HAVING ditched London for the Kent coastline, my evenings are now spent walking along the beach. But it comes with a downside – the dreaded pricey commute.
A standard peak-time ticket on the high speed line costs me a whopping £105.60, despite it taking less than an hour.
Yet on that 52-minute commute, going from green countryside to dreary grey city buildings, I’m often dreaming of my next holiday.
And you’ll be surprised to know that there are a hell of a lot of holidays that are actually cheaper than that day ticket – both in the UK and abroad.
I’ve crunched the numbers to find return flights or cruises, as well as hotels, when going abroad, although you might need to factor in your own costs such as parking and bus transfers.
Some are day trips, so you can even save on the hotel and spend elsewhere, be it on culture or boozing.
So here are some of the 20 best holidays that are less than £105 each (and where I’d much rather be than in the office).
Three nights in Venice
A huge bargain deal lets you spend three nights in Venice for just £79, and it includes return London flights.
It comes with breakfast, so have a big one to get you through the day.
Skip the very expensive gondola rides and hop on a local one that costs just €2 (£1.74) and goes across the river.
Some restaurants have set menus that start from around €15 (£13) for two courses, and expect to pay as little as 86p for a glass of wine.
If you want a bit of extra cash to spend, reduce the trip to just two nights, which takes it down to £49pp.
= £95.48pp
Weekend trip to Margate
You can get a Travelodge right by Margate station for just £33 a night – working out to £16.50 each – and return tickets from London are around £12 each way, if you book in advance.
That’s just over £40, which can get you some fish and chips from Beach Bouys (£14.50), AND you can squeeze a drink at The Mechanical Elephant (£5 pint), the Wetherspoons in town.
Dreamland is free to visit, as well as the very bizarre crab museum and the Turner Contemporary gallery.
= £60pp
One night Amsterdam cruise
Did you know you can spend the day in Amsterdam without having to sort flights or a hotel?
DFDS has some two-night mini cruises from Newcastle to Amsterdam for as little as £54.50 each (or £39.75 is sharing as a four, not two people). This includes a private overnight cabin as well as bus transfers to the city centre.
This leaves you with £50, best spent on a ticket to Anne Frank’s House (£14.35).
A cone of frites is around €4 (£3.50) and for a cheap drink, Backstage Bar has pints for under €5 (£4.35).
Free things to do include the boat to Amsterdam Noord, as well as Vondelpark and Rijksmuseum (or Van Gogh Museum on Friday evenings).
= £76.70pp
Two nights all-inclusive in Turkey
A two-night all-inclusive holiday in Turkey comes in just under budget too.
The £99 deal each with Wowcher includes two nights at a five-star hotel, as well as access to the pools, all your food and drink AND return flights.
Be quick, as there are only a few days left in May.
= £99pp
Day trip to Oxford
Trains from London to Oxford take less than an hour, and can be found for as little as £5.40 each way.
Visit the Ashmolean Museum without spending a penny or spend your money on a university tour (£27). Harry Potter tours are also similarly priced.
The rest of your budget can go on a three-course menu at No.1 Ship Street (£26pp) named one of the best restaurants in the city, before heading home for the evening.
= £63.80pp
One night in Milan
Loveholidays has one-night stays for £79 each, which includes return flights as well as an overnight stay.
The stay is at the B&B Hotel Milano, in nearby Monza.
But there is lots to do for free in Milan, such as visiting the outside of the Duomo or the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Head to Pizza Am where you can get an entire pizza for just €6 (£5.22) which comes with a free glass of fizz.
Famous for its Negroni Sbagliato, Bar Basso is where to end the evening where a cocktail will set you back a tenner.
= £94.22pp
Four nights camping in Spain
From £99pp, you could spend four nights at Estival Torre De La Mora with return flights.
This is based on a family of four, and the airport is super close to the campsite as well.
You have just £6 leftover, so probably best to pack some cereal and pasta from home.
= £99pp
Day trip to Majorca
Extreme day trips are a thing now, thanks to cheap (and quick) flights to Europe.
Holiday Pirates has done the hard work and found some cheap return flights to Majorca from £34, which leave in the morning and come back in the evening.
This leaves you with around £71 to spend on cocktails and dinner.
Marley’s has cheap pints and cocktails, so get one of each and it will cost you less than a tenner overall.
Sa Fonda has a Majorcan buffet in the week that is just €13.50 (£11.74) leaving more than enough cash for a fridge magnet or two…
= £55.74pp
One night in Fez
It isn’t just Europe on the cards; you could do an overnight stay in Morocco with Loveholidays for £99pp.
Along with flights, the deal includes hotels such as Riad Dar Guennoun (which comes with breakfast) or Hotel Ibis Fez.
Make the most of the free attractions like the Fes el Bali medina, while street food ranges from 40p for fried sfenj (doughnuts). A dinner out will usually cost about £8.
= £97.40pp
Four nights at Haven holiday park
One of the cheapest holidays you can go on in the UK is to a Haven holiday park.
Four nights start from £49 based on a family of four if you travel next month.
This doesn’t include access to the arcades and pools, so I recommend going for a break that does instead which is £69, or £17.25.
That leaves you around £87, so take your own food to save on breakfast.
