Save money

‘I’m absolutely disgusted by how we were treated’

A Ryanair passenger says he is ‘absolutely disgusted’ with the airline after travelling for a family funeral. Edward Stokes had flown to London Stansted with his son to pay his respects at the funeral of his cousin’s wife.

What should have been an emotional family occasion allegedly descended into a travel nightmare when the 49 year old said he ran into difficulties with his booking on the journey home last week. Edward claims he and his son were each hit with a £46 (€55) charge after missing the online check-in window by just three minutes for their outbound flight.

“I’m absolutely disgusted by how we were treated,” said Edward. “I’ve been a loyal Ryanair customer for years.

“In fact, Ryanair is practically the only airline my family and I ever use. But after what happened to me this week, I am absolutely shocked and disgusted.

“We were three minutes late checking in online on Tuesday morning and were charged €55 each, €110 in total. Fair enough, we were late.

“We accepted responsibility, paid the money and moved on. But what happened on the way home was a completely different story.”

Edward alleges he was then refused boarding on his homeward flight to Dublin due to a mix-up over the name on his reservation. His booking listed both Edward and Teddy – a nickname he commonly uses – and he claims he had been permitted to travel to England without any problems.

Unable to board his scheduled flight, he said he was forced to book an alternative service departing at 10pm for £300 (€357.57), after an earlier option would have set him back around £450. Yet he says his journey home was anything but straightforward.

Mr Stokes claims the replacement flight was delayed by approximately an hour and 45 minutes, meaning he missed the last bus home. With no funds for a taxi and nobody on hand to collect him, he says he was left stranded at Dublin Airport for five hours until the next bus, finally making it home the following morning.

Edward, a blinds and carpets business owner from Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, said: “I’ve been known as Teddy all my life. On the way over, my booking included Edward Teddy Stokes, and Ryanair allowed me to travel without any problem.

“On my return journey, there was confusion over my booking name, and I was refused boarding. I explained the situation to the Ryanair staff member.

“I explained that I had just attended one of the saddest funerals of my life and was simply trying to get home to my family. Her response?

“‘That’s not my problem. What do you want me to do about it? I couldn’t believe the attitude.

“There was absolutely no compassion, understanding or willingness to help. We have no problem accepting responsibility when I’m wrong.

“We were three minutes late checking in, and we paid the money. But where is the same accountability when an airline causes passengers serious inconvenience? What hurt me most wasn’t even the money.

“It was the way I was spoken to, the complete lack of compassion and the feeling that we were treated like we didn’t matter.. “Nobody should be spoken to or treated like that.

“All I wanted was to attend a family funeral, support my cousin and get home safely. I was absolutely exhausted.

“Between the sadness of the funeral and everything that happened with my flights, it’s been a very difficult and emotional week for me. Ryanair, is this really how you treat loyal customers?”

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “The first and surname on a passenger’s booking must match the first and surname on their travel documents. The passport that Mr Stokes presented at the boarding gate in Stansted did not match the first name on his booking for this Stansted to Dublin flight (14 October). Ryanair offers passengers a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling errors on bookings free of charge or full name changes up to two hours before scheduled departure (subject to a fee).

“Unfortunately, Mr. Stokes did not avail of either option and presented at the boarding gate in Stansted with a passport that did not match the name on his booking.”

For more information on names on travel documents, visit the Ryanair website’s section on the subject.

The ex-HGV driver left the UK with his family to interrail and now works just 10 hours a week

A former “workaholic” ditched the UK with his family to interrail Europe – and is funding it by working just 10 hours a week selling solar panels on eBay. Lee Bodell, 47, hadn’t taken a sick day in eight years from his job working 50-hours a week as a HGV driver when the pandemic forced him to spend time off at home.

The dad-of-four said it completely changed his mindset and he quit his job and Lee and his partner Aimee Bedford, 39, sold their house and all their belongings in July 2026 and flew to Paris in September. Along with daughters Matilda-May, 10, and Mila, nine, they have since visited seven countries in just three weeks, spending £1,800 on 60-day continuous first-class train tickets that allow them to travel across the continent.

By November, when their tickets expire, they plan to visit as many European countries as possible before heading to Thailand to spend Christmas and New Year. In the future, they hope to settle somewhere abroad but plan to “see where life” takes them.

