such as El Escorial, Segovia, Toledo and Avila. Each of these places are easily accessible by train and tickets can be very reasonable. A return journey to El Escorial at the time cost us about €6 each.

At the time of our visit Madrid lacked a truly central mainline train station, but it's only a short hop on the metro to Atocha or Chamartin stations. These are both hubs of the national network of high-speed trains which can take you to Toledo is less than a half hour (or even Barcelona in just over 2.5 hours). Commuter trains now stop at the new station under Puerta del Sol.

Slower regional trains leave from a separate building linked to Atocha station. Follow the logo which looks like a red C, which stands for the suburban Cercanias lines, if you're heading for the desinations that feature on this map (click to enlarge).
Atocha station is worth a look if you're travelling through or heading to Reina Sofia, which is around the corner. The old central hall is now a jungle of exotic trees.

The busy tables lined up next to the rain forest is a good example of how much the people of Madrid enjoy life. That's the number one tip I can give to anyone making the trip: slow down a spell and take it easy, there is always mañana!

Hotel bargains in Spain

If my entries about Madrid spark an interest, you'll be happy to hear that Spanish hotel occupancy rates have plummeted this year, and so have prices.

According to a small item I spotted in The Independent, half the hotel rooms in Spain sat empty during the month of October. Fifteen percent fewer Brits have travelled to the country this year compared to last because of the poor exchange rate and questionable state of the British economy.

Madrid hotels have responded by slashing their rates by over 10% and a quick search on LateRooms.com shows 5-star rooms available for under £100, while plenty of 4-star accommodation is going for £50-60/night.

Hoteliers in Barcelona have also been reducing rates, but travellers to Seville and Granada plus pilgrims in Galicia will not find as many bargains.

We were perfectly happy with our accommodation, Hostal Puerta del Sol. For the price we were paying, we weren't expecting the Ritz but but we did receive a friendly welcome, a clean room and the most central location possible in Madrid.

I found the polished wooden stairs and heavy carved doors to be charming, not gloomy. Our room was perfectly adequate with a firm mattress, TV, ensuite bathroom and artwork on the walls. The bedding was good quality and was changed during our long weekend. A cleaner came by to keep the room tidy each day.

The room needed redecorating, some bath tiles were cracked and paintwork needed redone but everything was kept clean. They look after the place and it's secure as well, so it didn't feel seedy or dangerous at all. Our room was on the top floor but the lift worked fine, followed by one last flight of steps.

Breakfast was basic, but it's a foreign concept to many Spaniards so after a late night you'll be grateful for that piece of toast at 11am! Cereal, muffins, cheese and cold cuts were also on offer. Instead of fresh coffee, it's in a jug and you'll need to zap your cup in the microwave, big deal. At this price you're lucky to be fed. If I recall correctly, we paid about 45 euros a night for the room, which is a bargain for an en-suite in such a central location in a European capital city.

Madrid is a compact city and the hostal has a superb location on Puerta del Sol, the official centre of all Spain. The best sites (Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Prado, etc) and the best nightlife (La Latina, Huertas and Chueca) are within a 10 minute walk.

Puerta del Sol is a building site at the moment with a new train station being built underneath it, but we requested and received a quiet room with a window that looked over a small courtyard so had no issues with noise. It was great having a lively city on our doorstep, but out of earshot.

The best of Rome 1 - Buzz into the Beehive

The Beehive is a small but stylish hotel in Rome that has the feel of a boutique establishment, but on a hostel budget.

The tiled floors sparkle and there is an abundance of artwork on the walls. In addition to a handful of private rooms they have an 8-bed dormitory, so backpackers and couples alike will feel at home. None of the rooms are en-suite, but there are plentiful and clean toilets along the hall. They have one PC in the lounge with free internet access.

The vegetarian restaurant downstairs served up the best food we had in Rome, all freshly cooked and remarkably cheap. Two huge plates of homemade pasta with 2 glasses of wine plus a basket of chewy bread cost €18. Throw in appetisers and request a full bottle of wine and it still only cost €25.

It's the type of kitchen where you can talk to the cook at work, who might ask how spicy you want your meal and offer recipe ideas. For breakfast we had organic yoghurt, muesli and Fair Trade tea.

