What are you up to this Saturday? Come and join us for a day of bargains at the TNT Travel Show.
We’ve done some ringing around on your behalf and herded up anyone who’s anyone in the world of travel for the sole purpose of scoring you freebie hotel stays, discounted flights and cheap-ass tours. Really, no need to thank us.
Insiders, from tour operators to travel agents, will be eagerly awaiting you at the Business and Design Centre, Islington, on October 27.
They’ll be manning stands packed with info about the hottest new destinations and offering expert advice on exactly where you should be planning your next holiday to and, of course, how to do it as cheaply as possible.
Fact is, if you like travelling, then you really can’t afford to miss this. Not that it’ll cost you anything – entry is free if you pre-register at tnttravelshow.com.
Still not convinced it’s worth getting out of bed for?
Well, we’ve asked some top holiday providers to give you a sneak preview of some of the tremendous deals that will be available only at the TNT Travel Show.
And these offers are just a taster of what these companies and many more will be offering.
Free hotel stays in Venice, half-price skiing holidays and bargain festival jaunts are just a few of the deals here to whet your appetite for much more.
You know what to do. Just show up. See you Saturday!
50 per cent OFF: Scotland
What’s the deal? Get 50 per cent off trips to Scotland with MacBackpackers. All you have to do is drop by their Travel Show stand and buy a two-, three- or five-day tour of Scotland.
They’ll knock 50 per cent off, which means you could be paying from as little as £34.50 for your trip.
If you’re more of a last-minute kind of traveller, however, you don’t have to miss out on a deal.
Just buy a ‘freedom ticket’, which allows you to book whatever trip you like whenever you feel like it and you still get 25 per cent off.
Ooh, tell me more: The tours include venturing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct (aka the bridge out of the Harry Potter movies), searching for the elusive Loch Ness Monster, sipping a wee dram at a whisky distillery, exploring ancient castle ruins and soaking up the scenery on the stunning Isle of Skye.
FREE accommodation: Venice
What’s the deal? Free drinks, a free guided pub crawl and a free night’s stay for two people in a Venice hotel – get all this when you book accommodation to any destination for at least five nights through hostelsclub.com (dorm beds from about £15pppn).
If a free room in one of the world’s most romantic cities doesn’t win you over, the pub crawl around Venice worth £25 should do the trick.
Ooh, tell me more: The Original Venice Pub Crawl starts at 9pm at the Cafe Al Fontego on Campo Santa Margherita, where you can kick things off with an aperitivo.
You’ll then be taken by a tour guide – it’ll be a professional, so of course they can hold their liquor – to five more authentic Venetian bars, with a free drink thrown in at each venue.
30 per cent OFF: Skiing in France
What’s the deal? Skiing holidays can be eyewateringly pricey, but not if you book with Travel Talk. The company is offering a 30 per cent discount.
Ooh, tell me more: How does a skiing holiday in one of the best ski resorts in France sound?
One minute you’ll be dreaming of the snowy slopes of Chamonix, Contamines, Les Deux Alpes, La Plagne, Tignes, Val d’lsere or Val Thorens (all of which are included in this deal) and next thing you’ll be careering down one of them at top speed.
All tours, which cost from £321pp with the discount, include accommodation at the heart of the action, lift passes, ski and snowboard hire, full-time ski and board instruction for all levels, and all your meals. Now that is a pretty sweet deal.
50 per cent OFF: European festivals
What’s the deal? Get up to 50 per cent off European travel and top festivals this year and next with Busabout.
Ooh, tell me more: Nab some awesome TNT Travel Show-only savings on European hop-on hop-off passes and exclusive discounts on some of the best European festivals.
Among these is a half-price trip to Valencia’s Las Fallas fiesta, where you’ll see fireworks displays, live music and the famous ninots ceremony.
This unique custom involves making papier-night of the festival. With this deal, £129.50 gets you four nights’ B&B accommodation, lashings of free sangria, a tour of Valencia and a commemorative Busabout festival T-shirt.
25 per cent OFF: Iceland tour
What’s the deal? Check out fascinating Iceland’s glaciers, waterfalls and geysers over a weekend for 25 per cent less.
Ooh, tell me more: This four-day tour, just £209pp with the discount, includes three nights’ guesthouse accommodation and takes in the natural wonders of the Golden Circle, freedom to choose your own adventure in Reykjavik and a dip in the stunning Blue Lagoon.
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HALF price: North Africa and Middle East
What’s the deal? Take up to 50 per cent off Travel Talk’s Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan premium tours.
Ooh, tell me more: Does riding a horse through the ancient streets of Petra in Jordan sound good to you? How about diving in Turkey’s crystal-clear waters to see great reefs?
In Egypt, you could be smoking shisha in a desert campsite or chowing down on delicious Middle Eastern mezze night after night.
All tours include five- and four-star accommodation, experienced tour guides and some meals. This deal means you could pay as little as £191pp, excluding local payment. Wow.
30 per cent OFF: Morocco
What’s the deal? Book a nine-day tour with Encounters Travel (selected dates) and get 30 per cent off. Don’t want to spend that long? Take 20 per cent off any Morocco trip.
