Travel Optimisations With Chelsea

Between the three of us we've done a quite a bit of travel, so here's some advice on how to travel in comfort, in style, and in budget!
CHELSEA: / howmanyholidays | / chchchchelsea
MATT: / unnamedculprit | TOM: / tomscottgo
Although we mention many brands and websites, this is not a sponsored video.

[@mattandtom]

I've just realised the video's thumbnail looks like the Romanian flag! Completely unintentional! --Matt

[@mvwinf]

Well, Chelsea being in red throws it off. Tom’s the only one who can be in red, right?!

[@robert.1674]

Matt and Tom more like completely international

[@VladyF]

Come and visit Romania, then. :)

[@daaishifeeling]

im romanian and i didnt even notice that, i was looking at matt's sunglasses which kinda made it look like he has a hole through his head with the blue background

[@GigglingChinchilla]

Or the flag of Chad, if you are African. ;)

[@HarryButHarry]

Tom reveals his drug addiction: "I'm on speed"

[@BloCKBu5teR]

"I'm on speed." Tom Scott, 2018

[@talsemgeest9798]

"I dislike humans!" Tom Scott, 2018

[@miallo]

I need the gif of his face with the subtitle!

[@ailaG]

There's all sorts of British jokes to be made about these two statements.

[@swantzter]

It's wonderful, one week it's about blowing up a shitton of fireworks, the next it's about fleeing the country...

[@desia.brimou]

Svante Bengtson coincidence? i think not.

[@Jakewake52]

“I hate humans!” - Tom Scott 2018

[@heather19515]

From ‘one week’ I read this to the tune of one week by the barenaked ladies

[@zyaicob]

@@heather19515 i was thinking Weird Al but that works too

[@bob_._.]

I was once on a late-night flight out of Portland, Maine. There were, at most, 12 passengers. When boarding time came, instead of boarding by section, the attendant at the gate said, "Everyone just go ahead and board; sit wherever you want."

[@CableFlame]

That has happened to me on very small flights as well.

[@tommyrichards1589]

I have an idea for a video. A jump cut of just laughing from the park bench. It may take a year to edit but just imagine the outcome.

[@SniperSpy10]

the needs to be a five part series, maybe six by the time they are all released

[@megamegacoolman]

I did something similar with Citation Needed, I'll see what I can chuck together.

[@katiekat4457]

Good idea but I don’t think it would work well. Both of you have ordinary laughs that aren’t the laughs where someone seriously thinks something is hysterical. You guys just have the regular happy people will-laugh-all-the-time laugh which isn’t funny to watch nor is it the kind of laugh that is contagious. You need to find laughs where you found something so funny that you almost cry and that laugh sounds completely different than the regular laughs you put out. Maybe it would work but i don’t think so.

[@YourMJK]

Gary Oak "maybe 20 minutes of work" yeah… no

[@TheGrooseIsLoose]

Just last night I was thinking how I wanted to take a trip somewhere and was wondering what the best way to find a cheap flight/hotel was. Perfect timing.

[@TimBeauBennett]

KZbin is a bastard for recommending this to me in June 2020.

[@SourceOfBeing]

I feel like the light on Chelsea halfway through the video is nature itself saying she's deserves more attention than Matt and Tom.

[@minihjalte]

I saw "Travel Optimisations" and got excited. Then i realised it wasnt about mathematical optimization of travel and i became sad.

[@peppybocan]

No TSP? Downvote! :D ...

[@wtrbrns]

sameeeee

[@Bobberation]

No Euler paths, 0/10

[@codygerard4193]

Chelsea looks like she's surrounded by a halo because of the lighting.

[@joshdean9105]

Avin97 shes beautiful

[@Shadow81989]

Being German it continues to surprise me, that in other countries the track on which trains arrive is only made public a few minutes before the train arrives - in Germany it's in the train schedule, so you can theoretically know it a year before the train goes, and changes from it are relatively rare and clearly announced ahead...

[@barvdw]

The French are even worse with that.

[@cdw2468]

Good old German efficiency and record keeping

[@adamrezabek9469]

same in Czechia, except trains are always behind schedule

[@Max_G4]

@@adamrezabek9469 They are in Germany too.

