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Christmas Market trips with £41 flights and new Ryanair bag charges 😬
We've cherry-picked the top Christmas Markets in Europe and the UK, and got the intel on the new bag charges from Ryanair
Chelsea Dickenson
November 07, 2024
Your must read travel round up 🧭
Greetings from Korea!
Yes, if you’ve been following along on Instagram you may have spotted that I’ve been posting some behind the scenes of my trip to Seoul, Busan and Jeju – all of which I’ll be sharing on socials from next week.
However, I thought I’d give you a little sneak peek and share one of my favourite places that I’ve stayed on this trip – a capsule hotel!!
It’s called Drip&Drop Hotel and it’s the first pod hotel I’ve seen where you get a window out, which really helps with that whole coffin vibe that you can sometimes get. 😂 Plus, it was only £25 a night and came with free coffee.
They also do private rooms for 4 people too which we also checked out (gotta keep luxury James happy!) and these started at around £125 for the night.
There’s so much more I wanna share but I’ll keep a lid on it for now, especially as we’ve got a jam packed newsletter for you even without all the Korea updates!!
Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter:
How to still get to my fave Christmas Market for a bargain this year 🎅🏽
Our pick of the best Christmas Markets in Europe and the UK 🎄
A breakdown of the new Ryanair bag charges 🎒
Viral Vacay: we’re looking at festive hotel stays 🏨✨
And all the best bits of the internet the team has been loving this week! 🤳
Right – let’s get into it!
New Ryanair bag charges 🧳
Keeping us all on our toes, Ryanair have released new pricing for bags you take on board. This applies both to cabin bags and luggage you check into the hold. Some prices have gone up and some have stayed the same, so read our guide and be prepared for your next trip! And of course, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to share my favourite cabin bags with you all… read on for the best of the bunch.
 New Ryanair bag charges Ryanair has put up the price of some bags. Find out how much your bag will cost you and the easy way to dodge increased charges. |  Best small bags for budget airlines There’s a LOT of choice out there! My recommendations for the best underseat bags can help you make your next purchase. |
Viral vacay 📲
Where we track down the accommodation that’s gone viral, find out how much it actually costs and if needs be, suggest a cheaper alternative 🕵️♀️
 | What is it? How viral? How much? Cheaper alternative? Cheaper still? |
Seen a viral video you want me to do this for? Reply with it to this email! 📧
O come all ye faithful
That’s right! Whether you like it or not, we’ve entered the festive season and have we got a treat for you! Our roundups of the best Christmas markets in Europe and the UK will get you feeling merrier than a figgy pudding. There’s still time to book a last-minute market trip, and we’ve trawled through them all so you don’t have to! With opening dates and times, links to hotels for every budget and suggestions on what to do and see, we’ve got you covered.🎄
 The best Christmas Markets in Europe Check out our list of the top markets in Europe, what to eat and drink and where to stay and shop! |  The best Christmas Markets in the UK Get your festive fix at one of our top UK markets, from cute market towns to grand stately homes. |
My deal of the week
We’ve just posted about my favourite Christmas Market that I visited last year – Cologne – and the best dates to look at to score a bargain.
And so I thought I’d do a quick run down of how the last minute prices are looking today if this whet your appetite! Don’t forget to check the video out first for why what dates you’re visiting for are so important… 👀
Flights
I’m only listing direct flights so forgive me if your local airport isn’t here!
London
If you don’t mind an early start:
Fri 15/Sat 16/Sun 17 – Tue 19 Nov - £41 return
Mon 18 – Wed 23 Nov - £71 return
Sat 23 – Tue 26 Nov - £99 return
Sun 1 – Wed 4 Dec - £101 return
Leaving and returning after 9am:
Sat 16 Nov – Tue 19 Nov - £44 return
(This is a great deal!)
Bristol
Fri 15 – Mon 18 Nov - £87 return
Mon 25 – Fri 29 Nov - £117 return
Mon 9 – Fri 13 Dec - £104 return
Manchester
Sun 24 – Thu 28 Nov - £97 return
Mon 9 – Fri 13 Dec - £80 return
Edinburgh
Sun 8 – Thu 12 Dec - £164 return
Thu 12 – Sun 15 Dec - £160 return
Glasgow
Thu 12 – Sun 15 Dec - £160 return
Need help finding flights that work for you? I’ve got a guide for that!
Trains
Yes, you could get the train to Cologne and it’s actually pretty simple! You just need to get a Eurostar from London to Brussels (there’s a good market there too!) and then a 2 hour train to Cologne.
London to Brussels
Tue 19 – Thu 21 Nov from £108 return
Sun 24 – Tue 26 Nov from £128 return
Tue 26 – Wed 27 Nov from £113 return
Tue 10 – Wed 11 Dec from £103 return
Tue 17 – Wed 18 Dec from £88 return
As is standard, advance tickets tend to be cheaper but remember to check the hotel prices as December dates could fetch more than November ones.
Also, if you’re hoping to get away from more than 2 nights, you may be able to make Eurostar Snap work for you!
Brussels to Cologne
If you book in advance, you can still score tickets from as little as £24 each way and whilst you can book the entire trip on Eurostar they don’t show all the options and it often comes out more expensive.
Trainline is good for working out options, but always check the price direct on the train network’s website as well which is likely to be Deutsche Bahn.
Hotels
Obviously, the price changes based on your dates but again I’d stress that Sunday – Wednesday will, in general, be cheaper for hotels. I’d check out the following for an affordable but still nice stay:
MEININGER Hotel Köln (just an 8 min S-bahn away!)
Happy Christmas Market trip hunting!!
Look mum, I’m on the telly
 | No you didn’t miss me, I wasn’t actually on telly this week, BUT my update on the new Ryanair bag charges has been picked up by lots of titles since we shared it, appearing in the Mirror, Daily Express, Birmingham Mail and the Daily Record. And what a successful first outing of producer Joe in the background - I think he deserves an Oscar for his performance! |
What the team’s been loving this week!
As always, we’ve been working tirelessly to bring you all things cheap holidays, but somehow we’ve also found time to enter our David Attenborough era. Here’s what we’ve been enjoying!
Anna: Move over Moo Deng... there's a new star in town! Edinburgh Zoo has announced the birth of a new baby female endangered pygmy hippo aptly named Haggis and she's SO CUTE 😍 Time to book a visit back home to Scotland!
Joe: Just a PSA that although we’re soon heading into hibernation season, if you’re planning a hike in Canada, walk in groups and carry bear spray!! 🐻
Chelsea: Does anyone else follow pet travel accounts? Because I DO and I love @lecorgi whose bio reads 'travel & food critic'. 😭😭😭 Now only taking recommendations from our furry friends xoxo
Katie: These ridiculously cute elephants rescued by the Sheldrick Trust have me wanting to book a flight to Kenya! 🐘
And that’s a wrap!
That’s all for this week – thanks if you made it this far and why not let me know you did so by answering the poll below ⬇️
If you have a mate or family member who you think would love this newsletter too, they’ll just need to sign up here.
Are you going to a Christmas market this year?Tap to answer |
Speak to you soon!
Chelsea x
Oh we have a laugh don’t we - another great capture from Korea!!
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