Prices rocketed!

[enemey96]

I'm planning on surprise visiting my SO for his birthday (it'll be the weekend before his birthday) and I had to book my outbound flight a few days ago as the tickets were being booked and there was only a few seats left on the flight I had to take if I wanted to be there in time and for everything to be as planned.
So I borrowed the money from my Dad and booked the flight. No problems.
Today I gave in my form to allow me to have 3 days off of school for 'family reasons'. And I should get that back on Monday telling me whether or not I have been given the time off.
So when I got home today I thought that I'd check the flights and trains to make sure there was still tickets left. There's 2 tickets left for the flight I want to take, and the prices of the trains have almost doubled! I really don't know what to do as I might not be able to book my flight back until the week after next (which will be less than a week before I leave), and if I don't book them soon I'm worried that I won't be able to go if I can't get home again.
The only way that I will save myself about half on the train and I will definitely be able to get back from the UK, is if I fly back a day later. But I'm only supposed to have 3 days off at a time, and that will be 4 days.
I really really don't know what to do, I'm getting all in a tizzy, any advice would be really really great!

[snow_girl]

Not really much you can do unfortunately. I've heard that airline websites track your computer and will raise prices if they see you go on enough and that if you try emptying your cookies the prices might be lower. I dont' know if that works though. I'm sure one more day won't make a huge difference? Tell them there was flight delays coming back.

[kittyo9]

I've heard the clear your cookies thing too, but it hasn't done much for me in my experience. Plane tickets are ridiculously unpredictable, and the only way to win is to check them randomly and pray for the best. It took a few months of checking ticket prices before I got my ticket to Peru. I don't know about train prices except that generally the closer to the date you're travelling, the higher the price.

[EnglishMan]

Yeah ive heard about this too, something I'll definitely have to plan for since even if I booked an off-peak return for sometime in the first third of next year, im looking at £650.

Trains are kinda expensive in England, sorry our train fares are an absolute disgrace (they reckon they're 10x more expensive on average than the 2nd most expensive in Europe lmao), but they'll be expensive wherever in the country you go. I think with planes you've gotta be prepared well in advance for them, though it looks like that's not an option for this trip. I guess all ya can say is use this trip as a future reference as to why you should book in advance . Can I ask why you're not able to book the return flight just yet?

[enemey96]

I see, I hadn't heard that before, but I definitely will clear my cookies before looking again! And if that makes a difference I will then do the same before I book them!
It's not the train prices in England I'm worried about, even though I do think the English train prices are extremely expensive, it's the ones in Sweden. The good thing about the trains in England is that I've only just turned 16, so I can still just about get away with using a child ticket So on the way to the airport in England shouldn't be too bad, I think it's about £10.50 for the single I want to get. Or at least it was when we used to live there.
And I can't book the return flight yet as I don't have the money yet - I get money for going to college here and that starts at least a week after you start school, and I've only been back 2 days.
I've spoken to my Mum though, and she has said for me not to worry as we will sort it, and one day extra won't make a difference, and she'll talk to my mentor about it if I am allowed the holiday Bit of a relief!
Thanks guys

[ChibiFelicia]

ticket prices have gone up alot in the last 2 years : ( Flights to USA anyway, makes me so sad. I normally book 3 months ahead too lol I remember the first trip i took in the summer of 2010 the ticket was 700pounds now i cant get to the states in the summer for less that 800. Easter isnt as bad it's about 700pounds. Anyway that was a little off topic, apologies.

A good way to save some money in the uk for trains is to take single tickets. So break down your trip. I dont personally do it but my sister does (shes in a long distance relationship within the UK) and what she does is break her trip into 2 or 3 parts. still getting on the same train all the way to her destination but have 2/3 tickets for that trip. Im not sure if that will help at all.

Another thing i found when booking flights is not going to check the prices on a weekend or a monday lol. I swear i get cheaper tickets when i book mid week...i guess less people book at that time? For this summer trip to the CA, US i knocked off 80 pounds just by booking on a different day. Hmm and booking late can have its advantages too. October 2010 i took an impromptu trip to see my man for 12 days and i literally booked it the day before and it was like 350pounds compared to normally 600 ish. Looking back it still was a little expensive but....i wanted to see him lol.

[kittyo9]

One tip I've read in several places does suggest that checking/buying mid-week (Tuesday night/Wednesday) is the best time, as that's usually when airlines will update their prices for demand and availability, giving you the best deals earliest. Again, though, it's not a surefire thing-- I booked my ticket on a Saturday and it was cheapest then-- and airlines are getting more savvy about internet shoppers and update more frequently or at different times. Just keep looking, and remember to compare sites! I had been using Kayak constantly, but Kayak missed a really low price that I ended up finding on only StudentUniverse and Travelocity.