London - Travel Deals

Although my family used to pack up us kids nearly every summer and head to France, this has not been a tradition I have been easily able to carry on with me into my adulthood. Unfortunately being a young professional with student loans and poor college student have left me little by means of travel funds—ultimately leading to me staying off the continent of Europe in the summertime for the past several years. However, luckily, airfares to Europe this summer seem to be even lower than many low season fares, which is great for those poor students and young folks like me. The economy may be crap and preventing many of us from finding jobs, but at least we can fly to Europe for cheaper. Hooray! London air + hotel + taxes from $699

People who in London and New York City have it pretty darned good. Not only do they get to experience two of the world’s great cities on a daily basis, but they also seem to get the best deals on airline flights. I guess we can begrudge them the savings because they have to pay 20 dollars for a hamburger or 20 pounds for a martini.

Even if you don’t live in New York or London, you can still benefit from their cheap ass flights that depart from and arrive in those cities. For example, British Airways has a deal until September 27, 2007 where flights from the Big Apple to London are a mere $179 one way. As a general rule of thumb, if you can get a ticket to London for less than $400 round trip you are getting a very good deal.

Another rule of thumb. If you are paying $20 for a hamburger or 20 pounds for a martini, your stomach better send you a thank you note.

For more cheap flights to England or cheap flights to New York, cross your fingers, click on the links and be prepared to jump for joy.

Everybody and their mother travel to London in the summer. Do you really want to hang out with other people’s mothers? Didn’t think so. You are hipper than that and you know that traveling during the off-peak months means you will save a lot of money and that you will have the tourist attractions all to yourself.

In this case, the off-peak season is October 25-December 18, 2007. It is between those dates that you can fly to London and back for an outstanding price. The caveat is that you have to purchase your ticket by August 17, 2007 and you have to do so by purchasing it through Travelocity.

What to do while you are the only visitor from out of the country in London? London Logue always has good information on what is going on in the UK’s biggest and most happening city. If you are the shopping type, you’ll want to map out the London department stores before you set foot in the city. Just make sure to bring a few credit cards along. London has become one of the most expensive places in the world.

Have fun exploring London. We’ll make sure to keep everyone else’s mother company at home while you are there.

Answer the Call of London for less. Fly Round-Trip from $324+

There are a lot of variables involved with this one so bear with me. If you want to fly to London and if you can do so before May 24, 2007 and if the name Air India doesn’t scare you then you are in for a great deal. Air India is offering flights to London from New York’s JFK for as low as $389.

As we head into the busy travel season the prices on London flights are sure to soar, which makes this deal (albeit one that has tough conditions) a real deal. In fact, this travel season is shaping up to be one of the more expensive ones in terms of flights so if you have flexibility, last minute deals might be your best bet.

Wondering what is going on in London in May and this summer? Check out the London Logue for the latest from England’s great city. Written by a native Londoner, it offers daily updates about life in the city and what you should do when you visit there. Consider it a living, breathing travel guide with a bit of attitude.

I remember the first time I flew on Virgin Airlines. I was in high school and was flying from Orlando to London. The trip was memorable because it was the first time I had flown on a plane that had personal televisions for every seat. The televisions had multiple movies to choose from and there were video games. I think my Super Mario Brothers score from that trip still stands as the high score today.

Virgin played a big part in helping airlines to change the way they serve their customers. More international flights now have personal television screens and other distractions to help you forget that you are cruising at 50,000 feet in a metal box with strangers who are filling your lungs with germs. Distractions on a transatlantic flight are a very, very good thing.

Virgin Atlantic is not my favorite airline these days, but from time to time they do have specials that are hard to resist. They now have direct flights to London from Chicago and Washington, DC and lo and behold the prices are quite reasonable. The offer is only good for travel between April 23 and May 31, 2007 which means you need to start practicing your Super Mario Brothers right now if you have any shot of being my record.

