How do you go about finding an affordable trip this winter? Are you someone who wants to travel abroad but hasn't booked a trip yet? It's getting harder and harder to find good value travel, but it's not over yet. Here are our top tips for finding affordable travel this winter.
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1. Book smart for cheap tickets
There are a number of ways to get cheap tickets for travelling abroad. If you can travel in the low season and avoid school holidays, it will always be cheaper. Other classic tips include travelling at inconvenient times (such as in the middle of the night) or on days when others may not be keen to travel (such as Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve). You can also read flight attendant and travel blogger Lina's 9 tips on how to travel cheaper abroad.
2. Travel "Last minute"
Don't need to plan so far in advance and the exact destination doesn't matter much? Last-minute holidays can be heavily discounted and offer the chance to get to the sun quickly. For example, when I checked Ving and TUI, I found last-minute tickets to Thailand, Egypt, Cyprus, Cape Verde, Madeira and the Canary Islands.
3. Choose an affordable destination
Finding affordable destinations for sunshine holidays in the middle of winter is always a challenge as you actually have to travel quite far to find warmth. A classic is of course the Canary Islands, where there are several different islands and many different destinations to choose from. Egypt also tends to be affordable and it may be worth checking out this year's rocket: Cape Verde.
4. Choose a destination with a 'mild' climate
Sun and bathing holidays are all very well, but it can also be nice to take a break from the real cold in Sweden and visit a country with a slightly milder climate. Europe doesn't offer many destinations for sun and bathing in winter, but if you're content with walking in 15-degree heat, you can visit Malta or the Costa del Sol in Spain.
5. Choose a 'cold' destination
While it's great to travel to the warmth of winter, a big part of the fun of travelling is getting a break from everyday life and doing something completely different. If you can't find an affordable trip to the warmth, try travelling to an interesting and enjoyable city. Shopping, cosy restaurants and maybe a spa treatment won't hurt. We can recommend visits to Riga or Budapest, for example.
How to finance the trip?
Of course, the best way to save money for travelling is well in advance! One way is to have a specific account for travelling and set aside some money every month. Winter is not that far away, so it might be worth trying to live frugally for a few months in order to save money. Other ways to boost your budget could be to do small extra jobs on the side, or why not sell off things that are lying around in the storage room or garage?
Borrowing money for a trip is never really recommended, but sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you need to temporarily solve changed circumstances. If you want to borrow money for travelling, you should use a personal loan, i.e. a loan without collateral. When borrowing money in this way, it is of course important to have a sustainable plan for repayment.
Are you travelling somewhere this winter?
Now we're curious... Are you travelling anywhere this winter, and if so, where?
You might also like:
Emergency help with money when travelling abroad - what to do?
Save thousands when travelling abroad next time.
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s p i n d e l t j e j e n says:
We are going to Thailand for a month again 😉 .
07 November 2017 - 8:10
Helena says:
Oh how wonderful! Have a nice trip!!!
07 November 2017 - 8:25
Mr Steve says:
The possibilities for travelling are almost endless today. Well, I've finished travelling so I'll have to settle for riding shotgun with you. A fully-fledged alternative in my situation.
07 November 2017 - 8:20
Helena says:
The "free ride" possibilities are also endless today 😉 Glad you want to travel with us! 🙂
07 November 2017 - 8:26
Alexandra says:
Unfortunately, there will probably be no winter trip this year *snyft snyft*. Will probably not be a real trip before March next year, then we go to New York. But you never know... maybe something will turn up haha. Otherwise we have to make sure and find small adventures here at home!
07 November 2017 - 9:31
Helena says:
We haven't actually planned anything yet either, but we hope it will be possible to organise it. Otherwise we think like you: small adventures here at home 🙂 .
07 November 2017 - 13:23
Ama de casa says:
I am thinking of spending Christmas on the Costa Blanca, in Spain. But we will see... 🙂 .
These days it's much more 'first minute' than 'last minute'. At least for those who live in the area. You need to be on the lookout when the low-cost companies release their tickets to get the best prices. Especially when it comes to popular times like Christmas and Easter. When we still "commuted", the jungle telegraph went hot then when the tickets were released 🙂.
07 November 2017 - 9:36
Helena says:
You have a nice place to celebrate Christmas 🙂 And the jungle telegraph is a communication route not to be underestimated! 😉
07 November 2017 - 13:24
Ditte says:
Nowadays I want to travel at convenient times and with few "inconveniences". So preferably directly and comfortably even on board and if there is a stop, it must be short. There have been thoughts about Asia, but they have been shelved.
But for a while now in November and December, the Spanish summer house is tempting. And weather-wise on the Costa Blanca, the thermometer is usually closer to +20 during the day, so it's totally ok. A ski trip is also planned and to Switzerland, Italy or France in January. (However, depending on how the skin feels) Then there is room for other things that are not yet planned.
We're quite spontaneous in our travelling, so there's rarely much advance planning, but I'm good at finding cheap flights at good times.
07 November 2017 - 9:49
Helena says:
It sounds like you have good and nice plans, even if it's not a trip to Asia!
07 November 2017 - 13:26
Goatfish says:
Loved travelling 😀 it's life, as long as you keep up with it!
