Cheap flights, find the best deals here
I would prefer to skip the months of January and February. Or at least spend them in another location. Work and personal life don't really allow for that, so a short trip is the best way to push aside the winter blues. I really wanted to get away for a bit, but I thought my wallet wouldn't allow it. A return ticket to a somewhat nice destination is, I thought, quickly €400, and if you go with two people, before you know it, you've already spent a lot of money. That turns out to be nonsense, although I was in good company, as almost half of the Dutch (42 % to be precise) think that a return ticket costs at least €400. But the average price of a return flight is €269, provided you book a bit cleverly, of course.
Skyscanner shows the cheapest options
So I wanted to get away for a bit, but I didn't really know where I wanted to go and didn't feel like spending a lot of money on it. Skyscanner turned out to have the golden solution; they have a planner that lets you see what the cheapest destination is for each month. Skyscanner has a list of the cheapest destinations for 2026 and they advise you on what the cheapest days to travel are within that month.
No more dread about booking
Research conducted by Skyscanner shows that 57% of the Dutch dread booking a trip for 2026 and that for 39%, costs are the main reason. Because many people think it will be more expensive than it is. With Skyscanner's new tool, those 39% can now book with a calm heart. I'll just share the cheapest destinations for 2026: Valencia, Edinburgh, Marrakech, Lisbon, Seville, Split, Istanbul, Reykjavik, Faro, and Athens.
Through Skyscanner to Edinburgh
On that list, I saw Edinburgh, a city I might not have chosen right away, but which turned out to be ideal for a short trip for two. It's only an hour's flight, Edinburgh is then a half-hour taxi ride from the airport, and both the tickets there and the hotels were incredibly affordable. A little tip if you're going to Edinburgh: Scotland is no longer part of the EU, so you need a passport and not just your ID (advantage: you arrive in the other hall at Schiphol with the luxury shops Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Cartier, bliss) and of course, you need pounds there. Edinburgh itself is a sort of Harry Potter version of London. Everything is just as cute and charming, exactly as you want it, with men in kilts, lots of cups of tea with milk on the side, cashmere, tweed, and check patterns. Additionally, the city is also hip with beautiful restaurants, nice shops, and many trendy coffee spots.
My favorites in Edinburgh
We stayed at the hotel The Scotsman, a lovely hotel in a perfect location. Turn right and you're in the more traditional part with bagpipers, shops selling cashmere, and beer pubs that all seem to be called “The Glorious Inn.” Turning right takes you to the more modern part with a Harvey Nichols, Uniqlo, Zara, Lush (with the special UK-only collection), Jo Malone, and the delightful brand Sweaty Betty that I discovered. A bit like London's Lululemon.
We dined at Glenneagles Townhouse, which is also a beautiful hotel, but we wanted to keep it a bit affordable this time, so we stuck to dinner. Another great place is The Dome, a stunning building with grand service. A friend recommended their high tea, but dinner fit our schedule a bit better, and that was also top-notch. Of course, we had to experience a high tea, and we did that at The Balmoral. I found it a sensation. A harpist dancing her fingers over the strings while I sipped the most delicious caramel tea I've ever had. It was a sort of tea cappuccino with a sweet aftertaste, divine. For us, a three-tiered stand of pure enjoyment and a waiter who provided us with unlimited fresh tea and poured it from a meter high into the cups. At Jo Malone, I bought their special edition perfume in the scent ginger biscuit, which they actually only sell during the Christmas period and also only in the UK, but because I asked very sweetly, the saleswoman dove into their stock cupboard and found two bottles. I bought one; I had earned it after all that saving with Skyscanner.
