Travel Insights, Research & Comparisons

Airline Food and Drink Prices Compared: Who’s Cheapest?

Travel Insights / 26 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Fancy a coffee, a gin & tonic or something to eat on your next flight? You might be surprised at how much prices vary depending on which airline you’re flying with.

We have researched onboard catering prices across six of the main short-haul airlines serving the UK: British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, TUI, Vueling and Wizz Air.

Our comparison covered 16 commonly available food and drink items, ranging from tea and coffee to wine, snacks and hot meals. We wanted to find out which airlines offer the best value and whether there really is much difference between them.

We also compared some of the onboard prices with equivalent products available at Tesco to see just how much extra you’re paying to enjoy your refreshments at 35,000 feet.

And the results were interesting. British Airways was the most consistently competitive airline, while Wizz Air was generally the most expensive.

Airline Food and Drink Prices Compared: Who’s Cheapest? Read More »

Where Did We Fly in Summer 2026? The UK’s Most Popular Destinations

Travel Insights / 19 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Where did everyone fly this summer? Spain remained the clear favourite, but behind the headline figures there were some interesting changes in where passengers were travelling.

New figures from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that international passenger traffic through UK airports reached 80.9 million journeys between June and August 2026, an increase of just 0.9% compared with the same period in 2025.

However, that modest overall growth hides some significant differences.

Traffic between the UK and mainland Spain increased by 7%, Barcelona saw a 13% rise and London Luton Airport continued to grow strongly. Meanwhile, passenger numbers to Turkey fell by 10%, Dubai was down 28% and both Heathrow and Gatwick recorded declines.

We analysed the CAA’s latest figures to identify the most popular countries, destinations and individual flight routes, as well as which UK airports gained or lost passengers during the summer.

One important distinction: these figures measure international passenger journeys through UK airports, not just British holidaymakers heading overseas. They also include people visiting the UK and passengers connecting between flights, so the results reflect a much wider picture of international air travel.

Where Did We Fly in Summer 2026? The UK’s Most Popular Destinations Read More »

How to Avoid Fees When Spending Money Abroad

Tips & Hacks, Travel Insights / 17 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Using the wrong debit or credit card abroad can be an expensive mistake.

Many UK banks and credit card providers still charge around 3% every time you spend in a foreign currency. Some debit cards also add a fixed fee for each transaction, while withdrawing cash from an overseas ATM can trigger another set of charges.

Individually, these fees might not seem particularly significant. But over a two-week family holiday, paying for meals, drinks, activities and accommodation can quickly add £50 or more to the cost of your trip – without you receiving anything extra for your money.

Fortunately, avoiding most of these charges can be a relatively straightforward process. There are plenty of credit and debit cards that allow you to spend abroad without foreign transaction fees, and a little preparation can also help you avoid expensive exchange rates and unnecessary cash withdrawal charges.

In this guide, we explain the different ways of spending money abroad, the hidden fees to watch out for and how to get the most from your money. We’ll also share the combination of credit cards and bank accounts we personally use when travelling, including how we balance avoiding fees with earning Avios and cashback.

How to Avoid Fees When Spending Money Abroad Read More »

Business Class Light Fares: Are the Extras Worth Paying For?

Flights, Travel Insights / 4 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Business Class used to be relatively simple. Pay the premium fare and you could expect lounge access, seat selection, generous luggage allowances, flexibility and plenty of frequent-flyer miles alongside the better seat and onboard service.

That is no longer always the case.

A growing number of airlines now sell cheaper, unbundled Business Class fares – often called Business Light – which give you the same seat, food and onboard experience but remove some of the benefits traditionally associated with flying Business Class.

I recently faced exactly this decision when booking Etihad Business Class from Heathrow to Phuket. The cheapest Value fare gave me the same Business Class seat and onboard experience, but paying an additional £153 each way for Comfort would add benefits including lounge access, seat selection, extra luggage, greater flexibility, more miles, Wi-Fi and Etihad Chauffeur.
At first I dismissed the upgrade. But was I actually saving £153, or would buying the missing benefits separately end up costing me more?

I went back through each benefit, put a value on what I would actually use and worked out whether I had made the right decision.