It was relaxing to return from a long day on the hot cobbles of Rome to come back to our cool, quiet room. Down in the lounge, we listened to the smooth sounds of jazz piped-in from University of California-Long Beach public radio, which sounded particularly smooth some times of the day because of the 9-hour time difference ('nod off...to Insomnia FM').

On reading the comments of their guestbook, it's clear 90% of the guests are American, all highly complimentary of this oasis. Sometimes it felt protective about this status - where only English is spoken and all you hear are Americans swapping horror stories about bad coffee, the lack of public toilets and rude waiters.

The one slight hassle with the place is its location. We soon learned Rome's Termini Station is a long way from anywhere interesting and that the Metro isn't that convenient for touring the historic core of the city. We felt it wise to avoid the bus station and plaza in front of Termini after dark. The neighbourhood itself is fine and felt comparatively safe, but the local restaurants served overpriced and bland junk. Thankfully, the folks at the Beehive will give you their own superb guidebook with recommendations for eating and sightseeing.

After sorting out your rubbish into the recycling bins you can enjoy the art on the walls, have a stretch in the yoga studio and feast on fresh pasta in the wonderful kitchen. With organic food, wine and olive oil plus handmade soaps you'll savour an eco-chic experience. Take a tip, The Beehive is hip!

INFO Take the exit on the east side of Termini Station (head right with the tracks behind you if you've just come in by train). The street ahead is Via Marghera. The Beehive is 3 blocks straight on, an easy 5-minute walk. Look for the high wall and a buzzer to ring on left of the street. Though prices have gone up since we stayed there, it remains competively priced in an expensive city.

Ditch the packaging: Find your perfect resort & hotel

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

Still not booked your trip away for the summer because you can't decide between Magaluf or Monte Carlo? Picking the right destination and accommodation can make or break your holiday, so here are some tips which both independent travellers or the package holiday brigade should find useful.

You may have only one objective in mind for your holiday, whether it's to get a suntan or get away from the little brats for a week (I don't understand why people give Joan Crawford such a hard time, doesn't everyone beat their kids?). But if you take a few minutes to think about what else appeals to you in a holiday, with a bit of research you can find the most suitable destination.

First, it's not about picking the cheapest holiday hotspot. Jetting off to 'Durgapurgaslav' for £10 could make for an exciting weekend of discovery, but if you are booking for a week or two away, you had best do some research instead of just paying for the cheapest flights. Otherwise you may find the delights of the local pickle museum becoming a bit tiresome after the third visit.

If you're open to suggestions, this is a time when a trip to the High Street travel agent will pay off. Sit down with a travel agent and let them bounce some ideas off you. They can help you find a destination that fits your plans whether it's hitting the night spots, soaking up the culture, flopping on the beach or hiking in the hills. The reason they can do this is because they have at their disposal heaps of travel information compiled into guides called 'gazetteers'.

Crucially, a gazetteer cuts through the brochure fluff to give you accurate descriptions. A brochure will always tell you their hotel is ideal for the beach, trips into town and fantastic nightlife. A gazetteer will spell out with impartial facts that it is a 10-minute walk down a busy highway to the sand, that the bus to town stops at 8pm and nightlife at the hotel amounts to nothing more than a fevered session of bingo.

For this reason, insist that your travel agent sets aside the brochures and browses through the gazetteer with you during your visit. You might find a gazetteer at your local library, or there are excerpts from them which can be found free on some travel sites, like Virgin Holidays.

Speaking of the library, a good old-fashioned guidebook is probably the best way of learning about what there is to see and do at a particular destination. Just make sure the information is up to date ('it says here the Stasi guards will subject us to lengthy questioning at Checkpoint Charlie - maybe we'd better give that daytrip to East Berlin a miss'). I spend many a rainy day lunch break at my local bookstore browsing guidebooks, typing notes into my mobile.

Been anywhere nice lately?

Next, word of mouth is a time-honoured way of finding out about a destination. Perhaps friends or co-workers have been before and have come back with glowing recommendations to match their suntans. The internet has amplified the advantages (and drawbacks) of 'word of mouth' to the Nth degree. One site I can recommend, full of people giving their honest opinions about their trips away, is Holidays Uncovered. Have a look at the site after you've picked a particular region or resort with the help of a travel agent or guidebook.

An even more useful site is TripAdvisor, a powerful tool for travellers because of the sheer versatility of the information. TripAdvisor is a boon because it sorts hotels by both price and favourable reviews, allowing me to see what's the best option in my budget. The trick is not to let yourself be swayed by the one person who leaves a blistering negative review. You've heard of Internet 2.0? It's where everyone can hear you whinge!

