What travel costs

The Socks forthcoming tour is intended to be a money making exercise, but I do a very good job of turning it into a money pit when I try. Today I've been making some travel arrangements and already I find I've left some of them a bit late to make good savings on.

The Socks' gig in Glasgow on 19th March entails a flight up on Saturday and back on Sunday and has just cost £94.98 (looks so cheap before you add the £18 for your bag and £5.50 for using a debit card). I still need to add overnight accommodation to that.

The following weekend's gig in Banchory is even madder. Luckily I've been offered a lift from Aberdeen to Banchory, and may have an offer of a place to stay. As for travel, I kept a note on Twitter as I went:

Booking flights Bristol - Aberdeen. Best so far £128 return direct Eastern. Daftest: all Tripadvisor flights cost £400+ & go via Paris.

Bristol-Aberdeen daftest flight yet: KLM costs £1500 and goes via Amsterdam and Brussels. And takes 8 hours. Slightly slower than train.

Fly.com manages £380 via Paris, and Direct Flights finds most expensive Bristol to Aberdeen flight at £1795. Looks like Eastern Airways win.

Do we have a winner in the Bristol to Aberdeen race? If I go easyjet to Edinburgh then train to Aberdeen it's £112 vs Eastern Airways' £128 >

> + Eastern Airways would need 2 overnight stays, this only needs 1. Yes! This gig might turn a profit yet (Socks Banchory Mar 26 book now)

Along the way I also checked out the train from Bristol to Aberdeen which, in order to get me there on time, would have been £80 one way, £45 the next and taken 8 or 9 hours each way. In the end easyjet Bristol to Edinburgh (£23.99) and back (£58.99 + £18 for bags + £5.50 for Visa debit) and train Edin to Aber (£10 one way, £11.50 back) comes to a total of £128.98 and saves one overnight stay.

And that is as interesting as I ever want my blogs to get (trust me, I'll find this useful some time in the future. Possibly when explaining why, if I'm so clever, why I'm not rich).

Tickets are on sale for all these crazy gigs, do book now.

Additional 20/1/11:

Edinburgh Fri 1st April, Easyjet £26.99 up, £23.99 down + £18 + £5.50 = £74.48. Accommodation to add.

Falkirk Fri 8th April, Easyjet to Edin £24.99 up, £27.99 down + £18 + £5.50, + £11 return train to Falkirk = £87.48. Accommodation to add.

Inverness Fri 22 April (not booked yet), Easyjet today stands at £50.99 up, £36.99 down (£112 minimum + accommodation)


Feb 4, 5, 6 - Leicester Comedy Festival
Feb 23 - Flavel Dartmouth
Feb 26 011 - Stafford Gatehouse
Mar 11 - Stroud Subscription Rooms



Mar 12 - Madcap Milton Keynes
Mar 18 - Palace Theatre Redditch
Mar 19 - Glasgow Britannia Panopticon
Mar 24 - Brecon Theatr Breichieniog
Mar 26 – Woodend Barn Banochry
Mar 30 - Bristol Thunderbolt
Apr 1 - Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh
Apr 4 - Leicester Square Theatre, London
Apr 7 - Rondo Bath
Apr 8 - Falkirk Town Hall
April 11 - Leicester Square Theatre, London
Apr 15 - Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
Apr 22 - Eden Court Inverness



Apr 28 - Milford Haven Torch
May 6 - Farnham Maltings(+Ali Cook)
May 7 & 8 - Brighton Komedia
May 12 - The Lowry, Salford Quays
May 13 - Halifax Victoria Theatre
May 14 - Chorley Little Theatre
May 21 - Norwich Fringe
June 22 & 23 - Harrogate Theatre
July 9 - Norden Farm, Maidenhead
July 21 - Eastgate Peebles