They are funding their travels through Lee’s remote job selling solar panels for mobile homes on eBay and his own website, which he spends just 10 hours a week doing, making between £500 and £1,000 a week. The family reckon they have spent around £6,000 in total so far, including the Interrail tickets, but once they fly to Southeast Asia, they plan to budget around £1,500 per month.

Lee, a former HGV driver from Birkenhead, Merseyside, says: “What first triggered it off was during Covid, I was placed on furlough and was off work for 10 weeks. I was always a workaholic and never missed a day off work in eight years being sick and I was constantly doing overtime.

“Spending 10 weeks at home with the family completely changed my mind set on life and I thought ‘I want to do this full-time’. I started thinking about ideas and online businesses and stuff like that.

“I’ve built it up over the past few years. It’s mostly buying and selling on eBay and Amazon and I have my own Shopify store. It should give us enough income to keep us travelling and even settle down somewhere in the future.”

In May 2025, the couple decided to see if running Lee’s business abroad was possible and hired out a villa in Cyprus for 10 days to “test the waters”. On their return home, they put their four-bed home up for sale, and it sold in July 2026 for £330,000, leaving them with £140,000 in equity.

Mum Aimee, who used to work as a family support worker at a primary school prior to their travels, says: “We set a couple of grand aside from the house sale and Lee’s wages top that up, with some savings as well. The money that was made from selling our belongings and cars has gone towards the trip.

“We’ve invested the rest of the house money and hope to earn off that as well. We were spending with a mortgage, bills, days out, running the house and cars with four children around £3,000 to £4,000 a month.

“Obviously we’ve been travelling for one month and to get set up it’s 100% cheaper to be doing what we’re doing at the moment. We knew it would be more expensive in Europe and at the end of it when we get to Southeast Asia we will easily be living on £2,000 per month all in.”

Jetting off to Paris in September, the family have since visited the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy. “We’d reached the point where we really felt like we just existing rather than living,” Aimee says.

“We had jobs and the kids were attending school all day long and we were lucky if we had two hours with them at the end of the day. We wanted more time to experience life together. We came away with three suitcases”.

Daughters Matilda-May and Mila have been de-registered from school and despite being “initially sad” to leave behind family and friends, are settling into life on the move. “I think we’re deliberately choosing to give them these experiences, and I think we want them to learn through travel rather than just recreating school at the kitchen table if you like,” Aimee says.

“They do enjoy learning but we’re not shoving it in their faces as it’s very early days. I think personally I’d be ok with them not attending school for at least two years.

“But that can change and we’re led by them. If they want to learn more and there are other subjects they are interested in, we will make it happen, but that will be online.

“We’re not planning on sending them to international schools. It’s definitely sparked curiosity and they’re forever asking questions so as long as that continues, we’ll be happy.”

Despite not having a set budget, the family choose to stay outside of tourist hotspots and city centres and instead travel in to see the sights, keeping costs low. “We don’t keep tabs on our spending but also equally we will go shopping for food,” Aimee says.

“We’ve been staying at a Eurocamp in Italy and have been shopping at Lidl. We’re very clear about it not being a holiday as well. We do have to make decisions about money like not eating out every night.

“It’s about being mindful and the things we want to splurge on are experiences. Travelling on a gondola in Venice cost a fortune but we’ll eat in for two days because of that. We’re living life and taking the hit.”

The couple’s eldest two children Billy, 18, and Lyla, 17, chose to stay at home with family but have flown out with Aimee’s sister Katie, 37, to celebrate Aimee’s 39th birthday in Italy. They hope to eventually settle outside the UK, but are not sure where that will be yet.

“We’ll see where life takes us,” Aimee says. “The beauty of being able to travel is we might find somewhere and it might be our forever home.”

Sharing their decision to ditch the UK online, they want to “inspire” other families to make the leap. You can follow Aimee and Lee on TikTok @the.bodells and Instagram @the_bodells.

One in five holidaymakers who book trips well in advance later discover the same flight or hotel has dropped in price as the departure date nears, according to new research.

Researchers explored whether travellers are more likely to identify with a traditional, take-charge Type A personality (54%) or a more laid-back Type B approach (31%) when booking and enjoying a holiday.

Type A travellers prefer to meticulously plan every detail of their trip well before setting off, while Type Bs are more likely to go with the flow and embrace the unexpected when they’re away.

But the study of 2,000 adults who have travelled abroad in the last three years found 20% of Type A travellers later spotted the exact flight or hotel they had spent weeks researching available for significantly less .