Cut the cost of your holiday...with a package deal

I've never been on a package holiday. A few times I have walked into a high street travel agent to browse their brochures or discuss my holiday ideas. I always walk out astounded at the prices they want to charge, knowing I can beat them by making the bookings myself through the internet. That way I can also tailor every aspect of my trip and have full control over my itinerary too.

It takes some time to do the research, of course, and the key for booking cheap travel on your own is to book as far ahead as possible. You have to book months in advance to beat other bargain hunters and scoop that £9 hotel room or £1 flight.

But package holidays work differently. Try booking an independent holiday yourself to a popular package resort during the peak season and you will find that flights and hotels are booked up (especially in the Canaries, Balearics, Spanish Costas, the Algarve and large Greek islands like Rhodes and Crete). That is because travel operators are sitting on most holiday options, booking charter aircraft and hotel rooms in bulk months in advance.

If these packages aren't shifted within 6 weeks of the holiday, prices start coming down dramatically when they realise seats and sunbeds are going empty. This is the only time when package deals really do become a 'deal'.

The trick is knowing when to take your chances. For instance, you should save a bundle by traveling between the May bank holidays. The May Day bank holiday weekend is the traditional start of the holiday season, and this year it is particularly early. UK schools won't be breaking up for half term until 25 May, giving bargain hunters three weeks of cheaper holidays.

Sea, sand, straw hat and sun shade!

However, the best month for securing a last minute cheap package to the Med will be in June. It is during this month that travel operators begin to maximise the number of flights and hotels for sale, although demand will still be only half of what they see during July and August.

Expect to pay no more than £200 per person for return flights and a week in a 3-star hotel. Weekend flights will be busy, so fly midweek. Avoid holidays that do not guarantee where you will be staying until you arrive, as you may be thrown into a fleapit with little chance of transferring to better accommodation.

Resorts in June will be buzzing, but not overly crowded. The sea will be warmer than in May. The sun won't be as intense as high summer, meaning the landscape should still be green. And June has the longest hours of daylight.

Don't think that waiting till summer will bring even better deals. During July and August, you won't find a cheap last minute beach holiday so look for a city break, if you must go away that time of year.

One drawback of booking late is that the most popular hotels will be full, leaving you to scrounge around the second-best options. Stay tuned for my next 'travel tips and tricks' entry when I'll tell you how researching your accommodation options should turn up an overlooked gem.

Cut the environmental cost of plane travel

I'm no scientist.

I'm not here to debate the causes of climate change.

I'm not here to lay a guilt trip on you about carbon emissions.

But if you are interested in reducing the impact your travel has on the world, then may I suggest the following?

Don't fly domestically within the UK.
Factor in the time it takes to get to your local airport, check in, queue up for security, stand around at the gate, hurtle through the sky in a cramped tube, grab your bags off the carousel and travel from the airport to your destination. It is probably as quick to take the train!

Start your overseas holiday early.
Enjoy ample leg room. The freedom to stretch your legs. See the scenery upclose. Have a proper meal, not just a £2 packet of crisps. Discover how to travel in style with a train journey or ferry cruise!

Limit your flights by travelling less often and staying longer.
Instead of three separate weekends to Venice, Florence and Rome why not take a week to see all three? That's one flight there and another back, instead of six separate flights. Besides, weekend flights tend to be the most expensive, especially when returning on a Sunday.

Saving the planet? Start at home.
I don't understand why people fly long-haul in order to stay at eco-friendly accommodation or go on a eco-adventure. Why not make the most of environmentally responsible hotels, alternative technology centres and other projects near to where you live?

'Save up' for that flight abroad.
Recycle. Walk instead of drive. Support independent local businesses. Compost your peelings to help grow your own fruit, veg and herbs. Carpool or use public transport. If you do everything you can in your daily life to reduce your impact on the environment, you won't feel so guilty about taking that flight.

Ever notice sometimes the only 'clouds' in the sky are airplane contrails?

Ditch the packaging: Cut the cost of plane travel, pt 2

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

The same goes for package holidays and as my earlier example proved, with a little research you can put together your dream holiday at a substantial discount to a High Street travel agent.