[@BerendsThomas]

Matt is literally Dug from Up. (Distracted by squirrels)

[@blindleader42]

I shouted Squirrel! at that exact moment. 😂

[@TaohRihze]

You and me both.

[@MindstabThrull]

Just one little tip if you're flying: See if there's other airports in the area. In 2015 I flew from Toronto, Canada to London, England for an event. While I was searching for a flight, I found London City Airport was an option - which also happened to be close to the event *and* to the hotel I'd be using... AND a fair bit cheaper than flying into Heathrow. So look around to see where you're flying into or out of, and see if there's less expensive options around!

[@vkillion]

"I dislike humans." -Tom Scott 2018 How British are you?

[@rat_king-]

Tea: that's how british i and Tom are

[@andrewu8525]

@@rat_king- Tom doesn't like tea though

[@0xt10]

Misanthropy : A trait all Brits aspire to have

[@I91AM]

very

[@Tussengassed]

Why am i watching this during an international lockdown

[@KerbalRocketry]

One thing not mentioned about BA Lounges; Free food, including hot cooked food (though menu is relatively limited), so you can eat there rather than eat the shite they serve on the plane.

[@artski09]

you need to be able to do it shamelessly so yes

[@FrancescoBellringer]

Saimons M&S Buy on Board 😑

[@VivienneGucwa]

Ok, the special occasion tip is one I have never heard and it's brilliant

[@LmaoItsScrub]

I think it would be quite fun seeing you two on a bench with Geoff Marshall

[@FrancescoBellringer]

I would pay to watch that some day

[@datdabdoe1417]

my PC is next to a window and when someone ran past I actually tried to look out the window to see where they were going

[@russellcoles11]

If you use google flights, you can put in the airports you want to fly from and leave the destination blank and get a map showing the price next to every airport you can fly to. Another useful tip is that on quiet flights with some airlines, if you choose to sit on the back row, you are sitting in more comfortable seats than the cabin crew have. To get more comfortable seats for themselves, the crew might upgrade you.

[@lohphat]

“Good, fast, cheap.” Pick two.

[@FrancescoBellringer]

Good & Cheap

[@linuschristensen6181]

Francesco Bellringer 17 stopovers

[@lmpeters]

Last summer I had an opportunity to visit Tampere (Finland), and used AirBnb to stay at an apartment in one of the western suburbs. Total cost was about $50 per day for an entire one-bedroom apartment (the owners had gone north for their summer holiday). Tampere is certainly not the most exciting city in Finland, but I found it very interesting to visit the local cafes, to buy groceries and cook my own meals using local ingredients, and generally experience what it would be like to live there.

[@oneofmanyjames-es1643]

As a student with basically no money, I might just go on holiday now!

[@BigAdam2050]

Being in London / near a big ass couple of airports helps.

[@ragnkja]

Big_Adam_2050 Yeah, it’s significantly easier if you live near a major international airport.

[@jony1710]

"I'm on speed" - Tom Scott 2018

[@Epinardscaramel]

6 ft 4 : 1.90 m 5 ft 11 : 1.80 m

[@commander-fox-q7573]

6ft4 is actually 1.94m

[@Dave_Sisson]

Those old measurements are confusing, when they mentioned their heights, I thought "what's that in plain English"... then I realised they were English. But I'd be very grateful if they translated those measurements into ones people outside the UK understand, just a small caption on the screen would be wonderful.

[@jajssblue]

This sounds like a classic Top Gear style competition! Make it so!

[@FoxCutter]

The best flight I ever had was one on Southwest where the crew out numbered the passengers on a 737.

[@mrdrummer2564]

Also, booking sites will save cookies (or at least used to) meaning if you look at the same flight again a few days later, the prices goes up for you... Clear your cookies (or just go incognito mode) to get the lowest price (also note that the prices will go up as the number of available seats go down)

[@tomkenning5482]

I'm 5'5 so to me an economy seat is like a business seat to most people

[@tvdan1043]

5'6" here and same. I was asked to trade seats with an elderly lady who had gotten put in the exit row and was unable to perform the duties of the exit row. I had so much room I felt like a child sitting in mommy's lap at church.

[@jefflanam]

The penthouse suite at the Luton Travelodge is a room that has an old copy of Penthouse magazine in the nightstand.

