Travel Optimisations With Chelsea 

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

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

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

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

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."

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

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.

RU-vid is a bastard for recommending this to me in June 2020.

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.

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...

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

Why am i watching this during an international lockdown

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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) … ;-)

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)

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

“Good, fast, cheap.” Pick two.

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.

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

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

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.)

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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

"I'm on speed" - Tom Scott 2018

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.

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)

Loving the framerate-- the video is so smooth ahh

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

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

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

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.

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

That simultaneous "sorry" at the end was great.

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

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

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.

Hey! A new person. Hello new person!

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 :)

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

I'm 5'7" and I have a very big problem fitting in economy seating. But because of this problem I can sometimes use the ADA to get a free upgrade. I'm an amputee, and if I bend my knee too far, I will have the top of my prosthesis hit the back of my knee, which is fine for a few minutes, but more than that and it really hurts. Failing to get an upgrade I can sometimes take my leg off... But this can upset some people.

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).

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

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

If you really want cheap airfare, hang out at your "local" airport and make friends with a flight attendant. I have a family friend who is a stewardess, and once a year I can get a flight pretty much anywhere round trip for about 20 bucks. It may not be the nicest of seats but I'll get there.

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

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

Hahah I have actually been approached by cabin staff asking if I want to sit in one of those middle of plane emergency exit seats with the caveat that i have to be able to open the exit in an emergency. Infinite legroom. best flights ever, yes flights, to and from, completely by chance. Edit: It may not be as odd as it seems to be seated all together on an empty plane. they do optimise seating for reasons of balance and ease of piloting, May not have been the case for you but is something that is considered.

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

@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.

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

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.

I use the Skyscanner everywhere search once a month to find somewhere cool to go and just go. Had many great adventures that way.

I need a break. I didn’t think I could afford a break. Suddenly, a wild angel appears 😇

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)

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

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

Tom's 5'11"? I thought he was shorter than that, but in hindsight I think Matt may just be enormous

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

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

nice video the glare is a bit annoying though

My top tip for a blissful life. Never fly with Ryanair. Seriously, avoid Ryanair and your quality of life will increase exponentially. I wouldn't fly with them again if they paid me, it's not worth ruining your holiday and wrecking your entire life to save a few quid.

6'8" here (203 cm) - Seatguru is great! ☺️

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

I'm glad you uploaded this video as I was putting of booking my honeymoon as it was too much. I get married in 3 weeks and now have a honeymoon booked, few!

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.

Guess its the wrong time to watch this video 🙂

Yup, i do love realtimetrains

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

“I’m on speed” Tom Scott 2018

Relevant thing i learned from linear algebra. create a matrix with rows and columns being the cities in questions, let the value of each element be 1 if there is a plane/path from the column city to the row city or vice versa, if there isnt a path let the element be 0. if you matrix multiply the matrix with itself you will get a new matrix that will have new values, where it will display how many ways there are to get there by switching once. 3x3 example (it can be read as row->col as, london->Berlin has no paths, middle right element.) Stockholm London Berlin Stockholm 0 1 1 London 1 0 0 Berlin 1 1 0 Matrix multiplied with itself ie number of paths with 1 change Stockholm London Berlin Stockholm 2 1 0 London 0 1 1 Berlin 1 1 1 ie you can get to stockolm from stockholm by either going to london or berlin and going to berlin or london and then going back to stockolm. so 2 ways, for the trip sthlm->stkhlm hence the 2 in the upper left element.