cheaper

EVER travelled with Ryanair and had to upgrade your fare to include more luggage? Well, you could be spending more than you need to.

Even though Ryanair is a budget airline, when it comes to booking a flight, if you want anything more than a small bag under the seat in front of you, you have to upgrade.

The same goes for if you are travelling as a group and want to sit together.

But, new findings by Which? have revealed you might actually be spending more money when you upgrade your fare, instead of just booking the most basic ticket and adding the extras on afterwards.

When you are booking a flight with Ryanair, a banner often appears stating that “Regular is ideal for your trip”.

This Regular fare is different to Basic, as it includes priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection.

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However, on around 30 checks over the last two years, Which? found that if they had followed Ryanair‘s advice – choosing its more expensive Regular fare rather than Basic – it would have actually only been cheaper in one instance.

Every other time it would have been cheaper to book Basic and add the extras individually.

Which? also looked at 15 flights to a range of locations for travel this month and again found that only once was the Regular ticket cheaper.

Often the Regular fare was more expensive by just a pound, but sometimes it was much more.

For example, for flights for a family of four from London Stansted to Alicante, it would have cost £61 more to choose Regular rather than Basic, for exactly the same priority boarding, cabin bags and seat selection.

Flights from Manchester to Marrakesh with a Regular fare were £45.50 more.

Instead, Which? found that if you choose Basic and just add bags and seat selection yourself later in the booking process, it works out cheaper.

If a family of four choose to book the airline’s Basic fare with four cabin bags – instead of eight with the Regular fare – then they could save £163.

It is worth noting though that the Basic fare (not with the add-ons) does have strict bag rules where your bag must fit under the seat in front and cannot measure more than 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.

If your bag is bigger than this and they spot it at the gate you could face an additional fee between £46 and £60.

If you do add cabin luggage, the same strict rules apply.

Cabin luggage must measure a maximum of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm – but if it is bigger than this, you could be charged an extra £70 to £75.

People have even been caught out in the past by a zip or handle, so it is worth being within the measurements.

And this isn’t the only way to save when booking with Ryanair…

Which? claims that passengers should also ignore Ryanair’s Plus fare, where passengers get a 20kg suitcase and seat selection.

On a summer London Stansted to Malaga route, Which? found it was actually £35 cheaper for a family of four to choose Basic and add the extras later.

Last year, the airline denied that it’s cheaper to buy the Basic fare with the extras, than use its Regular or Plus fares.

Which? asked again in February 2026 and the airline said it had nothing further to add.

And as for the Family Plus option – it isn’t needed for most families.

When Which? checked the price for two adults, a teenager and a four-year-old to travel to Alicante, they found that it would be £260 extra for the Family Plus option.

Instead, if they booked a Basic ticket and added seat selection, three 10kg cabin bags and a larger, 20kg suitcase to check-in, they would’ve paid £45
less.

Ryanair’s Flexi Plus offering has a similar story.

This fare allows you to change your flight without a fee as well as the option to choose your seat, more legroom, fast track through security and two cabin bags.

Which? found that this would cost an extra £354 for a couple flying from London to Alicante; the same extras (but without the flight change allowance) bought separately would cost £186 – a saving of £168.

Other advice Which? has for passengers travelling with Ryanair is to not add the airline’s travel insurance as it is unlikely to be tailored to your needs and could be more expensive.

Similarly, passengers should not let Ryanair do their currency conversion.

When you book a flight with Ryanair, the fare will be shown in the currency of the country you are departing from.

For example, if you were heading back from Spain it would be in euros.

The airline then converts the fare into pounds, but it is often charged at a terrible exchange rate, meaning you could be paying more for your flight.

You can opt out of Ryanair’s automatic conversion rate, but it isn’t the easiest process.

After you enter your card number, a figure will appear that shows the conversion rate.

There is then a small arrow downwards, with the question: “Want to
learn more about our guaranteed exchange rate?”

If you click on the arrow, another message appears: “If you do not wish to accept the exchange rate, you can pay in the currency of the flight and have the currency converted by your Payment Service Provider.

“However, bear in mind that the rate you receive from your bank is not guaranteed and is subject to daily fluctuations, which could result in a significantly different cost for you.”

There is then also a pre-ticked box, with the message: “We recommend you do not untick the checkbox so that you receive our guaranteed exchange rate.”

Which? recommends that travellers ignore this and untick the box, leaving the exchange rate to be calculated by your bank.

Since 2017, Which? has found that the bank rate has always been better.

However, Ryanair told Which? that this claim is false and said that its currency conversion is competitive.

Another piece of advice is to consider checking in a 20kg bag, instead of taking two 10kg bags.

If you are not bothered by priority boarding, it can work out cheaper to check in one 20kg suitcase than having two 10kg hand luggage bags and priority boarding.