Last time I talked about how no-frills airlines have revolutionised the way people travel around Europe. Now that you know how these airlines operate, you can use that knowledge to your advantage when booking your tickets, so let's put the power of the internet to use.

Winter, and for some reason thoughts turn to the summer holiday?!

Are you restricted to a particular departure airport? First port of call should either be Whichbudget.com or the website for your local airport in order to find out which airlines are at your disposal. Be warned though, Whichbudget.com classifies charter airlines in the low cost category, which is certainly not going to be the case if you're flying to a popular beach resort at the height of summer.

Also, it's worth considering other airports nearby if there is a convenient public transport connection. For instance, there is a 24-hour shuttle bus from Manchester city centre to Liverpool Airport, which is a Ryanair hub.

Are you loyal to a particular airline? Let's face it, loyalty counts for nothing these days in the cut-throat world of capitalism. In my mind, loyalty amounts to laziness and can lead to you being ripped-off if you value the brand over value. But if you are set on travelling with a certain airline, be sure to sign up for its email alerts. You should be the first to hear the news about special deals.

Do you have your heart set on a certain destination? If you've got a destination in mind, then it's all about finding the cheapest fare, so it's time to sweep the market through a site like Kayak, Travelsupermarket or Skyscanner. It is worth using more than one to maximise your research - no one single site will be able to report back on all your flight options.

Flying further afield? When flying long-haul (to another continent), use the flight brokers Expedia, Travelocity and Opodo. Again, look at more than one, you might save a few quid for the same flight and each has their own special features to explore. For instance, Opodo will give you an indication of seat availability, while Expedia easily lets you amend the airports in your search to offer immediate price comparisons between different departure or arrival points. And Travelocity gives you the easy option to extend a layover if you are changing flights, which can be handy if you'd like an early connection in order to leave the airport and see some sights along the way before catching a later flight home.

Could you care less about where you want to go? Sometimes you just want a change of scenery, so why not use the Martin the Money Saving Expert's flight checker travel tool? Set a budget of £50, £40 or even £20, specify an airport and a range of dates, then select from the list of cheap flights it finds. At the moment, Ryanair does not allow its site to be included on Martin's search, but the king of the no-frills flyers does feature in Skyscanner's search results.

One problem you may encounter is that flights are cheap going one direction, but not the other. This may require some creative planning on your part. For my recent trip to Italy, we took the shuttle bus from Manchester in order to fly from Liverpool to Pisa. Coming back it was cheaper to fly from Pisa to Frankfurt, then catch a flight later that day to Manchester.

Florence: a 1-hour rail journey from Pisa Airport, as long as your train is not held hostage by riot police along the way (I should know)

A site like Skyscanner shows connections like my example, though be warned that carriers like Ryanair do not claim to offer a connecting service. Miss your connection because your other flight with them was late? Tough!

Still to come...reducing the environmental impact of all these flights, plus when sometimes it pays to book the dreaded package holiday after all.

Ditch the packaging: Cut the cost of plane travel

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

The same goes for package holidays and as my earlier example proved, with a little research you can put together your dream holiday at a substantial discount to a High Street travel agent.

Although Britain's rail links to the Continent are faster and more frequent than ever before, sometimes nothing beats the convenience of a low cost flight.

Some people new to flying or the internet (and those of you more used to flying first class with British Airways) may be a bit wary of flying with a no-frills carrier: 'Is that air fare for real? Is the plane safe? How do they do it?'

The no-frills airlines are cheap because:

1. They tend to fly from out of the way British airports. Have you ever tried to reach 'London' Stansted at 5am on public transport?

2. Many of their destinations are to smaller European cities. A flight they claim is to Stockholm or Paris may be to a provincial airport 50 miles away. For instance, Ryanair flights billed as Venice land at a tin shed in Treviso 40 minutes by bus from La Serenissima. Some of these airports are quicker to navigate and have fewer flights clogging the luggage carousels, plus may be the gateway to fascinating destinations you might otherwise overlook.

We seem to have taxied an awful long way from Amsterdam!

3. They don't offer complimentary in-flight meals, but sell pricey drinks and pre-packaged snacks instead. Be sure to pack your own meals to avoid paying £5+ for a damp sandwich, packet of crisps and a bar of chocolate.

4. Hardly any of them issue tickets. Did you know one year British Airways spent more money printing and posting tickets than fueling its fleet? (The Independent, 23 February 2002). They don't employ many ground staff and expect passengers to check in and print off their boarding cards online.