When you are flying across the Atlantic, the difference between business class and economy class is about as wide as the ocean itself. In business class you have ample leg room to stretch out your legs and to recline your seat while you sleep. In economy class you have little room and after a few hours will realize what it must be like to sleep in a coffin. In business class you get decent food and beverages. In economy class the beverages are free and you have to drink plenty of them just to be able to swallow the god awful food. In business class you likely will be seated next to other adults who appreciate the value of being silent on a long flight. In economy class you will be seated next to a screaming baby, a senile person with the intent to tell you her life story and a teenager playing his iPod at decibel levels unsafe for ears around him.

Indeed, there is a big gulf between flying in business class and flying in economy. There is also a big gulf between the price of tickets for each class. Unless you are a business traveler with an expense account or someone with frequent flyer miles stored up, it usually will cost you a pretty penny to fly in business class.

Maxjet is bucking the trend, a bit. They have flights in business class to London for around $1,000, which is about double what you would pay for economy class during the off season. The good news is their rates apply for the busy summer period too so if you are already planning on spending a bit more on airfare to London you might want to think about that extra legroom, better food and more pleasant business class experience.

London Travel Deals

With limited vacation days, a paucity of funds in the bank and the various responsibilities that come with life, it is sometimes difficult to travel abroad. This is a reality that has taken my nomadic instincts a lot of time to get used to, but finally I have reconciled with the notion that I can’t just quit my job every year and then travel for three months.

Instead, I am all about maximizing the vacation time and the money that I have. I try to do a lot in a little amount of time and if I can do it without having to spend a bundle than I consider it a success.

If you are like me, you might just be interested in a 7-day, 6-night vacation package to London and Amsterdam. The reality is that you could spend a year exploring either city, but if you are willing to accept the fact that you will only be getting a taste of things than this is quite the bargain. It includes airfare to both cities, hotel stays and breakfast.

It isn’t ideal but it is pretty good and for the busy person without a ton of cash on hand it could be an excellent way to get in a bit of international travel.

Search for other vacation package deals and save on your next trip.

With round-trip ticket prices from parts of the United States to London hovering around the $300 range, now is an excellent time to book yourself on a flight to the United Kingdom. Ticket prices generally start edging up in the spring and then they explode into the expensive atmosphere come summer.

If you need further incentive to fly to London, British Airways is offering an excellent deal. They will throw in two free hotel nights in select European cities like Athens, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid or Rome. Even if you are just passing through London for business or are getting a connecting flight there you can still pick up a couple of free nights in a hotel. Considering the already low prices on flights to London this is one deal that could end up saving you quite a bit of money.

To take advantage of British Airlines’ kindness, travel must occur between January 23, 2007 and March 25, 2007 and you must book your ticket by January 24, 2007. Even if you miss the deadline, you should still be able to pick up a cheap ticket to London for a couple more weeks and you can also find great rates on youth hostels in the city.

Leave it to an airline from New Zealand to come through with the best deal on flights from Los Angeles to London to hit the World Wide Web in a long, long time. Air New Zealand is offering up the goodies for $348 round-trip plus taxes and all that other jazz that will probably make it closer to $400, which is still a very, very reasonable prize for a flight from the west coast of the U.S. to London.

The only hitch is that you have to travel before May 31, 2007, which isn’t really a hitch at all because now is the off-season for London tourists. Sure you’ll likely have to deal with a bit of rain and you’ll have to pack an extra layer or three of clothing for the trip, but the payoff will come when you go to tour the Tate Museum and you and a few slacker member of the royal family are the only ones there.

What else is there to do in London this time of year besides shivering in the dampness? The London Travel guide offers up all sorts of suggestions, while also keeping you abreast of the current happenings in one of the greatest cities on this or any other planet.

One of the constant themes of this blog is that travel to Europe this off-peak season is absurdly cheap. Another theme is that free stuff is never a bad thing. British Airways is offering up both cheap flights and free stuff. We’re talking $169 to fly from New York to London. We’re talking two free nights in a London hotel if you book an international flight to anywhere in the world. We’re talking a deal that is too good to pass up and one that needs to be taken advantage of before November 21, 2006 or all this talk will end up being just that….talk.