Man uses 'Vinted of travel' to get luxury £9,000 cruise holiday for a third of the price
Looking to snag a last-minute holiday but unsure about where to start?
Well, what about a dedicated marketplace which allows you to purchase unwanted holidays, often for a fraction of the price?
Created in 2016, Transfer Travel allows holidaymakers the chance to securely buy and sell their holidays, flights, hotel reservations and hotel tickets – making it a win-win for everyone involved.
Some lucky users have even been able to secure holidays that would ordinarily be unaffordable to them.
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One person to do just that is Portuguese national Jorge Paiva, who was able to get two tickets for a luxurious Silversea cruise for just £3,000, a fraction of the original £9,000 price tag.
Pretty neat, huh.
Speaking about his trip in a recent interview with The Times, the business administrator revealed that he was joined on the cruise by a friend, with the pair visiting Madeira, Malaga and Tangier on the holiday.
The sun-soaked destinations weren't the only highlight, as the friends enjoyed a fancy suite, complete with a private balcony and 24-hour room service, onboard the ship.
"Most of the people on the cruise were 65 or older. Someone thought we were dancers on the cruise, which I took as a compliment," he said of the trip.
"I didn’t care about the destination if the price is right, I will do it just for the experience."
At the other end of the transaction was 43-year-old Owen Basset, who was trying to recoup some money for his elderly parents had to bow out of their vacation on health grounds.
"At that stage, we'd already assumed the money was gone, so getting anything back felt like a real win and it made a big difference," he told MailOnline of the decision to list the trip on Transfer Travel.
"Travel resale is not something you expect to need, but I'd definitely suggest people look into it if they're in a similar situation."
How does Transfer Travel work?
After uploading their holiday to the website, sellers can accept offers from buyers. Like Vinted, it's also possible for buyers to negotiate the price, with more savings to be had if the trip is ultra last minute.
Once a deal is agreed, the seller then updates the travel itinerary with the new passenger information before funds are released.
There is one caveat to be aware of, as Transfer Travel gets a 30 percent commission on the final sale. However, the website stresses that payment is only taken once a sale has been finalised.
If a seller fails to complete this within a 72-hour window, then a refund is issued to the buyer.
Current listings on the site include a four-day cruise from Miami discounted from £2,034 to £965 or £700 off a week-long holiday in Ibiza.
"There's well over a thousand listings on the website at the moment, well over a thousand different people who need to kind of recoup a bit of money or sell travel plans when things change," Maisie Blewitt, head of commercial at Transfer Travel explained to MailOnline, adding that most buyers can make savings between 40 and 70 percent.
Topics: Lifestyle, Money, Travel, Cruise Ship
Brenna Cooper