5. Their tickets are inflexible and it can be expensive to change your plans (even if you are forced to make changes through no fault of your own). For instance, Ryanair will not pay compensation if you miss a connecting flight on their service. So if the Ryanair flight is late getting into Brussels and you miss your booked Ryanair flight to Liverpool, tough.

6. Watch out for all the hidden extras. Most charge over the odds for things you take for granted on other airlines like checking in, having assigned seats and being able to stow baggage in the hold. They will also sting you for using certain cards to buy the flight or for calling their customer service line. That's why they are the best option for weekend breaks when you're only likely to be carrying a small bag on board.

7. You'd be surprised how much ink the likes of easyJet and bmibaby have saved by having their names in lower-case. Seriously, the one thing they don't scrimp on is safety. Their planes, pilots and security team are of the quality you'd expect of any major carrier.

Manchester...

..or the beach? I know where I'd rather be today!

Now for some bad news about that flight to 'Brzyzysyg' you've seen advertised for 1p. You have to accept that you won't be able to book the advertised fare! Why not?

• This fare is for a single trip, not a return journey. Great if you're bumming around Europe, but most of us want to come back to old Blighty and what you betting the flight coming back on Sunday is £100?
• This fare is for a mid-week flight in late January or some other quiet period.
• This fare excludes taxes levied by the state and the airports, which can be £20 or more per flight.
• And finally, if you don't live within walking distance of 'London' Stansted, you'll spend more money getting to the airport than flying out of it!

Still, the fares that are on offer can be extremely cheap, especially if you book during a sale. Ryanair's website offers hints to get that cheap fare. This mainly involves booking midweek flights months in advance. November to February is the ideal time to book that cheap fare, when even full-frills carriers like BA pare back their fares. Spur of the moment, 'gotta fly tomorrow' fares will be dear.

Another tip is to consider the usual traffic to your destination and plan against demand. For instance, fly midweek to holiday resorts and hen party hotspots like Tenerife, Barcelona and Amsterdam. On the other hand, fly on the weekend to a business destination like Brussels or Milan.

Next time: which websites to trawl for those cheapest fares, plus how to reduce your impact on the environment when flying.

Ditch the packaging: Cut the cost of train travel, part 2

Train travel in Britain can be frustrating, especially when trying to find information about booking the best ticket.

First of all, there is no rhyme nor reason to fare structures. Let's look at a short train journey of about one hour, from Manchester to Blackburn:-

• A single ticket (just to go to Blackburn) is £7.80;
• In order to return that same day costs only 10p more;
• In order to return any other day within the next 30 days costs £4.40 more.

That's right, singles don't cost half the price of a return journey. And coming back can either cost you pennies or pounds, depending on whether you come back the same day...like that matters??

NOT the 12.15 to London Euston, you'll be pleased to know

Luckily, for longer train journeys within the the UK, there are some tricks you can employ to find some real bargains.

First, there is the concept of 'split-ticketing'. This means breaking your journey, but staying on the same train. For instance, instead of buying a ticket from Manchester to Edinburgh, it is cheaper to buy two singles in advance: from Manchester to York, then another ticket for York to Edinburgh. The trick is knowing you are using the same train the entire trip (for example, make sure the 11am Manchester departure is the same train that departs York at 12.30pm). Of course, if you want to hop off in York for a spell before catching a later train, you're able to do that as well.

York's station

This ticketing trick is also useful on long journeys that involve an early start. Peak time travel pretty much means anything before 10am. If you have to travel at 9am, there is no avoiding the more expensive peak time ticket. But if the train is stopping further down the line at 10am, why should you continue to pay the peak time fare? Split your ticket and watch the fare tumble by buying a second ticket for the off-peak portion of your journey. There are some ticketing rules to obey, so it's worth reading Martin the Money Saving Expert's tips.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the cheapest tickets for long range journeys normally become available 8-12 weeks ahead of time. You can request an email alert to remind you to make a booking. Unfortunately, routes are limited - for instance, Trainline's alerts will only advise me when tickets are available to travel from Manchester to London, Penzance and Preston (an odd assortment if there ever was). Still, it's helpful to have the reminder regardless for any journeys you're wanting to make around a certain time.