Ooh, tell me more: On the nine-day Morocco trip, costing £419.30pp with the discount, you’ll kick off with a full-day tour of the mosques and bustling bazaars of Marrakech.
The next day you’ll head through small Berber villages, while adventuring over the highest mountain pass in Africa, on the way to the Unesco World Heritage Site of fortified city Ait Benhaddou, before arriving at scenic ‘door of the desert’ Ouarzazate.
An overnight 4WD desert safari near Merzouga, sleeping at a Berber camp, is next on the agenda, before journeying further into the desert to Zagora and back into the madness of Marrakech via Ouarzazate. What an adventure.
£10 OFF: Paris
What’s the deal? Get £5 off any day trip and £10 off any short break with Anderson Tours. Their day trips, which start at £35 before the discount, include Stonehenge, Bath, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cambridge and Warwick Castle.
As for their short breaks, you could find yourself on a coach or train to Paris, Amsterdam, Budapest and Brussels before you know it – and with some extra scratch in your pocket.
Ooh, tell me more: This deal even includes Anderson Tours’ Christmas and New Year trips to Paris.
So book at the TNT Travel Show and you could find yourself gazing at a snow-covered Eiffel Tower on Christmas Day or ringing in 2013 with crowds of pissed Parisians – definitely a memorable holiday in our book.
50 per cent OFF: European tours
What’s the deal? Save up to 50 per cent on Travel Talk’s six- to 44-day premium Europe tours. It’s that simple.
Ooh, tell me more: Go surfing in Spain, watch the sunset over the French Riviera, take in the breathtaking view of the snow-covered Swiss Alps, go snorkelling in Croatia… you get the picture.
All trips, costing from £232pp (excluding local payment) with this deal, include three- and four-star hotels, guided tours and some meals. And you’ll be paying half of what everyone else does. Mwahahaha!
10 per cent OFF: Hogmanay
What’s the deal? MacBackpackers’ Hogmanay and Christmas package discounts mean you could pay just £233.10 for a five-night trip.
Choose a five- or six-night package at the TNT Travel Show, which includes accommodation, and they’ll knock 10 per cent off for you.
We like to call it mate’s rates. Also included in the price is a tour of the Scottish Highlands plus a pass to the Edinburgh Hogmanay street party.
Ooh, tell me more: Hogmanay is one of the most notoriously wild NYE street parties in the world.
Think mega firework displays, four stages of live music, crowds of crazy Scots jumping around in tartan kilts without even a thought for the cold and, naturally, an obscene amount of booze. You should definitely be part of the action this year.
20 per cent OFF: Festive party trek
What’s the deal? Knock 20 per cent off Busabout’s Festive Trek from Prague to Krakow, which usually costs £699pp.
Ooh, tell me more: Busabout pack one helluva lot into this 11-day excursion.
It starts on December 22 in the Czech Republic’s capital, before you head through Cesky Krumlov to Vienna for schnapps and bulls blood on Christmas Eve.
Then you’ll spend Christmas Day in an Austrian winery. Other stops include Budapest for Boxing Day sales at Eastern European prices before a day’s skiiing in Zakopane, and it all ends with New Year parties in Krakow. Phew!
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More at the TNT Travel Show
Superb seminars
Don’t miss the ever-popular and inspiring travel talks at the TNT Travel Show.
We’ve handpicked a range of travel industry gurus to deliver seminars throughout the day to ensure you make the most of your next adventure.
With one starting every hour, you’re bound to find a topic that sparks your interest. Get the heads up on the next destination you want to explore, gain some great tips and quiz our travel experts.
Fantastic freebies
Many of the stands at the show are giving away gifts – even if you’re not booking a holiday. Generous folk, huh?
Think free international money transfer vouchers from 1st Contact Forex, discounted shipping costs from Anglo Pacific, wee drams from MacBackpackers and other goodies from plenty more stands.
Crazy competitions
There are a whole bundle of travel experiences to be won, simply by entering the TNT Lucky Dip on the day.
Fill in a form at the welcome desk as you enter and you could win a tour of the Scottish Highlands, a trip to Turkey, a week in California, a holiday in Europe and much more.
Enter our photo competition
Fancy winning a state of the art Olympus camera? Then why not give the TNT Travel Show’s photography competition a try?
What do I have to do? TNT is looking for the ultimate artistic travel snap. We want to see a picture with creative composition, an unusual subject and a filter to give it the perfect finish. We don’t ask for much!
Think you’ve got a snap stored away on your phone that matches that description? Simply upload your travel photo to Instagram via your smartphone and tag it #TNTtravelshow.
Then what happens? We’ll look through every single one of your entries.
The best picture will be selected by a TNT panel and the winner will be announced at the TNT Travel Show on Saturday, October 27.
Be there to find out if you’ve been crowned our travel pic champ!
Deadline for entries: Wednesday, October 24 at 9am.
Photos: Getty, TNT Images, Thinkstock, Turnmaster Tim.
