So.
You may recall that the plan for Europe hinges largely on the ability to pay for our Channel Shuttle tickets with Tesco vouchers, and that the original plan was dashed by the discovery that Hank the Yank was not allowed through the tunnel due to having an LPG tank fitted. One happy side effect of swapping vans is that petrol-fuelled Vincent can happily travel by train.
Today we dug out the Tesco vouchers to check expiry dates and see what we had available to use for the proposed trip to France in the Autumn. It seems a little weird to be talking about “the Autumn” rather than “next year” but Tempus, it do Fugit just a bit.
It took a while until our addled brains grasped the idea that the expiry date on our Tesco vouchers does not have to match our departure date. In fact we can purchase our tickets in advance, thereby utilising the vouchers that die some months before we go.
The cheapest ticket that we can find online is £83, plus another £18 for the dog – one way. We were thinking that tying ourselves down to a return date was a stupid idea. Then Mr Snail read the small print on using Tesco vouchers, which are valid only for journeys originating in the UK… meaning that to use them for the trip home in 2018, we will need to buy a return when outgoing.
Tickets are valid for one year from purchase and booked dates may be changed if required. No admin fee is chargeable but there may be a surcharge where the new ticket price is dearer than the original purchase,
So far, so good.
I have one Tesco voucher due to expire at the end of February that will be of no use for this project. I have three more, totalling a hefty £18.50 that expire at the end of May. Three times £18.50 = £55.50; a hefty part of our total one-way ticket and a not insignificant portion of a return ticket. Too much to waste, we think.
So, the plan is to return home thhis April and start work on selling the house. Whilst we slap the paint on the walls we can be planning the Winter 2017/18 trip and firm up our ideas sufficiently to allow us to book a return ticket going out around August/September and returning before the end of May 2018.
We think that works.
Now all that we have to do is to find out the detail behind the small print that says that the online prices are not valid for tickets purchased with Tesco vouchers, which incidentally cannot be purchased online either. We suspect that there will be little or no financial difference but we do have enough Tesco vouchers to cope with any extra cost. Or so we hope.