[@hejsa123]

This was really interesting and Chelsea was a great guest! :D

[@NovemberOrWhatever]

I strongly recommend Airbnb, get a good one in a somewhat-rural area and it's like a 5-star hotel, w/ a mid-sized home to yourself for 100$/night. Or, if you're dirt cheap, get a cramped room for 50$/night

[@p1rgit]

then, for dirt cheap, as i am (poor as church mouse), to have free room with risk of chatting the owner - it's called BeWelcome. and Hospitalityclub. and similar thing i will not mention, because they belong to Fbook now, i think, and are commercial AF. no use outta 'em in city like london or rome, unless yer dirt lucky, but ok for oxford and treviso and like.

[@dzhiurgis]

Not always the case. Here in Auckland you can find a nice room for $40 a night, where as rural can go $150 and more.

[@patrickhanft]

For someone from Germany it is soooo interesting to hear all these tipps, thinking about which can be applied to my own travels and which not. And then comes this platform thing, which as a German you almost can not understand (platforms are determined in advance, usually for the whole year, that the timetable is valid for) … ;-)

[@OriginalPiMan]

Patrick Hanft Yeah, I found that platform thing a little odd too. Aside from unplanned maintenance issues or other service disruptions, it is always possible to know with a high degree of confidence what platform a train will be at well in advance. (I'm in Australia)

[@Motorman2112]

The best travel thing I experienced in Germany was that the train timetables were coordinated with the bus timetables, so you had time to get off the train, walk to the bus stop, and get on the bus a couple of minutes later. None of the "watch the bus driving away through the train window" like you get in the UK.

[@patrickhanft]

Oh, I would say this is highly dependent on where you are in Germany and how good your local public transport is organised there. I know both experiences quite well, ;-)

[@_Piers_]

Sadly the train system is the UK is very poor... it's also the most expensive! :(

[@bigman5125]

Split ticketing is also really useful for saving money on trains. Also once you're on the platform before everyone else, go to the end of the platform as the front of the train always has far less passengers/more room in it.

[@finlay4469]

Yaay! I absolutely love How Many Holidays - so underrated. So glad you guys have collabed!

[@CipherAce95]

I thought this video was supposed to be about the Traveling Salesman problem from the viewpoint of a professional football team and its players. I'm deeply disappointed.

[@pi4t651]

When using price comparison sites, order your tickets directly from the company rather than through the comparison site, even if they quote the same figure. They sometimes take extra money for other costs. For example, when we last went on a plane, the price comparison site added a surcharge of some significant amount per extra bag, while the company themselves weren't charging for them provided you said you were bringing them while ordering.

[@katiekat4457]

The time of directions are intentional. They fly east at night so you can sleep through your flight and arrive in the morning and start your day immediately. You fly west in the morning because by the time you get there with the time change again you are there in the morning and ready to go for the day. This was a great video.

[@sIightIybored]

Having stayed in (both of) the Luton travellodge(s), they are ... functional.

[@KimTaura]

I love Secret Flying. I got a return trip to Sydney from LA for $450.This is perfectly timed since I've been looking at flights to London for Citation Needed!

[@sabaducia]

Sydney. LA. Return. $450. Whether it's US or AUD that's amazing.

[@DavidGlendinning]

I'm not a traveller myself but I do search for flights; a blind friend of mine rings me up to enlist my help when he needs to fly because travel websites are not screen-reader friendly. Brilliant tips - instantly bookmarked! (PS: he's also over 6' tall and has a service animal as well, so the comfort factor comes into play as well.)

[@michaelcouch66]

Rail Tickets - in addition to the Off Peak tickets there are Super OffPeak (cheaper, but more restricted) on some lines. Additionally you can book a seat (for no additional cost) on most pre booked routes.

[@terimarymags]

Loving the framerate-- the video is so smooth ahh

[@mahj]

That simultaneous "sorry" at the end was great.