Business Class Light Fares: Are the Extras Worth Paying For? Read More »

Should I Buy an English Heritage Membership?

Travel Insights / 30 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

English Heritage looks after more than 400 historic sites across England, including Stonehenge, Dover Castle and large sections of Hadrian’s Wall. Annual membership starts at £44 and includes free entry for accompanying children.

But is English Heritage membership actually worth paying for?

Our research found that English Heritage membership typically pays for itself after around 3–5 visits. Young adults and students can break even after around three visits, while families can also get particularly good value because children can visit for free with adult members.

Should I Buy an English Heritage Membership? Read More »

Is Priority Pass Worth It? UK Review & Price Analysis

At the Airport, Travel Insights / 26 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Priority Pass came out on top in our recent comparison of UK airport lounge membership schemes, thanks to its extensive lounge network, flexible membership options and additional airport dining benefits. But how does it stack up against simply paying for lounge access when you travel?
We compared Priority Pass with the cost of paying directly for 38 UK airport lounges and found an average walk-up price of £40.51, or £35.52 when booked in advance through Holiday Extras.
Depending on how often you travel, Priority Pass can be considerably cheaper than buying lounge access individually – and its £18 airport dining credit adds another potentially useful benefit.
We looked at the numbers to work out who should consider Priority Pass, which membership makes sense and when you’re better off simply paying for lounge access as you go.

Is Priority Pass Worth It? UK Review & Price Analysis Read More »

Avis Preferred: Benefits, Status Levels & How to Get President’s Club

Points & Miles, Travel Insights / 7 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Avis Preferred is the free loyalty programme from Avis, offering regular customers discounts, faster car collection, upgrades and other benefits.

There are three membership levels – Avis Preferred, Preferred Plus and President’s Club – but you don’t necessarily need to rent frequently to get top-tier status. American Express Platinum and selected World Elite Mastercard holders can qualify for President’s Club, while Avis also offers status matches from competing car-hire programmes.

Avis is also particularly interesting for Avios collectors, with several different ways to earn Avios on rentals.

We’ve looked at how Avis Preferred works, what the different status levels offer and, importantly, whether its advertised discounts actually produce the cheapest rental price.

Avis Preferred: Benefits, Status Levels & How to Get President’s Club Read More »

Hotels.com Rewards Review: Is £100 Back After 10 Nights Worth It?

Tips & Hacks, Travel Insights / 10 August 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Hotels.com has an interesting loyalty programme that can be particularly attractive if you stay in a mixture of hotel chains and independent properties.

Stay 10 eligible nights averaging at least £75 per night and you’ll receive £100 in Hotels.comCash towards future stays. Depending on how much you normally spend on hotels, that can effectively mean getting more than 10% of your money back.

But there’s a catch: booking through Hotels.com will usually mean giving up the points, status credits and benefits you’d receive by booking directly with a major hotel chain. So when does Hotels.com Rewards make sense?

Hotels.com Rewards Review: Is £100 Back After 10 Nights Worth It? Read More »

Airport Prices Compared: Are Airport Shops Really More Expensive?

At the Airport, Travel Insights / 29 June 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Airport shops have a reputation for charging premium prices, but is it really true? We compared the prices of 35 everyday products such as toiletries, sun protection and snacks at Boots Heathrow with the same items in a Boots high street store to see how much more travellers actually pay. The answer? On average, airport prices were 16% higher, with drinks and snacks costing almost 20% more.

Airport Prices Compared: Are Airport Shops Really More Expensive? Read More »

Can You Visit Orlando Without Hiring a Car?

Travel Insights / 20 June 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Conventional wisdom says you need a hire car in Orlando and after seven visits, I would have agreed. However, on our most recent trip we spent two weeks relying entirely on Uber and spent just £264 on transport, significantly less than the £700 it would have have cost of having a car, including fuel and parking.

Florida used to be the most competitive car hire market in the world. Pre 2020, you could usually pick up a fortnight’s rental for £200 but when covid hit, the rental companies sold off many of their vehicles and when everything opened up again, prices had tripled and have never really got back to the level seen pre-covid.

Can You Visit Orlando Without Hiring a Car? Read More »

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