5 Week Trip to Europe - How to Get The Best Deal for Airports, Accommodation

djmatt24 on 04/06/2016 - 18:10

I'm planning a trip to Europe in Dec/Jan for my partner and I.
The plane tickets are finally sorted (today!) and we have about 9 or 10 cities we are aiming to visit.
I know someone who works for one of the airlines so plane tickets shouldn't be an issue and in most cases the cheapest option.

However, I really want to make my money go the furthest it can for accommodation and at airport lounges.

I wanted to get the AMEX Charge card with the priority pass access but I don't have a high enough annual income.
Are there other options for getting cheapish lounge access through Europe?

For hotels, I've found Accor have a good range in Europe and their private sales are pretty good value.
I'd love to get platinum status somehow, but I haven't found any hacks to get it. I know there is the Ibis Business card which comes with Gold status for 90 Euro - is this the best option? Should I be looking at other hotel loyalty programs?

Any wisdom, tips or tricks are welcome!

Travel

Comments

  • altomic on 04/06/2016 - 18:55
    +1

    serious question- how much time do expect to spend in airport lounges to make it a consideration for a CC?

    if you're going to 9 or 10 european cities then I be suggesting train. remember, you'd have to get out of the city to get to the airport to then catch a flight to another airport to then get back in to the city. via train or bus you get to see stuff. unless of course you want to go to Greece or Scandanavia then jump a flight to those places. but main europe, train, bus or rent a car.

    get a citibank card or 28degrees (though 28D no longer have the fee free ATM withdrawals)

    airBnB for inexpensive accommodation.

    just check out the offers on the various accommodation sites. find the cheapest price and book.

    • djmatt24 on 04/06/2016 - 21:05
      +1

      I know some of the airports can be out of the city. My flights will all be £24 so they will normally be better than a train, though for smaller hops I'm hoping to get the train at least a couple of times.
      I've looked at a car but it's December and January - honestly I'd be absulutely stressed about driving on wet or snowy roads.
      Also we have to jump around a little bit to visit certain friends/family or be in cities at a certain time, so a natural loop doesn't really fit.

      Got the 28deg. Thanks :)

      • dasher86 on 04/06/2016 - 23:55

        Problem with planes is check in and customs. Trains are faster…

      • maximum on 11/06/2016 - 02:44

        I'd say trains over planes for small hops - also look at buses. Flixbus and megabus. They run from main train stations usually so you are right in the middle of town - turn up 15 min before hand (not hours) and you can see a bit on the way - or sleep or wifi. Most cheap flights are to airports way out of town. If you use goeuro.com it take into account travel and waiting time at airports so you can make an informed decision.
        I stress about missing planes (watched too many airport reality shows) so trains and buses make me feel more comfortable.
        Btw Amex lounge in Sydney is awesome according to my son (we have a bank cc that let's us in twice a year) maybe look at that one.

  • kipps on 04/06/2016 - 19:53

    "For hotels, I've found Accor have a good range in Europe and their private sales are pretty good value.
    I'd love to get platinum status somehow, but I haven't found any hacks to get it. I know there is the Ibis Business card which comes with Gold status for 90 Euro - is this the best option? Should I be looking at other hotel loyalty programs?"

    Have you considered buying Accor Plus membership? It gets you silver membership with Accor and other benefits for an annual fee which includes one night free. https://www.accorplus.com/

    • djmatt24 on 05/06/2016 - 10:25

      Yeah looked into it, but the free night and most of the benefits are only available in Asia Pacific hotels. Plus, the Ibis business card gets gold status which is a step up anyway.

  • dasher86 on 04/06/2016 - 23:57

    If you're looking for hostels hostelbookers.com and don't forget to use cash back sites.
    I've also heard sleeping at cemeteries is quite common. You get to rest in peace as noone tends to bother you.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2016 - 00:49
      +3

      You'll end up in a cemetery permanently if you try to sleep in one at that time of year!

    • djmatt24 on 05/06/2016 - 10:26

      I've done the backpacking gig across Europe already, I'm at a stage in life where I can pay a few dollars extra to get a private room with its own bathroom :)

      • dasher86 on 05/06/2016 - 15:33

        Well you asked for cheap accommodation.
        Ibis budget is pretty good as well as premier inn as mentioned.

        • djmatt24 on 05/06/2016 - 15:41

          I'm after a good deal for accommodation, not cheap accommodation!

      • maximum on 11/06/2016 - 02:59

        Do look at air bnb. If there are places where you are staying more than a couple of days they usually work out much cheaper - and nicer than a hotel room. With advantages like washing machines too .
        Also look at booking.com or hotels combined sometimes bargains come up which are really good.
        Even though a lot of info is on the internet I love a good guidebook. My local library has all the latest ones. Lonely planet, rick steves etc which can give you some really good itinerary ideas and cost savings. And they are free.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2016 - 00:53
    +1

    If you're going to the UK then check out the Premier Inn chain, cheap and great hotels. You can only book directly via their website.

    We always found that staying in smaller boutique hotels was cheaper than the big chains in Europe, but that was 10 years ago so it may be different now.

  • spacemansam on 05/06/2016 - 23:12

    Hey there

    I live in London and travel almost every month. The first thing I'd say is not to limit yourself to a particular hotel chain, there are great deals to be had by spreading out and seeing what other hotels have to offer. I literally just wrote a blog the other day about ways to get a good deal on accommodation

    https://thethriftytravellers.com/2016/06/04/top-10-tips-for-…

    Hope that helps and have a wonderful trip!

    • Wampus on 06/06/2016 - 10:55

      Hey I just wanted to say thanks for the link - lots of good info in that blog, like Eurail being a tourist trap and massively overpriced!

      • spacemansam on 06/06/2016 - 14:18

        You're welcome Wampus - let me know if there's anything else you need help with! You're gonna have an amazing trip :)

    • djmatt24 on 06/06/2016 - 20:14

      This was a great read, thanks!

      • spacemansam on 08/06/2016 - 02:55

        you're welcome! Have fun :)

        • mccaj09 on 09/06/2016 - 22:13

          Me and my friends are actually going on a 2 month trip around europe this year and your blogs are great!

        • spacemansam on 10/06/2016 - 01:42

          @mccaj09: Appreciate the feedback! Let me know if there's any other europe tips you might need

  • zappy32 on 10/06/2016 - 04:28

    As others have said, if your're traveling to close cities the train is usually the better option. The extra time and money to get to the airports is usually not worth it for London-Paris, Paris-Amsterdam etc. I'm guessing if you're only going to be paying £24 for flights it will be with Ryanair/Easyjet/Wizz etc. Great for flying long distances but visiting multiple countries in Europe you would be able to find a decent route using trains for a lot of stops.

    Not really an easy way to get lounge access and it's not much use at airports LCC fly from. Even the "lounge" at Stansted is pretty crap. The only cheap way I know to get lounge passes if you don't have a premium CC or FF membership, is if you had a Barclays account you can buy a travel pack for £13.5 a month which includes six lounge visits a year. I think it will be more hassle than it is worth.

    If you have a long stopover on the way over or back I'd suggest buying a lounge pass through Dragonpass. You can signup using this guide.

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