Another 10% said they had lost money trying to amend or cancel rigid bookings when their plans changed. Despite that, almost three quarters (73%) of Type As said booking a holiday just a week before departure feels too risky .

However, 36% of Type B travellers said they feel confident there is little risk of missing out on their dream destination, even without planning months in advance.

The research was commissioned by lastminute.com to mark the launch of its ‘Travel Bgents’ platform, a hub that rewards Type B bookers with extra discounts.

Zoë Fidler, from the holiday firm, said: “There’s a common misconception that Type B travellers are just unstructured non-planners who leave things to chance. In reality, they are the savviest bookers in the game.

“Type B travellers have simply realised that holding off on pressing ‘book’ is the smartest move you can make, knowing they can get what they want and at a great price.”

Even so, a quarter (25%) admitted they wish they could embrace a more spontaneous approach and have the confidence to book a trip without overthinking.

Around 30% of Type B travellers said they feel reassured they could change plans on a whim when leaving it late to lock in their trip.

And it’s not just about saving money and planning time. Some 42% of Type B travellers said spontaneous adventures while on holiday create lasting memories — compared with 20% of Type A travellers .

Type B travellers were also more likely to say they stumble across hidden gems (36% vs 28%) or enjoy unexpected moments (42% vs 20%).

Zoe Fidler added: “By holding out for the right moment, Type B’s unlock premium trips at a fraction of the cost, without the over-planning.

“Leaving it to the last minute isn’t about compromising or settling for leftovers; it’s an intentional, high-reward strategy.”

Finding cheap holidays during the school holidays may feel like an impossible task for parents but according to one travel pro there are some easy tricks that could help

When it comes to cheap holidays, most parents have already resigned themselves to the fact that prices surge during school holiday dates – but according to one travel expert, there are some minor tweaks that could actually help families save money on their next getway.

Mum-of-two and avid traveller Jen Carr has built up a following of over 349,000 on Instagram where she shares her top tips for finding cheap family travel deals.

While the peak holiday season comes with inevitably higher prices, according to Jen just changing the dates of travel by a few days could mean you save hundreds of pounds, without having to take the kids out of school during term time.

“Booking at the end of summer,” she told the Mirror exclusively. “It’s so much cheaper to go the last week of August compared to the first week of August. I guess that’s just because demand’s probably a lot less. Nobody really wants to get back off holiday the day before the kids go back to school, but if you’re willing to do that, it is a lot cheaper.”

It’s not a hack that’s specific to summer holidays either, as Jen recommended considering dates for the upcoming October half term. She added: “If, for example, in the October half term you fly three days before half term starts, you’re going to save literally hundreds of pounds. So I mean, it’s just how much you want/appreciate that attendance!”

Of course it’s worth noting that parents who do consider taking their kids out of a school for a few extra days may need to check their school’s policy on absences of this nature, or they could risk being fined per child. Currently the fine for school absences around the UK are £80 if paid within 21 days, but this can go up to £160 if paid within 28 days. This is for unauthorised absences; if you can get permission from the school for the absence, then you won’t be fined.

As for the best destinations where families can get more bang for their buck? Jen suggested that while the major hotspots are popular for a reason, there are some alternatives that deliver the same levels of experience but without the hefty price tags.

She explained: “There are destinations that are a lot cheaper than others and it seems to kind of go on a bit of a cycle with what’s popular. But places like Menorca and Majorca and Ibiza are always going to be a lot more expensive than somewhere like Agadir in Morocco, but you’re still getting the beach, the pool, holiday vibes and the sunshine. Go where the destinations are cheaper, and that does seem to change year-on-year. I’m sure next year Agadir will be really expensive, but this year it’s been really good value, all-inclusive.”

Speaking about further alternatives, Jen urged parents not to discount the likes of a city break; in fact, she herself enjoyed a family trip to Paris earlier this year, and said that both the kids and grown-ups had a brilliant time. She added: “I think it’s about knowing where to look. It’s, a like-for-like holiday is going to be more expensive in the school holidays. I guess it’s just being a bit more flexible and thinking, ‘Okay, well, it’s the August summer holidays. Do we need to go to Menorca for a week all-inclusive or could we maybe go for a road trip around Austria?’ Because it’s going to be a lot cheaper to do something a bit more off-piste.”

• Jen Carr, family travel expert and founder of The Travel Mum, shares the best affordable holiday deals for families throughout the week. Jen’s new book ‘Yes You Can Travel With Kids’ is available now.