I've just been to Madeira, not really a sun and sea holiday, but the temperatures were a full 6 degrees higher than normal, so...
Nothing here until Easter. Then it will hopefully be long. But there are short trips. A quick trip to Stockholm awaits in a month.
Take care! ?
07 November 2017 - 10:31
Helena says:
Lovely with a trip to Madeira! It can be wonderful with a trip to a milder climate even if it is not a bathing holiday 🙂.
07 November 2017 - 13:27
Travelsis says:
We have booked Jamaica?☀️? which makes it easier for me to deal with the darkness./Pernilla
07 November 2017 - 12:34
Helena says:
Oh it sounds exciting! Great with a trip to look forward to! 🙂
07 November 2017 - 13:28
Anette says:
For me, it will be a trip back to Sweden.
Hope for a white Christmas.
07 November 2017 - 13:03
Helena says:
It can be nice to travel for it too 🙂 In Sweden I also want snow!
07 November 2017 - 13:31
Annalena says:
It's great to have a little light and warmth when it's the most boring here... I'm going to Los Angeles again and visiting the daughter next Friday with my mum. It will be so cosy to meet and hug! <3 It does not really feel like a holiday then, but more like a "health trip" (?). Strange you think... 😀
07 November 2017 - 13:53
Helena says:
But oh how wonderful! Both with the trip and to visit the daughter! (And I probably think it can be counted as a holiday, haha)
07 November 2017 - 20:19
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
We have planned 5-6 weeks down to Bosnia and Croatia at the end of April so really intended to stay home this winter even though it now feels very dark and boring. Of course we have planned a Christmas market in Germany and a long weekend in Stockholm, but you never know what will happen. A weekend in a big city is never wrong.....
(But I don't think borrowing money for travelling is a good idea. It's so boring to pay off afterwards when you already start longing to go away again).
07 November 2017 - 14:30
Helena says:
I think it sounds like you have a very good plan! Lovely trips in the spring and then some small weekend before that. Germany's Christmas markets can be very nice, I understand!
07 November 2017 - 20:20
BP says:
When we were younger, we often took last-minute trips and almost always ended up in luxury accommodation, strangely enough. These included Menorca and Dubai.
Now we have "settled in" on the Costa Blanca, where in winter it can actually be warmer than on the Costa del Sol.
I understand that there are "cheap" trips to Egypt, given the political situation. So I would definitely not travel there. Nor would I borrow money for a trip...
We will probably go to Benidorm again in a while, I think.
07 November 2017 - 16:24
Helena says:
Fun that you ended up in luxury accommodation when you took the last minute 😉 I have also travelled last minute a few times. Do not know if I ended up in luxury accommodation directly, but on the other hand in perfectly ok accommodation! Glad you are planning Benidorm again! 🙂
07 November 2017 - 20:22
Marina says:
We have escaped the darkness of November to spend a couple of weeks in Cannes and it feels really good. Then I hope it will be Asia sometime in February / March, partly for a trip to Singapore and then to Bali to visit the daughter and her husband who have moved there indefinitely.
07 November 2017 - 16:41
Helena says:
What wonderful plans you have! Everything from Cannes to Singapore and Bali sounds fantastic! 🙂 And of course nice to meet the daughter!
07 November 2017 - 20:23
Matts Torebring says:
For us, there is only one destination besides the motorhome. We would like to go to Israel. It would be incredibly exciting to travel next year when Israel turns 70.
07 November 2017 - 18:41
Helena says:
What fun that you are also hungry for Israel! It is a destination that we are trying to plan in 🙂
07 November 2017 - 20:24
Husis blog says:
Having just returned from Tenerife, the owners are now looking forward to the winter trip to the up-and-coming Cape Verde, which they think will be exciting to visit. The female owner does not know this, but she will get this as a birthday present from her husband, who is also the male owner.
07 November 2017 - 19:14
Helena says:
Wow, what a present!!! Hope she doesn't read here now then 😉.
07 November 2017 - 20:25
Lena - good for the soul says:
For my part, only a weekend in Idre is planned. Well, it's not that simple really. Crazy wonderful relaxation! Have some plans for a much more advanced trip next year... 🙂.
Hug Lena
07 November 2017 - 19:44
Helena says:
Idre certainly doesn't sound like "just" but like a wonderful plan! But now I get curious ... what kind of advanced journey ...??? Any hiking going on??
07 November 2017 - 20:26
Evy Knoph says:
Cuba right now..reunited with my travelling friends in Cienfuegos for a few days. Then mostly short concert trips... Birmingham Nov, Hamburg Dec, Copenhagen Jan...and then a Poland tour in February with Krakow Lodz Gdansk... then obokat...am attracted by lovely Nice in April, when Indochine plays there :-).
08 November 2017 - 10:00
Evy Knoph says:
Cuba right now..reuniting with my travelling friends in Cienfuegos in a few days. Then mostly short concert trips... Birmingham Nov, Hamburg Dec, Copenhagen Jan...and then a Poland tour in February with Krakow Lodz Gdansk... then obokat...am attracted by lovely Nice in April, when Indochine plays there :-).
08 November 2017 - 10:01