Instead, treat yourself to a cocktail pitcher on your last night for £11 each, as well as a dinner for £10 each. You can even get a roast for a tenner each with cash to spare.
= £48.25pp
A day in London
So if you are already living in London, there is an easy way to spend under £105 each.
A one-day travelcard for Zone 1-2 is £8.90 per adult, and it will certainly get its use.
First of all, there are a lot of free museums – the V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, National Portrait Gallery, to name a few.
A famous Brick Lane bagel for lunch will set you back just £4.50 for a standard cream cheese option.
A theatre trip is a must, and BuyAGift has tickets for The Devil Wears Prada for £75, or £32.50 each.
Pre-theatre menus are a bargain too – try Gallio, where a two-course pre-show meal is just £20 each.
End the night at Cardinal Bar & Kitchen in Aldgate – where every day you can get pints of house beer for a fiver (and treat yourself to two).
= £75.90pp
Two nights in Lake Garda
Two nights in Lake Garda is as little as £59 each, with dates even after summer. The two-night stay is at a 4* hotel, with return flights from London.
It includes breakfast, so make sure to have a big one. Then enjoy a fresh pizza for around £11 and an Aperol Spritz for £7.
Add in a boat tour too, as Get Your Guide has some to Sirmione for £21 each.
= £98pp
Day trip to Calais
Another no drive option is heading to France via Eurotunnel for the day, which starts from £59 per car, so £14.75 per person.
Entering via Calais, you can explore some of France’s best seaside towns such as Boulogne-sur-Mer and Le Touquet-Paris-Plage.
But one of the closest is Wimereux, where you can grab a croissant and coffee for around £3, before heading to the beach for the day.
Have a dip in the sea pool before getting a ‘plat du jour’ (two-course lunch) for around £20 – and then make the most of cheap duty-free with by bringing 12 bottles of £5 wine home…
= £97.75pp
Two nights Algarve
How about two nights in The Algarve?
The cheapest deals are £99 each for two nights with flights with Loveholidays.
This leaves you with £6 to play with, so you’ll need to bring your own food or head to the supermarket.
But spend your time just chilling on the beautiful beaches, catching some rays to keep costs down.
= £99pp
Four nights at Butlins
A last-minute holiday to Butlin’s is a bargain too, with four-night breaks next month for £49. The Bognor Regis stay is based on four people sharing, so that’s £12.25 each.
Add a dining plan, such as the Food Court Dining plan, which is around £50 each and includes buffet breakfast, dinner, and unlimited soft drinks and desserts.
You can even add on an All Action Pass (£15) for access to go karts, bowling, golf and trampolines, AND a two-hour spa experience and come under budget still.
= £105pp
Two nights in Zagreb
Book your own flights and hotels, and you could spend two nights in the capital of Croatia for just £92pp. According to HolidayPirates, this includes return Ryanair flights from London Stansted and two nights at Zajceva 34.
The Historic Upper Town is free to see, as are walking tours, where you can spot some street art along the way, and the Museum of Contemporary Art on the first Wednesday, and the Archaeological Museum on the first Sunday.
You only have about a tenner for food so you’ll need to go to the supermarket, or you could try a “burek” meat pastry from street food stalls for about £5.
= £97pp
Two-night Santander cruise
A no-flight holiday option is a two-night cruise to Spain, which starts from £99 per person when based on a four-person cabin.
This includes the return cruise and two nights onboard in a cabin.
This does only leave you £6, so pack some food… and save it for a wine in Santander (around £2 a glass).
= £101pp
Two nights in Rome
The Italian city of Rome is both easy and cheap to get to. A two-night Wowcher deal in May has return London lights, a hotel and breakfast included for £79 each.
Tickets to the Colosseum will take you close to the budget, so I recommend seeing it from the outside instead (or go on the first Sunday of the month, where it is free as well) and see the free Pantheon as well.
Try Giano Restaurant for lunch, where a two-course meal and coffee is £19 each, followed by gelato for around £4.
= £102pp
One night in Krakow
How about an overnight in Krakow for £99 each? The Loveholidays deal for May has return London Luton flights and a stay at a three-star hotel.
Kraków is cheap, so get a Zapiekanka (pizza) for around £4.50 that will keep you full all day.
Exploring the Old Town is free, as are some of the museums, such as Schindler’s Factory on Monday or MOCAK on Thursday.
= £103.50
Two nights in Costa Brava
You could spend two nights in Spain for under £100, just.
Two nights in Costa Brava or Costa Dorada come in at £99 each with Loveholidays, although the latter has breakfast (so make sure to nab some rolls and snacks for lunch).
Put the last £6 towards supermarket snacks to take back to the pool where you can relax for the rest of the day.
= £105pp
One night Mystery Holiday to Europe
If you don’t know where you want to go, how about letting Wowcher decide for you?
Their famous European Mystery Holiday starts from £89pp, which includes return flights and two nights’ stay.
Some lucky winners could get seven nights, all-inclusive, so you won’t have to spend a penny.
Even those that don’t, you’ll have £16 left each to grab a cheap dinner and pint either from a restaurant or supermarket.
Make sure to check which museums are free to visit too, as most cities have a few.
= £89pp