Ways to save money while you travel!

When you travel from the UK, do you automatically look at flights or holidays from one of the main airports like Manchester, London Heathrow or London Gatwick? I know I do.

We have lots of other local airports around the UK that we sometimes forget about and if we don't use them they might not be around for much longer. Plus they might actually be closer, saving fuel or travel costs. With the country in financial trouble and some people still craving holidays, saving money where we can on travel can mean the difference between going away and not. I know there are many people who are struggling to heat their homes and have enough food for their families but there will always be people who want to go away no matter the financial climate.

The first saving can come from the locations a particular airport flies to. If you don't have a specific destination in mind look at the offers at your local airport, as they can be surprising. They often add some routes for the summer so there is more choice, but even for some winter sun, there are deals to be had. Have a look at the airport's website before you start searching so you can see what locations they currently have. They might even have a link to a holiday company that flies from there to save you the trouble of finding it yourself.

For example, when I had a quick search for a common winter sun destination in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt at an all-inclusive hotel (so you don't have other costs once you arrive), the difference between flying from Bristol airport and London Gatwick for 2 adults was over £1225 that is a huge saving and if you fly from Birmingham it's closer to £1300! (Prices are based on using the same hotel for 7 days in February flying within 3 days of each other and with the same holiday provider).

One of the other benefits that can come from flying from a small airport is the experience. If you head to one of the big airports you can expect long lines at check-in and then again at security. You have the worry of the delays causing you to miss your flight. When you use one of the smaller airports your flight might be the only one for a few hours, therefore there are fewer people to process and shorter lines. London Heathrow states they had 1300 flights on average each day in 2018 whereas Liverpool only had 42. In a smaller airport. you might have less choice at the duty-free or in the food outlets, but if you can reduce one of the biggest stresses you have when travelling, then it might be worth it for this alone. A Which? study last year found the average waiting time at Glasgow International or Belfast City was only 13 minutes whereas, from my own experience, I can say it was about an hour in July flying from London Heathrow, though this is probably their busiest month.

Expenses that we sometimes don't think about until we have already booked our holiday are getting there and the cost of the parking nearby. Using the same dates as the above holiday parking at London Heathrow's car park the cost would be at least £115, but if you were flying from a local airport such as Norwich it would only cost £75. But there can be an even cheaper way to park. People rent out their driveways, we actually used this when we last went away in December 2022 and it was much cheaper than an airport carpark and was really easy to book and was really convenient. The company we used was "Your Parking Space" and parking worked out at £10 a week for a 4-week parking spot on someone's driveway. The parking space was situated one stop away from the airport on the train, a mere £2.70 each way journey that took 5 minutes, and was well worth it as other parking spaces nearer the airport were nearly three to four times the price. I have included an affiliated link to them below. A week's parking near Norwich airport can be as low as £30 a week and I found a space near Heathrow Airport for just £55 a week. Locating a parking space that is one or two stops away from the airport can often reduce your costs, so it is worth a try. When doing this on our last trip, my partner dropped me off at the airport with all the bags, drove to the address we had been given and parked in accordance with the instructions we had been given (in our case "park right in the drive, as far up to the bush as you can," which a quick look on Street View confirmed to me where to go and what to look for). Then it was a couple of minutes walk to the train, followed by one stop on the train to the airport. All stress-free, which made the cost-saving worthwhile.

Another way to save is to search for offers. Some of the companies I work with are below and they will give you a discount on the parking you book via the link (You might find it easier to right-click and open in a new window). Compare your options and see what works best for your trip.

The sun feels warmer and the water looks bluer when you got a good deal.

*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.