Trainline offers another powerful feature, which I've only ever seen on air travel websites before, called the best fare finder. After giving a date and destination (thankfully a slightly larger range of routes is on offer), you are shown the fares several days on either side of your first choice. This gives an idea if it's cheaper to travel on a different date. Worth looking at if you're flexible on dates.

All that said, I cannot recommend booking tickets with Trainline. After years of being a loyal customer, I noticed last year they had begun applying a £1 booking fee for tickets. They also charge a whopping £2.50 per transaction when using any of the most credit common cards.

Does it look like I'm made of money?
Beer, maybe...

That is why I use National Express East Coast. Despite the name, you can use them to book tickets for any train in the country. It is easy to find the cheapest tickets on any particular day, all you do is choose your price range to filter out the expensive journeys. They also offer email alerts for any date you may have in mind for travelling. Most importantly, booking your tickets and having them posted out are free of charge.

So if you're booking UK train tickets, choo-choose your websites carefully!

Ditch the packaging: Cut the cost of train travel

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

The same goes for package holidays and as my earlier example proved, with a little research you can put together your dream holiday at a substantial discount to a High Street travel agent.

Although the thick fog of recession has descended over Britain, it is common knowledge that the Brits value their holidays above all. Saving money for Britons means forgoing the gym membership, shopping around for cheaper gas & electrics, maybe going to Aldi or Morrisons instead of Sainsburys and Waitrose - but it NEVER means giving up on our fortnight in the sun.

So this year I predict people will be more willing than ever to book those 2 weeks away independently though the internet. Or at the very least, they will want to exploit online tools that will enable them to find a cheap but perfect package.

Today's focus for independent holidays is cutting the cost of train travel.

For years, departing these shores for sunny climes has meant a trip to the airport, with all that now entails:-

• Lugging your bags to the airport and giving yourself at least 2 hours to spare because of the check-in deadlines and security queues;
• Being marched barefoot through security checkpoints to be frisked and quizzed;
• Sitting for an hour waiting for a gate and being expected in the meantime to pay over the odds for plastic-wrapped sandwiches or cafeteria food;
• Limiting yourself to expensive travel-sized toiletries in your carry-on luggage because that bottle containing goo that looks like shampoo, smells like shampoo and even has a clever label that says it is shampoo COULD BE A BOMB, then being allowed to buy huge glass bottles of booze from the gift shop which could be turned into far more effective explosive devices than a bottle of shampoo;
• Squeezing onto the plane and paying the airline extra for things like meals, onboard entertainment, space for our luggage and even seats;
• Dashing off the plane at our destination as quickly as possible so we can be first in the queue for immigration, customs, the baggage carousel and a taxi.

Is it any wonder that train travel is becoming more and more popular in Britain?

Let's go back to Manchester Piccadilly train station and look at the list of departures again. Do we go to Manchester airport and spend over 2 hours fighting to board our flight or do we take a train to the centre of London in 2 hours and a bit, reading a book and enjoying the scenery along the way? Once arriving at London's Euston station, it's a short walk or hop on the Tube to St Pancras station, where the Eurostar can take us to Paris in another 2 hours and a bit.

After recent track upgrades across Britain and following the London Eurostar terminal being moved to St Pancras, train travel is becoming a more attractive option for Briish travellers. I heartily recommend you have a chat with the chap in seat 61, an expert in international train travel who shares all on his fantastic website.

Another chap you'll want as a travelling companion is Martin the Money Saving Expert. To summarise his philosophy, book well ahead when making your travel plans and you could find a Manchester-London train ticket for as little as £1.

Acquaint yourselves with these chaps and find out how you can let the train take the strain...off your wallet!

A dozen money-saving holiday spending tips

1. Open a current account with the Nationwide, the only UK high street financial institution that does not charge its customers for using their bank cards abroad. It doesn't need to become your primary current account, just make sure the balance is topped up before you go.

2. If you do not bank with the Nationwide, enquire with your bank ahead of time to find out their currency conversion charges for overseas purchases and cash withdrawals. This should put the damper on impulse purchases and multiple trips to the ATM.

3. Ring your bank and credit card providers before your trip to advise them you are going overseas. This will prevent them from cutting off your cards if they suspect they are being used fraudulently.

What do you mean, 'CARD DECLINED'??!

4(a). Purchase your currency in advance on the high street. Shop around to find the best rates (comparing the 'sell' rates) and be sure to take commission into account. Marks & Spencer usually have very good rates and do not charge commission. Take photo ID if you plan to buy your currency on plastic, but WATCH OUT as your card may treat this purchase as a currency conversion and charge a fee, so ask your bank first.