[@MattNav]

Really enjoyed this episode. Was fun to watch/hear all your ideas and tips

[@adondriel]

omg, tom's thing about immigration, is brilliant. I completely agree with him, I had to sit in the longest line ever formed when I got back from costa rica.. stood in line for what I think was around and hour and a half. if not 2 hrs. It was insane. (super understaffed, and this was in one of the big international airports in America)

[@darrenclarke300]

Another trick for UK train travel is split tickets which allows you travel at peak times but cheaper. You buy a series of single tickets (and some can be advance purchases) which cover parts of your journey on or off peak. So you buy a ticket at full price that covers the peak part of your journey, you then buy an off peak for the remainder. The caveat is the train must stop at the place your off peak ticket starts, it can't just pass through. So Nottingham to London, you buy an any time single Nottingham to Leicester, then an advance of off peak Leicester to London. Then do the equivalent for the return. It's not as cheap as a fully advance purchase ticket but does mean you can get there earlier without the crush. Naturally there are web site that will work this out for you.

[@TheMaximusprime09]

i completely understand the shiver that went down Tom's spine at the mention of the Luton travel lodge, i waited for 3 hours for a pizza which made me sad

[@redactedwatkins6195]

tom's 5'11? he always looks so. small

[@VDhorses1]

AirBNB in Amsterdam I believe is very rarely someone's house. They are just hotel-kind-of things with no-one actually still living there. This might also be the case in other major cities.

[@harrytodhunter5078]

Hey! A new person. Hello new person!

[@sabaducia]

Flying business domestic is so worth it. I use minimum bid upgrades, make use of the lounges, and it's so worth it.

[@thewhatwhat12333]

*_"I've got two tips"_* Damn it, i spat out my orange juice

[@strangekat2840]

Something that you didn't mention about travelling by train is split ticketing. I've saved a fortune on rail tickets using that.

[@ailaG]

Doesn't that only work on anytime/offpeak tickets and only in the UK? I'm not sure if the UK has any train rides cheaper than the advance rates. But yeah, split ticketing is disturbingly cheaper. They've mentioned Manchester -> London, the couple of times I've done that I took the bus and it was £10 the night before. Much cheaper than any advance fare though an hour or two longer, but it's a long ride either way.

[@ailaG]

Oh, wait, I may have misunderstood. I was referring to how in the UK a ticket from A to B plus one from B to C may be cheaper than a ticket from A to C through B.

[@strangekat2840]

ailaG yeah that's what I was on about. There are a couple of websites that do it for you. I've found trains from Leeds to Edinburgh for less than £20 though that. I am still under 25, so I get a railcard and that helps.

[@russellbond1232]

'built for pleasure, not for speed!!!'

[@OlanKenny]

Also always book trains through an operator's website. They're the same price on all operator websites usually but you will find it easier with confirmation emails etc to find your reference number and journey details. Also easier if things go wrong. Plus they don't put the prices up if you visit a couple of times nor do they charge transaction fees.

[@JoshuaHillerup]

Fun fact for Canada: for intercity, *all* trains are "advanced". Also now assigned seating.

[@Dthenn]

You forgot about ticket splitting to save money on rail fares in the UK.

[@itskdog]

Another couple UK train things not mentioned, when booking Advance tickets, 2 singles can be cheaper than a return, and splitting your journey into 2 tickets (say, if you live in or near London, get 1 ticket to the major station, e.g. Euston, King's Cross, then another ticket to your final destination, or just use your Oyster Card to get to the main station, as that gives the cheapest fare for your journey, as long as you tap in and out correctly)

[@Psi105]

If your booking cheap holidays make sure you get confirmation for all your bookings a week before you arrive and record the call. They are more likely to "accidentally" lose your booking if they are making less money on you vs someone else paying full price.

[@Kadmium]

Google Flights is a fantastic resource for finding flights. It shows you prices on a calendar view so you can pick your dates better and it offers suggestions for optimising prices, like nearby airports. It also has information about seats, such as legroom and in-seat power.

[@RachelWolfe]

Awesome video! I am very tempted to travel suddenly. I'm also a student.

[@Malcar]

I watched this whole video at the strangest time, I couldn't fly anywhere if I wanted to.

[@DrewRadley]

I'm from Luton. I've stayed in that travelodge. Tom has a point.

[@daleykun]

I'm also going to Tokyo next month via Moscow. That was a one from Jack's Flight Club as well. Highly recommended

[@EnvAdam]

I found out that the intro string is called Killing with Kindness. Heh, I thought it sounded familiar when I listened to it.

