Ashley Park Financial Solutions: Ways to Save on Travel

In the modern age of commuter travel and migration from home towns, transport is an important part of our lives. It can however be an extremely expensive commodity. Ashley Park Financial Solutions have compiled a few top tips to help you get a great deal on your chosen mode of transport.

Train travel

You can save literally hundreds of pounds on train travel by booking in advance. If you know you have a trip coming up, aim to book exactly 12 weeks in advance. This is when the tickets go on sale for your date of travel. You should also split your journey and pay the cost of 2 singles, rather than one full return.

There are tons of companies online offering cheap rail travel when you book in advance. In particular, thetrainline.com offers great online discounts. Be aware though that there are many other canny travellers who will be looking for these discounts, so speed and planning are key!

You may also want to try split-ticketing. If, for example, you’re travelling from London to Newcastle, you could break your journey at Grantham and Leeds and get separate tickets for each part of the journey. You can potentially save hundreds of pounds with this method and it’s perfectly legal – just make sure the train actually stops at the stations you’re breaking the ticket at!

Car Travel

If you’re in the market for a new motor, you should strongly consider purchasing a nearly-new car, rather than a brand new one. Look at car’s that are around a year old, then head to the showroom and tell them you’re looking for a nearly-new car with most of the original warranty still intact. Be prepared to haggle on the price they give you. You can save thousands of pounds buying this way.

You can also save money by reviewing your driving habits. A few easy changes can make your fuel consumption much more efficient. Driving smoothly and changing gear when you reach 2500 revs per minute in a petrol car and 2000 in diesel. If you cut your motorway speed from 85mph to 70mph you can save almost a litre of petrol every 20 miles. Add that up over a year and it’s a saving of almost £100!

Bike Travel

Thanks to the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme, you can now purchase a bicycle sans tax. Speak to the HR department at work to find out if your company has opted in. You can easily save around £100 on the price of a £250 bike. A more expensive bike can offer considerable savings. You also need to make sure that you purchase your bike from a store that is participating in the scheme. Click here for more information on that.

Hopefully you’ve got some great ideas for ways to save now and can start cutting your bills right away! You can follow us on Twitter for regular tips and updates.

If you’re struggling to cope with money worries, visit the Ashley Park Financial Solutions website for the full range of our services.