4(b). Or, if you are tech-savvy, try the Travel Money Maximiser which trawls through online foreign exchange bureaux to find the best rates. When exchanging currency online, always opt to pick up your funny money at a local branch or at the airport. Never buy your currency over the counter at the airport.

5. If you must withdraw cash from an ATM while abroad, use your bank debit card and never a credit card. Credit cards levy a higher ATM transaction fee and charge an extortionate cash advance interest rate.

6. Find out how much your travel insurance covers you for replacing cash that is lost or stolen, then make sure you always carry less than this amount. Put the rest in the hotel safe.

7. Not comfortable carrying so much cash? Travellers' cheques feel a bit antiquated these days and often have charges associated when both buying and spending them. Whatever combination of currency - cash, cards, or cheques - carry your cash in a travel wallet that hangs around your neck and can be hidden away under your clothes.

8. Avoid the dynamic conversion exchange trick, particularly in Spain. Say you're in Spain and hand the waiter your UK debit card to pay the bill. Or perhaps you're taking out cash from a Spanish ATM. 'Would you like the amount billed in sterling?' you are asked. It sounds easy, painless, safe...but it is practically a con. The exchange rate will almost always be terrible and is designed mainly so someone can skim off some cash for themselves through the transaction.

9. Eat where the locals eat. Venture outside the main tourist area and watch the prices dip, while the quality of food should improve. Challenge yourself to eat somewhere that doesn't have a menu in five different languages (take a phrasebook instead). Look for places that offer a fixed-price menu (3 courses for 10 euros, for example).

10. Try the local brands of bottled water, fruit juice, beer, wine and spirits when having a drink. Buy these in bulk from the local supermarket instead of from the kiosk on the beach.

"Cheers!"

11. Limit the use of your mobile. Enquire beforehand if your provider offers special tariffs for overseas travel. Because you'll be paying a lot more to receive calls, tell your friends to cut down on the chit-chat.

12. Any cash left over on your return? Instead of converting it back into sterling, set it aside for your next holiday - unless your trip was so bad you have vowed never to return!

Your holiday pound

During 2008 we saw a reversal in fortunes for the British pound.

For the first half of last year, the pound soared against the US dollar and for a time £1 could buy $2. When looking at prices during our spring road trip around Dixie, we halved everything to determine the cost in pounds.

What a difference a recession makes. All the world is feeling the pinch, but a dive in UK interest rates and the belief we will be one of hardest hit G8 economies resulted in the pound plummeting 26% against the dollar in the year since January 2008. Over the counter at a bureau de change, your £1 buys about $1.38 in cash.

The pound now buys 8% less in Australian dollars than a year ago - 24% fewer Thai bhats - and 40% fewer Japanese yen.

"Quite the suntrap. Emphasis on TRAP, though."

Most symbolically, the pound is at its weakest ever against the euro. For many years after the introduction of the euro, British tourists were used to every 3 euros amounting to 2 pounds: "That €9 meal cost me £6." These days the euro and pound are worth nearly the same. Go to the bureau de change for your holiday cash now and £1 will buy 99 euro cents.

Where else will your pound not stretch as far? Egypt has been an increasingly popular choice for a cheap 'fun in the sun' holiday, but over the past year the Egyptian currency has risen 25% against the British pound.

And what about Turkey, where not so long ago there were 2.3 million lira to the pound? The problem here is that tour operators have spotted the demand and are gouging tourists. Of the package holidays seeing high price hikes, the trips to Turkey are the ones seeing the biggest spikes (22-40% in some instances compared to last year).

And this despite the exchange rate today remaining close to the same level it was last year. Shameful.

"Easy access to local transport links."

But if you are only going to think in relative terms when booking your holiday, you won't go anywhere! Even though your pound may not stretch as far in some places, it's worth remembering that many of these destinations were very cheap to begin with. Despite the price hikes in Turkish package holidays, they remain competitive against other Mediterranean holidays.

By comparison, it will almost always be more expensive to holiday in the UK. Britain has some of the world's most expensive petrol, duty is high on alcoholic drinks and the price we are expected to pay for hotel rooms and train tickets verges on the scandalous. Never mind that summer sunshine is at a premium as well.

