Flying Around the World On the Cheap

One of the great things about living in London is that you're close to the rest of the world. There is something to be said for not being bordered by two oceans.  Due to this proximity, its pretty damn easy to travel the world.  You can be in Paris in an hour and Egypt in 3 hours which is amazing considering that you can fly for 3 hours in the States and not have left the country!

To facilitate your world travels.  There are a number of budget airlines that operate out of London. The two largest and most popular ones are RyanAir and EasyJet.

Now the advantages of using these airlines is that the flights are dirt cheap. I literally flew round trip to Amsterdam for £35 which is absurd in the most wonderful way.  Its a great way to go somewhere for the weekend and not break the bank.  And lets face it, we're in a recession.  So if you want to still go away on holiday at a reasonable price, these airlines are the way to go.



One concern that people have is that the planes aren't clean and are these old broken down planes from 1955.  I assure you, they aren't.  I've flown on both RyanAir and EasyJet and can tell you that they have been cleaner than some American carriers that I've flown with. *cough* American Airlines *cough*

These carrier both have stellar flight records. In fact, most of the EasyJet planes are less than 5 years old. So if you're freaked out about safety, don't be. You're still more likely to die in a car.

However be forewarned that when they say "no frills", they mean no frills. For both RyanAir and EasyJet, you must pay to check in luggage. Yes, that is any luggage. You are however allowed one free bag to carry on.

There are also several hidden taxes and fees.  So that ticket that you saw being advertised for £9 one-way does not include administration fees, taxes and other miscellaneous costs.  However when booking a flight, all hidden costs will be disclosed so you won't have any surprises after you've already booked your flight.

You'll also soon realise that none of these flights fly out of Heathrow.  These flights only operate out of Gatwick, Luton or Stanstead. This may seem like a pain but you can easily take the train or book a seat on a coach for a very reasonable price.  Its also a good excuse to see the other "London" airports especially if you hate Heathrow.

Finally, these airlines are similar to SouthWest Airlines in that you don't have an assigned seat. So if you're travelling in a big group you may want to arrive to the gate early.

But all that being said, I STILL GOT TO AMSTERDAM FOR £35. (Ok, £45 if you include the seat on the coach.) This is still amazing and waaayyyy less than you would pay if you flew from America. So I suggest, you plan accordinlgy. Realise that there are hidden fees, note the luggage allowances, book your train/coach seat early and lastly sit back and enjoy your flight.