[@Olivers-trains]

I use Real Time Trains all the time, for being a rail enthusiast detailed RTT is so useful

[@lily_niamh9524]

“I’m on speed” Tom Scott 2018

[@markjackson5806]

@chchchchelsea Great video. Only thing I can add, especially if you are taking domestic rail to catch an international flight is to check out "London international CIV". it's like a ticket to a virtual destination with lots of perks.

[@eken81]

As a wheelchair user I have to call the company and prepare them that I will need help boarding. But on the plus-side. I board before everyone and a person to carry my bags and get me to my connection when I get to the destination. So not all bad. Chelsea have a wonderful voice.

[@RobertBuchanTerrey]

Yup, i do love realtimetrains

[@Soulguard123]

nice video the glare is a bit annoying though

[@cambridgemart2075]

I've done the BA Business class thing in Europe and spent about 6 hours in the lounge before the flight (no, not because the flight was delayed).

[@nsiepmann]

Gotta say, 2020 is a rough year to be watching this...

[@nitehawk86]

Would love to see a video on road trips. I just love road trips.

[@philno]

I genuinely Found that most informative

[@redonyx5428]

Im in canada but these tips are still really helpful! Just have to adapt them to my situation.

[@niklas6576]

I flew from Germany to New Zealand and back with stopover in Beijing with Air China in Business Class for the normal Economy Class price once... Two 10+ hours flights each way and it was just sooo comfortable, especially the flatbed. I slept like a baby :)

[@carldavis5839]

I've used that Ryanair trick to figure out that by staying an extra day somewhere is often cheaper or works out around the same price overall with an extra day at the hotel or just going to the airport overnight for an early flight. Also suprised you guys didn't mention anything about split tickets on trains, as they can be cheaper than a direct ticket

[@JohnRunyon]

I flew American from Dallas (DFW) to Heathrow once. They had a 3-5-3 seat configuration (or 2-5-2?), and I was on the aisle seat of a group of 5... with no one else in it. (I ended up moving in for someone who needed to be closer to the lavatory, and someone else moved to the other aisle seat, but I still had 3 to stretch out in)

[@alexcasey6545]

One great tip for trains is ticket splitting. Can save an absolute fortune sometimes on long journeys

[@garybutler3256]

With train tickets, splitting your tickets at stations the train stops at can work out even cheaper than an advance. Rather than go A to B with an advance, it can be worth trying A-C C-D D-B for ticket prices. If you do this, you don't even have to get off the train at the intermediate stations. The important factor on this is the train MUST stop at the stations you have tickets to.

[@607]

Thanks for correcting your "There's little worse"!

[@kensmith5694]

Sometimes it is better to go to OAK than the SFO. Both are some distance from downtown SanFran so for both you need to work out the additional transportation. The total cost or time from Oakland can be less.

[@lcbrme138]

The quick bugel solo was unexpected.

[@jelleverest]

Domestic train routes are such a hassle in other countries. In the Netherlands, our railway system functions exactly the same as the metro.

[@daniwalmsley611]

I've actually stayed at the luton travelodge... someone set a fire in a wheellie bin and there was a power cut. It's about what you'd expect

[@mcmagiccracker]

Straight flight from Europe to work, been there. I was supposed to fly Amsterdam-Atlanta (nonrev) but I got bumped. My brother put the three of us on Amsterdam-Boston instead, and then home to Atlanta (not just connecting in Atlanta). I got to work at 2 A.M. instead of 11 P.M.

[@vaughnrl2003]

Trivago, 'more deals' Wow! Thank you.

[@AdzSONLINE]

Thank you!

[@rodbotic]

I work a Rotating shift, if you want to fix Jet leg, we use Vitamin B100. it will keep you awake/alert, not like caffeine. take one at the beginning of your desired awake time.

[@las1147]

Feel you, bro. 6 ft 4 as well and every year I fly to Brazil for 11 hours but business class costs too much haha

[@TheBassHeavy]

This was very useful!

[@thesmity31]

"High speed squirrels" hehe

[@hannah8109]

I just like the dog at 18:21 trying to make an appearance at the back and the owner's like: "nope"

[@ecoomber]

This was really good!

[@maxximumb]

Great video.

[@WSleeman]

Kayak has a feature where they’ll email you when a fare falls below a certain threshold.

[@timb1986]

The opera singer is back and singing this time!