Which? found that this method was £3.50 cheaper on a route to Alicante in 2026.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “Ryanair’s low cost fares may look tempting, but make sure you have a calculator with you when you book.

“By the time you’ve paid extra for basics like cabin bags or simply sitting next to your own family, the headline price quickly unravels – and other airlines can work out cheaper.

“It pays to do your own research.”

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A CANNY businesswoman faced with a nightmare train journey from London to Newcastle costing more than £100 flew instead for £30 cheaper — via Italy.

Victoria Williams, 42, had visited friends in the capital.

But what should have been a three-hour rail trip home on Sunday was hit by engineering works.

The £110 trek from Kings Cross to Newcastle involved two changes, including a bus replacement, and would take five hours.

Victoria spotted a Ryanair flight from Stansted to Milan, and then Milan to Newcastle, for a total of just £74 — despite travelling 1,400 miles instead of 240.

She took off at 2pm and arrived at Milan Bergamo two-and-a-half hours later.

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After some duty free shopping, she caught her return flight and landed at Newcastle at 8.10pm.

Mum-of-one Victoria said: “It’s ridiculous and shows the country is creaking at the seams.

“The Government needs to sort this out as London to Newcastle is a major route, connecting businesses and communities.

“Sunday is a major day of travel with people returning home to work after a weekend away.

“The situation is terrible for the economy and for people simply going about their everyday lives.”

“I was shocked when I saw how expensive the train was.

“My heart sank at the prospect of paying that much with the hassle of two changes with a replacement bus.

“I went on Skyscanner but direct flights to Newcastle were hundreds of pounds.

“I kept looking and finally found one via Milan for just £74.

“I felt guilty about the environmental aspect and embarrassed to tell my friends how I was getting home, but it seemed like the best option.

“I had a great time. I got gifts for my little boy in Italy, duty free cigarettes for my partner’s mum and had some lovely food.

“I waited for the connection in a warm, comfortable airport, with multiple shops and restaurants, rather than shivering on a freezing platform.

“I was able to sit quietly while charging my devices, and all in all had a very comfortable, relaxing time.

“I don’t regret it at all but it’s absolutely mad that flying from London to Newcastle via Milan can be cheaper and easier than getting the train.”

Amsterdam has long been the go-to destination for a final night of freedom, but research has shown that a new city has emerged as the top spot, while another destination is fast catching up

Amsterdam may have been dethroned as the king of stag do destinations. According to research analysing search trends, the number of people searching for information on stag dos in the Netherlands’ capital has plummeted by 77% since 2023.

Party organisers, Sofia Stag Do, put together a list of Europe’s top ten stag destinations based on the number of searches over the past two years. Its rankings saw Amsterdam plummet from being the top destination in 2023, to number six in 2026.

Unsurprisingly, Prague took the top spot. While interest was down slightly in this Eastern European city, its combination of lively nightlife, cheap pints, and a beautiful Old Town kept it at number one. However, at number two is a city that has seen a steady increase in interest, and may not be the first location that springs to mind when planning a stag party.

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Riga in Latvia is becoming increasingly popular among stag parties, and there’s likely a combination of factors that have pushed it up the charts. Firstly, it is easy to get to from the UK. Flights take as little as two and a half hours, and Ryanair flies to Riga International Airport from East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, London-Stansted, and Manchester, with fares from as little as £14.99 one way.

Riga’s compact size is also ideal for groups who want to enjoy a bar crawl or go for a night out without needing to get expensive taxis home. The liveliest nightlife can be found in Old Riga, an area full of historic buildings, town squares, and cobbled streets. You’ll find a huge number of bars tucked away, from stylish spots to fun themed places with drink deals.

Some spots to look out for include Secret Event, an underground bar set in a former monastery, and the Tiki Bar Riga, where you can enjoy colourful cocktails. If you’re doing fancy dress, head to Clayton McNamaras Drinking Emporium, a superhero-themed bar full of retro memorabilia that offers a range of shots named after comic characters.

Many bars open until the small hours, but for those who don’t want to head to bed just yet, weekends see a range of nightclubs opening their doors until dawn. Poseidon’s Club comes highly recommended for fans of EDM and stays open until 5am on Friday and Saturday nights. Teritorija has two rooms offering house and techno, while Bacio Riga offers a range of DJ sets and drink deals.

One thing potential stag parties always want to know is the cost of a pint. Riga can’t quite compare with the cheap beer prices of Prague, where you can often find pints for under £2. Pints generally cost £3-4 in the old town, but you can often find drink deals which bring down the prices.

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Riga also tends to offer cheaper accommodation than Prague, and it’s walkable, so you may find that overall a stag do in Latvia could work out cheaper than going to Prague.

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