Three tips for travelling on a budget to Lloret de Mar
Travel often makes up the biggest part of the holiday budget. Yet there are lots of ways to save money, whether you take the car, plane or train.
Here are three great ideas for getting to Lloret de Mar all year round without breaking the bank!
1. Book your ticket in advance
It’s the first rule if you come to Lloret de Mar by train or plane. The earlier you book, the cheaper the price. SNCF has a UK website and releases tickets for booking three months prior to the date of departure and the airlines allow you to book even earlier. If you’ve decided on your destination, it’s best to buy your ticket straight away.
If you’re flying, use price comparison sites such as Opodo or Liligo. These will give you a choice of departure times and airlines. Note that there are different airports you can fly to. Girona airport, for example, has regular flights from the UK via Ryanair. In any case, pay close attention when buying your ticket as supplements may apply. For example, comparison sites will ask for a commission and their prices vary according to your payment method (credit card, debit card, MasterCard, PayPal, etc.). If you book with a low-cost airline you will pay more to put your baggage in the hold or to choose your seat. Watch out!
2. Look out for promotions
SNCF as well as airlines regularly offer discounts on trips to Lloret de Mar. To make sure you don’t miss out on an interesting offer, keep an eye on their websites. There is normally a page highlighting promotions and last-minute offers. You may just be in luck! This strategy works especially well if you’re flexible on departure dates. Of course the price of your ticket will be lower outside of the season.
Another way of saving on a journey is to take out a railcard. With a youth card, family card or a senior citizens’ card, you can benefit from discounts of up to 50% on your journey, depending on date and time. You just have to apply for the card in advance at the agency or on the National Rail website. You can recoup your money on just one trip!
Several airlines, Vueling (Iberia) or British Airways for example, reward you with air miles for each trip so you can obtain discounts after a number of journeys. This is of particular interest to globetrotters!
3. Travel in a group
This advice is for those who take the car. Carpooling is a good solution for travelling to Lloret de Mar. Whether you’re the driver or the passenger, you will be able to travel for less.
If you’re a driver, post an advert on Blablacar (the site works throughout Spain), stating your itinerary, your vehicle and the number of passengers that you wish/are able to take with you. Blablacar helps you to fix the price and, once you’ve made the journey, you will receive the money through the site.
If you’re a passenger, register with the Blablacar website and select the trip that suits you best from those advertised online. If you can’t find a convenient trip you can always create an alert stating your criteria. As soon as an offer is posted, you’ll receive an instant alert.
Finally, one of the cheapest ways to get to Lloret de Mar is by bus. Eurolines makes the trip from several cities in the UK to Girona, via Paris. You can book your ticket directly on their website or through an agency. Although the journey will be longer, this is an excellent budget option as Eurolines offers good promotions throughout the year.
Once you’ve booked your trip, you just have to book your accommodation. To find out how to stay in Lloret on a budget, read our article: