Travel like an A-lister on a Z-list budget

When you see newspaper photos of A-list celebrities stepping out of a private jet, or sunning themselves in an exclusive resort do you ever think, ‘I could never afford that’? Well, think again – A-list travel might be less expensive than you think.

Yes, the A-listers will pay four figures to fly first class (or even better, book a private jet), but the no-frills airlines fly to airports within striking distance of many A-list resorts. Time your trip and ticket purchase right and you could bag a return flight from, for example, London to Toulon St Tropez for as little as £40. By the time you’re lying on the beach at St Tropez, no-one can tell what airline you flew in on.

If you really want a taste of A-list travel, there is a way to enjoy a private jet flight at a discount. Private jets are often booked one-way, which means they fly empty on the return leg. Most private jet charter companies offer these so-called ‘empty leg’ flights at a massive discount and there are many brokers who can try to find the flight you need.

Downsides? Availability is far from guaranteed because you’re at the whim of the full-price private jet passenger. Also these flights are cheap for a private jet, but are much more expensive than normal airline flights – especially if you don’t have people to split the cost with.

The cheapest travel option, and a great one if you don’t want to fly or the journey is too short to warrant a flight – is the 20th century equivalent of hitchhiking – lift sharing.

Digital hitchhikers stick their thumbs out at websites such as liftshare.com, which allows them to register their details and information about the trip they want to make. When a driver with similar travel plans registers looking to share the cost of fuel, the site connects driver and passenger. Just try not to call your driver your ‘chauffeur’ out loud as you might cause offence!

More inspiration on holiday destinations

How and where to find cheap flights