In addition, travel operators are predicting cheaper airfares in 2009 as the competition heats up for your travel money and the cost of fuel dips in line with the oil price.

"So much for the sea view. Or any view, for that matter."

Finally, there are other cheap locales out there. Value remains in Eastern Europe (Croatia and Bulgaria for instance) and both Norway and Iceland have gone from being 'very expensive' to only 'fairly expensive'. Not all the eurozone countries are uniformly expensive either, as travellers to Greece will confirm. Further afield and places like Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Dubai are being recommended by the travel experts.

The best thing to do is put currency issues aside and do all you can to save money booking the holiday itself. This means booking independently, not through a travel agent, and using the internet to whittle down your costs and discover the best holiday for you. Stay tuned for updates over the next few weeks!

Forget the wasteful packaging

This time of year many Britons will be making their New Year's resolutions and booking their holiday in the sun.

This year, your resolution should be to forget about buying your package holiday from the High Street travel agent, and book it online yourself instead.

Most packaging is wasteful and usually is a trick by the retailer to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price when bundled together for your convenience. A package holiday is no different. Picking a holiday off the shelf means it's hard to find one that fits. Finally, package holidays sold by UK travel agents in 2009 are going to be up to 40% more expensive than last year.

As we will find out on my blog over the coming weeks, with the internet you can find a hotel... see photos of your resort... book the cheapest travel tickets... buy holiday insurance... print out maps... download public transport schedules... read guidebooks... and compare comments from other holidaymakers.

"The all-you-can-eat buffet was a tad disappointing."

The internet is a terrific way to have a better holiday. Best of all, you can cut out the middle man and save money!

Here's my personal example. The basic idea was to fly to Malta for a fortnight's holiday, with one week in a basic 3-star hotel, followed by one week in a self-catering villa with car hire. This particular jaunt was for 3 adults.

A reputable high street holiday company provided me with the following quote for accommodation, flights and transfers. The basic holiday price (just accommodation and flights) came to £623 per person. A week's car hire was another £94. Then we each would have to pay £49 for under-occupancy because there would only be 3 of us in a villa built to house 4. Then we would have to pay £59 each in flight supplements for not flying from a London airport.

Total holiday price for the 3 of us was going to be £2199, or about £733 per person.

"Tough tittie, I don't see your name on it."

With this in mind, I browsed a few websites and did my own research.

I found daytime return charter flights from our local airport departing on the 1st of May for £219 each. A bit steep, but I discovered that by travelling one day earlier and therefore outside the peak season, the price of each ticket went down to £169 each. The £177 of flight supplements the travel agent wanted to charge could have bought a ticket at this price, with change left over.

"Still getting over that jet lag."

Time to find a hotel. I searched Malta's tourist office website for 3-star hotels in a resort which had been recommended. I emailed each one I could and impressed upon them I was booking months in advance by email and that we'd be staying 7 nights, so what deals could they make us? Most replied within 24 hours and about half offered 10- to 25% off their advertised rates. One hotel offered such good value on a B&B basis we opted for 2 rooms, a single and a double. This worked out to £14.50 per person per night.

Finally, time to book a villa on the smaller island of Gozo. A websearch came up with many properties, most with photos and descriptions. But one organisation stood out by offering a full holiday service. They would fetch us from our resort hotel and bring us to our villa which would require two taxi rides and a ferry crossing. They would provide car hire once we arrived. They would take us all the way back to the airport for our return flight. Best of all, their total fee was about the same as what the travel agent wanted per person.

The major difference between the property on the website and the property offered by the travel agent was that the cheaper option didn't have a swimming pool. We figured we'd have more fun on a beach.

"Swimming pools are overrated anyway."

My independently arranged holiday with flights, accommodation and transfers came in around £1100, or £367 per person. That's half of what the travel agent quoted.

One thing a travel agent offers in return for your cash is peace of mind. You are guaranteed what you booked, or you receive compensation if something goes wrong with your booking. Also, in the unlikely event of a fire, natural disaster or other emergency during your holiday the travel agent will arrange for alternative accommodation or repatriation at no cost or worry to you.

But here's the bottom line - those same guarantees can be obtained by buying the proper holiday insurance. And as we all know, holiday insurance is almost always cheaper anywhere other than the travel agent.

"No dogs allowed??"

For my tips on booking holiday insurance and all the other ways the internet is proving a boon for independent travellers, stay tuned!