Is Cheap Travel Really Cheap?

This post is inspired by an article I discovered on the The Times website regarding 'speedy boarding' on Easy Jet flights. The title gives more than a hint at the content 'My easy-jet speedy boarding hell'! For those of you who have not had the pleasure of flying Easy Jet since Speedy Boarding was launched, it works like this. When you book you select the option to be a 'Speedy Boarder' and pay a surcharge of around £5. For this princely sum you get the privilege of being asked to board the bus and the plane before non-speedy boarders thereby heightening your chance of getting a reasonable seat. However, and here's the tricky bit, non-speedy boarders are constantly on your heels and sometimes manage to pip you to the post despite the £5 you invested to jump the queue.

The article is funny but also serves to make you think, so often these days what looks like a good deal is not necessarily so. Low cost promises are rarely honoured by the time you reach the end of the check-out process. From taxes, fuel surcharges and excess baggage fees, without mentioning drinks and snacks on board, I've found that so called low-cost flights often work out to be a very similar price to an all-inclusive flight with a traditional airline. You can experience the same phenomenon in other sectors of travel including car hire.

Here at Auto Europe we strive to be price competitive without compromising on service. We believe in making insurance as comprehensive as possible and displaying the actual price you will pay from the word go. What's more, we know it's an ever changing market and so also provide our Best Rate Guarantee so you can rest assured we will match any like-for-like quote in the unlikely event you do find a better price elsewhere. The concept of like-for-like is important here as non-experienced renters may not appreciate car hire variables which can push the price up. We recommend you double check the size of the vehicle, whether it has air-con, what level of insurance is included and any local charges (such as for extra drivers, car seats or ski rack hire) routinely as part of the price comparison process.

What's more, keep things in perspective! After all no-one is making you be a 'speedy boarder' or similar and a little advance research can get you a great deal with comprehensive service. Just don't take 'too-good-to-be-true' prices at face value.