Here’s how I saved £3,000 in a year while travelling – and still in first class

It used to be easy for British holidaymakers to get away from it all. But now with flight cancellations peaking earlier this year, queues and delays at airports becoming interminable, more and more bureaucracy to navigate and prices rising everywhere, it can feel like leaving the UK for a break is more stress than it’s worth. Yet for all the extra complications, Brits don’t seem to have been put off from heading overseas. So, are holidays abroad still worth the hassle? Writer and stand-up Ariane Sherine Juniper and travel writers Kash Bhattacharya and Mike MacEacheran give their perspectives. We live in a crazy era in which it is often cheaper to fly to Rome than take a train to London. The dreamer, the romantic in us, wants us to book that flight. But with the accommodation, the transfer from the airport (which can be more expensive than the Ryanair flight itself – yes, I am looking at you “Oslo” Torp), activities and food and drink, the total bill for that bargain getaway starts to add up. However, it is possible to plan a few budget getaways each year. You just need to do your research and master a few key travel hacks that will make sure your holiday budget stretches further. I’ve saved £3,000 in the last year by following a few simple rules of thumb. Travelling carry-on only for weekend breaks not only saves you from hauling a suitcase or rucksack around, but it can also be a huge money saver. UK travellers who fly three times a year with a budget airline like Ryanair or easyJet can typically save somewhere between £200 and £350 a year just by travelling carry-on. A new European Union ruling, which kicks in from next year, will allow you to have free carry-on luggage (up to 7kg, and measuring up to 40x30x15cm) on flights within Europe, plus you can have a personal item for free. There is a small catch, though. The ruling is only valid on European airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air; for non-EU airlines like easyJet and Jet2, passengers can only get free carry-on luggage on the return flight back to the UK. If the return leg of your trip is proving expensive, you can save 20 to 40 per cent by booking an open-jaw flight, where you fly into one destination, say Vienna, and return from another airport, like Prague, using Skyscanner’s multi-city function. You could then book a Business Class ticket on a RegioJet train from Vienna to Prague, where you can get complimentary Bohemia Sekt (the Czech equivalent of Prosecco), unlimited fresh Italian coffee and water – all for the price of a ticket which starts at €28 (£24). Seeing the world by train is an underrated travel hack. If you want to explore Europe, then the Interrail pass has to be the ultimate for travelling in style on a budget. A one-month Interrail Global pass, which covers 33 countries in Europe and lets you travel on seven days of that month, costs £324 (or £243 for travellers between 12 and 27 years old), working out at just under £47 per travel day for adults. The Interrail pass also allows you to travel on night trains with a reservation fee, which saves you money on accommodation, plus you can hop on the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps, two of the greatest train journeys in the world. To give you an idea, a return trip on the Bernina Express in Second Class costs 125 CHF, around £115, on its own. Hotels, of course, can be expensive. But hostels – traditionally the cheaper option, with a trade-off when it comes to privacy and luxury – are changing. Nowadays you can sleep in the comfort of your own private en suite room or, if budgets are tight, book yourself into a spacious pod like at CODE Hostel Dublin or Capsule Hotels in Switzerland. And more and more hostels are offering something extra too: from outdoor swimming pools in Palermo, Barcelona, and Florence to an indoor football pitch in Copenhagen and a rooftop bar in Seville, or the Astra Rockstar suite at Superbude Hostel St Pauli in Hamburg which comes with a stage, guitars, and a fridge full of local Astra beers. Or how about sleeping in a port wine cellar by the Douro river in Portugal in dorm beds made from old port barrels? More and more hostels offer an experience on par with any four or five-star hotel, but at a fraction of the price. And there are still bargains to be had in even the hottest tourist spots. People complain about how expensive Prague has become, for instance, but they tend to book their stay in the touristy Old Town and drink in bars around Charles Bridge or the Old Town Square. Get off the beaten path and go local by staying in Prague’s upbeat Vršovice neighbourhood instead. There, you will get a taste of local Prague life, with independent art galleries, a great coffee culture, and several beautiful parks, including a vineyard with one of Prague’s last remaining wineries, Vinicní Altán. Yes, it can feel like going on holiday has become an ordeal – sorting out the admin, working out what to do when you’re there, and, most of all, paying for it. But going abroad doesn’t have to cost the earth. Perspectives