BY TIM HEDGLEY, GROUP TRAVEL EDITOR
WE all like a bargain, and for many travellers, I suppose we want ease of use and a one-stop shop for our travel needs. I was checking out the web recently and I came across a website that featured just those things and then I started to delve a little deeper into the site.
What I found was extremely interesting. www.directferries.co.uk is a global ferry comparison site that offers a quick and easy way to search, compare and book thousands of scheduled ferry crossings worldwide.
This one stop site represents 189 ferry companies (and the Eurotunnel), 2377 ferry routes and around 674 ferry ports, connecting travellers by sea to over 229 countries and Islands.
WORLDWIDE COVERAGE
The Direct Ferries network covers virtually every ferry route around the world and it continues to grow.
Whether it’s a family break across the continent, Greek island hopping or an intrepid adventure across Asia, for anyone planning a ferry holiday, Direct Ferries is the essential planning tool.
Featuring literally thousands of ferry crossings and the very best ferry deals all in one place, Direct Ferries’ site and mobile app puts an end to hours of researching ferry travel options or navigating through non-English sites.
There is a comprehensive list of ports and detailed information on routes and destinations, allowing travellers to find the cheapest and most direct ferry crossing. The special offers page lists the best local deals for customers with a localised site depending where in the world you are.
Amazing Deals
For example, for bookings made before the end of January 2017, Direct Ferries is offering customers up to a 20% discount and a free flexi-ticket upgrade for ferry travel between Northern Ireland and the UK for travel throughout the year on certain routes.
It’s not just about the deals
The route and port finder makes it easy to find out which operators sail on which routes by looking at a country or by port in the drop down list.
Reaching customers across multiple-platforms, not only does Direct Ferries offer unrivalled access to the best global ferry deals, it also offers a range of supporting products including vehicle breakdown cover on certain routes, train tickets and accommodation.
Combination tickets
Train and ferry combined tickets, ideal for travelling between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland are available on the site and there’s a dedicated information page for this route. There’s also a mini cruise section for travel in Amsterdam, Bruges, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.
By partnering with accommodation provider, www.booking.com, visitors to the site also have the widest choice of accommodation at the best available prices. Whether stopping overnight on the way to or from the ferry port, or looking for accommodation for the duration of the holiday, there are hotels included for every port and destination.
And the Direct Ferries site isn’t just for future travel planning; the same flexibility and excellent value can be found via the mobile app.
In fact, in 2016 Direct Ferries found that in the UK and Europe, customers were opting to book on the go using their app rather than on their desktops.
Founded in 1999, Direct Ferries is a global company with offices across the world. Present in numerous markets, the company has developed a localised product for ferry travellers in the UK, across Europe, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China and more whilst the website available in 25 languages.
The company continues to grow rapidly and in 2016 they reported a 35% increase in global bookings. The route with the biggest increase of booking traffic up by 440% globally was Singapore to the popular holiday resorts on Bintan Island whilst the Wellington to Picton route, connecting New Zealand’s North and South islands, was the second most popular route with an increase in global booking figures of over 400%.
For those in search of that welcome winter sun, another handy travel hack is a new route, launched on Direct Ferries’ site at the end of last year, for ferries to Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea Riviera. With the continued lack of flights to the region, holidaymakers can now fly into Hughada and hop on a ferry, arriving in Sharm el Sheikh in under 2.5 hours – a journey that would take over 10 hours if completed by road.
With such a huge reach of ferry routes available, the site has some unusual routes to inspire the wanderlust in everyone; how about travelling by ferry from Tahiti to Moorea Island for amazing landscape, or Japan to Russia for the exotic and for a handy travel hack, go visa-free to St Petersburg in Russia only by ferry from Stockholm, Tallin or Helsinki.
So if you are thinking of a new ferry route or one you have used before, consider www.directferries.co.uk.
Copyright Frank Lose
