Holiday Tips
Bill Collier - 27.11.2009
Holiday Tips

I have just come back from a long weekend in Portugal and even at the start of November the temperature is 72 degrees F. Before I went I checked on the internet for the hotel that I wanted to stay at, and found that the prices were rather high. It was the Baia Grande hotel near Albufeira which is a first class 4 star hotel.

My next check was a company called The Hotel Club where I found the same room in the same hotel with the same breakfast at some £200 less than booking direct with the hotel. To sign up with the Hotel Club costs nothing and you make your booking with them direct. Print off 2 vouchers, one for yourself and one for the hotel, and you're set to go.

Another saving you can make relates to car hire. Go direct to any of the major car hire companies and you will pay the top price regardless of how many percent discount they say you can get. A major operator in the car hire industry anywhere in Europe is called Auto Europe. Book through them and you will maybe get one of their own cars but the chances are they will get one from the major operators at a much lower price than the operator itself. I booked through Auto Europe and got a Ford Focus from Budget at a much reduced price than Budget wanted to charge me.

One of the major purchases you will have to make is the airline tickets. Again by booking direct with the airline, and in particular Easyjet you will get the lowest rate. Check out the comparison sites against booking direct and you will see what I mean. They all add a bit on for themselves. Another point to remember is that with Easyjet the sooner you book the lower the price will be. Easyjet operates a policy that as the plane fills up so the price goes up. So book as early as you can. I am booking now for next June. If you are flying on Easyjet as a party then you need to get to the gate early or risk being separated on the plane. Easyjet does not allocate seats so the earlier you are on the plane, the better choice of seat you have. We travel as a party of nine, so my wife and I make a separate booking and opt for speedy boarding. This means that we are on the plane before the rest of the passengers and we put bags on the seats for the rest of the party. That means that we have paid an extra £ 14 each (£28 total) instead of £126 if all of my party had speedy boarding.

We love the Algarve because of the climate and if anyone should be in the Gale area and want a meal then visit TJ's. You will find it on the freemap in most stores. Mac comes from Milton Keynes and his wife cooks everything herself. The food is fantastic and the price will fit the smallest pocket. Tell him Bill Collier sent you.

I hope these few tips will help you when next you go abroad, so have a good time and soak up some sunshine.

Bill Collier