This appears to be getting a bit personal now.

But interesting thought in making savings by taking a cheap flight to Europe...

Nothing personal intended, well not as an insult anyhow. I only mention the Merc and EOS1 as I'm jelous! (Have you seen the car I'm driving at the moment )
Maybe someone should research the cheapest place in Europe to buy these expensive must haves (Poland might be a good start) and I'll arrange a club outing there...
I have had a couple of day trips on the penny flighs and will gladly sort out the trip when the offers get announced. I would just need to know how many might be intertested.

Julia wrote:Nothing personal intended, well not as an insult anyhow. I only mention the Merc and EOS1 as I'm jelous! (Have you seen the car I'm driving at the moment )
Maybe someone should research the cheapest place in Europe to buy these expensive must haves (Poland might be a good start) and I'll arrange a club outing there...
I have had a couple of day trips on the penny flighs and will gladly sort out the trip when the offers get announced. I would just need to know how many might be intertested.

Count me in for a cheap flight Julia.

Who else might be interested in cheap flights for a day trip to wherever we can go when they come up on offer again?

How much do you estimate it ACTUALLY costs, including fuel tax, flight tax, sitting down tax, breathing tax etc?

Well, oh yea of little faith. I went to Venice for 1p and because at the time I had to pay on a card that wasn't their 'free method of payment' it cost me a toal of £8.02 for a return. Now I have hunted down the free payment card and opened an account with a visa electron and can bypass the £4 per person per flight booking charge.
I went to Cork with David B for the day for the same price, Sannon for the day with mother and if I hadn't had people backing out I had tix for day trips to Holland, Dublin and Dusseldorf. All penny flights with no taxes.
The extra charges are parking and fuel, bus the other side.
Parking is £10 a day prebooked, shared by 5 in a car = £2
Fuel to Stansted £10-£15, shared =£3
Bus in Europe usually a coach around 8 Euros each.
Take sarnies, couple of coffees and Bob's my uncle. (He really is)
It's a matter of signing up to Martyn Lewis' emails. www.moneysavingexpert.com Apart from other fabulous offers/loopholes/freebies etc, it also alerts you to upcoming Ryanair 1p sales. You have to use a scanner website to find the flight deals though as Ryanair don't give you clues as to where and when the cheapies are. www.Skyscanner.net
That is why I am the queen of a good bargain.

Our sales director had to fly to Ireland from Liverpool last year. It was £15 for a single or £10 return. They effectively paid him to fly back - Beat that Queen of the Bargains!!!

Well, technically that's not beating me as the return price was more expesive than mine...

I'm in!! Really good idea!

Wow!
That's amazing.
I am your humble gp, er, sorry, servant, oh queen of bargains!

So do you stay overnight, or leave really early and come back really late?
Or is this a more lengthy trip than one day?
Or do you come back when they say you have to?

I'm definately up for a trip anywhere! (Kids and work permitting)

Have taken a few trips at what I thought were bargain rates, but Julia you truly are the Queen of Bargains!

Ryanair are usually a good bet, but their cheap flights can be restrictive, have been to Stockholm return for a fiver before, but never a pound!

Count me in!
Jane P

How it works my little GP/humble servant is that you go onto Ryanair site and find a cheap flight, you have to find the destinations and date that have return flights same day. They don't all tie up. Usually it's a Tues or Wed they have offers on. Thisis where they make up the money, people may pay 1p out out but to get back when they want they have to pay £50. However, if you find the locations with lads of daily flights, ie Ireland, holland, france Germany then you can go in the morning and come back evening. They bank on people wanting to coe back a different day and hence not 1p flight.
I went to Venice lunchtime but as they have 1 flight in and 1 out a day I just went 1 day and came back the next. I spent more on coffee over the 2 days than I did to get there!
So, for a day trip i can search for places with loads of flights in and out and as long as we don't mind where we go or leaving before it gets light in the morning then it's possible. If you want to say have a day trip to Ireland and you want to stay another day or2, then we book for example 6 of us on a flight 0800 hrs Tues. Then 4 flights back Tues eve and 2 back Thurs am. Flexible, but you may have to wait a week to cme back for 1p or pay the extra.
I'll keep an eye on Ryanair and moneysaving expert and give everyone the heads up about the next Ryanair 'sale'.
This gave me an idea that I shall start a forum for bargains and offers, non photography related, it all helps and a penny saved is a penny towards the Eos 5D mk2!

Sounds great, unfortunatly most of the times I have to work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
But if you go to Holland someday in the future, we can meet there...!

The fuel cost to Stanstead at £10 - £15 sounds a bit low but I would be interested although I would need to book time of work to do it mid week.