Flight's
For cheap seats:go for less popular midweek or early-morning bookings with the budget airlines,and sign up for'early bird' emails to find out in advance about special offers.Even using a scheduled airline,the earlier you book,the cheaper the fare,but to find out whichairlines offer the best sears,go to
http://www.airlineequality.com,where/ passengers review seats,highlighting the best seat numbers to ask for at check-in.Before booking,view each airline's seat size at
http://www.seatguru.com.once/ on board,if you're not happy with your seat and you can see empty ones,ask the cabin crew if you can move once the plane has taken off.The best seats will always be first class,but if you can't afford the fare,join the airline's frequent flyer programme,advises Louise MacDonald from travel company Lonely planet(
http://www.lonelyplanet,com)./ more chance of an upgrade if your a loyal customer,.Ask to be marked down as SFU(suitable for upgrade)at check in,which gives the impression you're a regular customer who's been upgraded before and if doing this dress v smartly.
Hotels
Book for midweek or Sunday nights for cheaper deals.After 4pm when hotels are keen to sell their last rooms,you can usually negotiate a discount.Check
http://www.laterooms.com/ to save up to 70%on standard roomrates.
Restaurants
Never ask for the 'best table',as restaurants will claim all their tables are equally good.For more table choice,avoid friday and Saturday evenings,when restaurants are most busy,and at restaurants where it's hard to get a booking,go for lunch on a Monday or Tuesday.'If you're determined to get a dinner reservation,go for early evening dining up to 8pm-go to
http://www.5pm.co.uk/ ,an online booking service for some of the uk's top restaurants.Restaurants won't be at their busiest,so you'll get better service and may benefit from early-evening dining deals.Most top restaurants hold back a few tables for regular celebrity guests,so it's worth making friends with the reservations manager.If you're able to leave things until the last minute,you can often strike lucky.Call mid- evening when the reservations manager will usually know wheather he can release those extra tables.If you can find out the number of your chosen table,always ask for it,as it shows you've been there before.If it's your first time,ask for a table that's not near the entrance to the kitchen,the toilets or the front door.
Theatre
Most people assume the closer you are to the stage,the better your seats,but in some theatre's,the first rows of the stalls can be too close to the stage,meaning you're almost at eye-level with the action,According to the independent theatre guide website
http://www.theatremonkey.com/ ,the best views in the house are rows six to eight in the stalls.These seats are near the front,but you won't be craning your neck to see the stage.The front row of the balcony or dress circle is best for a panoramic view,although you'll have less leg room than in the stalls.Good seats cost more,but if you're on a budget,check out
http://www.lastminute.com/ ,where you'll find tickets to popular shows for as little as£10.Or try matinees or performaces during the early part of the week,which may have special offers on the better seats.If you're not familar with the theatre seating plan,have a look at it on the theatre monkey website before booking.
Cinema
Get free tickets for previews ofvthe latedt films by signing up to
http://www.seefilmfirst.com/. It's free to join,and you'll be emailed when spare tickets become available at special screenings around the country.When it comes to picking the best seats in the house for picture and sound,arrive early and sit in the middle of the screen,ten to 15 rows from the front.If you prefer to book your seat in advance,try Odeon's Premium seats,which are bigger and more comfortable.To save money on ticket's,take advantage of deals like orange wednesdays where orange mobile and broadband customers can get two tickets for the price of one.
Days out
Plan ahead for great days out without spending a fortune...if you want to get your hands on some coveted Centre Court tickets at Wimbleton enter the public ballot by post.The closing date is 31 December and tickets start at £29.Visit
http://www.wimbledon.org/ .For cheaper tickets during the tournament,arrive after5pm,when you can get in for£14.If you feel like a day at the races,forget the big festivals,where you'll have to jostle for a good view.Cheltenham and Goodwood host race events year round,and you can buy ground tickets from£5 at
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/.
