🌞 Jet Off with Savings: British Airways End-of-Summer SALE

Hello, Adventurous Travellers, and Happy Thursday!

We have some exciting travel deals and tips lined up for you this week. Whether you're planning a last-minute getaway or looking to stretch your Avios further, let's dive in.

• 🌞 Make the Most of the British Airways End-of-Summer Sale: Get unbeatable flight and holiday deals to top destinations before the sale ends on 1st October.

• 🛬 How to Get a Free Stopover with Ethiopian Airlines: Discover how you can explore Addis Ababa and get a complimentary hotel stay, meals, and more during your layover.

• 🎯 What is Peak and Off-Peak Travel with British Airways?: How to maximise your Avios with BA's peak and off-peak pricing.

• ☎️ Need Mobile Data for your Next Trip?: A look at eSIM-Cards.com

🌞 Make the Most of the British Airways End-of-Summer Sale

The British Airways end-of-summer sale is now on and applies to bookings made before 1st October.

The sale includes flight-only bookings and flight and holiday packages.

Here are some of the best deals:

Return Flight Deals

• Gatwick to New York from £338

• Gatwick to Orlando from £349

• Heathrow to Dubai from £439

• Heathrow to Barbados from £489

• Heathrow to Abu Dubai from £390

• Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur from £599

Club Europe Business Class Short-Haul Deals from Heathrow

• Pisa from £198

• Prague from £220

• Berlin from £241

BA Holiday Deals from London Gatwick

All these BA holidays include 1 x 23kg bag and return economy flights.

Orlando: 7 nights at the 3* Ramada Plaza Resort and Suites International Drive from £539pp, travelling between 6th January and 6th February 2025.

Grenada: 7 nights at the 3* Kalinago Beach Resort, from £649pp travelling on selected dates between the 1st June and 30th June 2025.

The Algarve: 7 Nights at the  4* Pestana Dom Joao II Beach & Golf Resort, from £249pp when you travel in January 2025. Includes breakfast.

Madeira: 7 Nights at the  4* Pestana Churchill Bay, from £399pp travelling in January + breakfast.

St Lucia: 7 nights at the 3* Bay Gardens Hotel, from £689pp travelling on selected dates from 1st June to 30th June 2025.

Greece: 7 nights at the  4* Alkion Resort, from £379pp travelling in May 2025 + breakfast.

Barbados: Seven nights at the 3.5* Butterfly Beach from £749pp, travelling on selected dates between 1st June and 30th June 2025. 

BA Holiday Deals from London Heathrow

All these BA holidays include 1 x 23kg bag and return economy flights.

New York: Three nights at the  4* Hotel Indigo NYC DOWNTOWN—WALL STREET from £519pp, travelling between 6th January and 6th February 2025. 

Las Vegas: 4 nights at the 4* Rio Hotel and Casino, from £669pp travelling from 27th January to 27th February 2025 on selected dates. 

Maldives: Seven nights at the 4* Bandos Maldives from £1049pp, travelling on selected dates between 1st June and 30th June 2025. 

You can reserve your holiday on the website or call 0344 493 0787.

🛬 How to Get A Free Stopover with Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is a hidden gem well worth adding to your bucket list. The excellent stopover programme makes it very cheap to visit.

If you have a layover of 8-24 hours, you can get a complimentary hotel stay at the new Skylight Hotel, the largest hotel in Africa. 

The hotel has modern and comfortable rooms and breakfast and dinner are included in your stay.

In addition to a free night’s stay, you’ll receive up to three meal vouchers, a free transit visa valid for up to 24 hours, and ground transport between the airport and the hotel. 

To qualify for the Ethiopian Airlines stopover programme, you must meet the following criteria:

• Your flights into and out of Addis Ababa must be operated by Ethiopian Airlines and booked on the same ticket. 

• The layover must be between 8 and 24 hours, and there cannot be an earlier connecting flight you could have taken.

Addis Ababa offers plenty to explore during your stopover. You can hire a guide for a city tour, visit local restaurants or bars, or explore one of the many museums. 

There are several tours you can add to your layover, including experiencing local festivals and events:

• Meskel Festival Tour - 26th September 2024: Includes the festival entrance fee, an English-speaking guide and water—pickup from the Skylight Hotel.

• Half-day Addis Ababa city tour: Includes all entrance fees, an English-speaking guide, water, and lunch at a local restaurant. You will visit Unity Park and experience a cultural coffee ceremony.

• Coffee Journey: This tour includes a visit to the coffee museum and the chance to experience a traditional coffee ceremony. Lunch is also included.

• Addis Ababa Monuments Tour: Tour to historical landmarks and Monuments in Addis Ababa

With Ethiopian Airlines’ extensive route network, a layover in Addis Ababa could be the perfect opportunity to explore a new culture and city without increasing your budget much.

Ethiopian Airlines is part of the Star Alliance. You can match your ShebaMiles status with Silver or Gold Star Alliance status and enjoy the benefits of flying with Star Alliance airlines such as Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.

🎯 What is Peak and Off-Peak Travel with British Airways?

British Airways Executive Club operates a tiered pricing system for award flights using Avios, categorised into peak and off-peak dates.

The basic idea is that during peak travel periods, which usually coincide with popular holidays and busy seasons, flights cost more Avios. Off-peak dates, which occur during less busy times, require fewer Avios.

Peak dates typically include major holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and the summer holidays. These are the most in-demand times to travel, so British Airways charges more Avios for flights these days.

Off-peak dates are less busy travel periods, with lower demand, and therefore, fewer Avios are needed.

By being flexible with your travel dates, you can save lots of Avios when travelling off-peak, especially if you plan to redeem your points for a business-class flight.

For example, the flight to Singapore below is off-peak and costs 40,000 Avios + £125. Using the Smart Redemptions Extension, you can see whether your chosen date is peak or off-peak, the redemption value and whether you should redeem Avios for that flight.

The same flight on 24th July 2025 is a peak flight, costing 5,000 more Avios for a reward seat and £301 more in cash value.

British Airways releases award seats 355 days in advance. If you know your travel dates fall in an off-peak period, book as soon as these seats become available.

☎️ A Look At eSIM-Cards.com

We’ve partnered with eSIM-Cards.com to offer you a 10% discount on your mobile data eSIM for your next trip. Their mobile data eSIM cards are unique in the fact that they all last for 180 days with very competitive pricing.

Let’s compare their eSIM Card pricing for Indonesia vs Airalo, the market leader. You get 10GB for $22.60, compared to $24.75 with Airalo, with 150 days extra!

Final Words

That’s all for this week! We hope these tips help you maximise your travel rewards and have better experiences.

Safe travels, and always aim for the upgrade!

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Bye for now!