Woman 'haggled' £99 Wowcher mystery holiday to land dream Paris trip
There's nothing better than packing your bags, jetting off to a brand-new place and enjoying some well-deserved time away from the chaos of everyday life back at home.
This is especially true if you don't have to bother with the faff of scrolling endlessly online looking for the best deal to bag yourself the holiday of your dreams that won't set you back an arm and a leg.
Well, this does, in fact, actually exist in the form of Wowcher's £99 mystery holiday, with one woman revealing her best tips and tricks to us - even claiming you 'absolutely can haggle' after landing her dream Paris trip.
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Samantha Monaghan, who hails from Northern Ireland, told us all about her experiences with the Wowcher mystery deal including the incredible sights she saw, the food she ate and her best hacks when it comes to finally taking the plunge and trying out the famous bargain holiday.
The 22-year-old clearly couldn't have been happier with the experience after claiming the £99 trip 'felt like a £500 one' in December just gone.
Samantha enjoyed a three-day trip in a three-star hotel in the city of love and brought along her best pal for the ride.
Not only did she manage to spend an entire day at Disneyland Paris during the getaway, but the jet-setter also got to see a whole load of tourist landmarks using a hop-on-hop-off ticket that only set her back an extra £30.
The Disneyland day trip, however, set Samantha and her friend back £160 each as they checked out both parks and splurged on the express line tickets, but it's clear the money was worth it as she said it was the 'best part' of the whole holiday.
As for her general experience with the Wowcher holiday, Samantha said she absolutely 'loved it both times'.
She continued: "I would 100% go again, my best friend has already booked to go again with her sisters and they are going to Frankfurt."
Offering some further advice to anyone out there curious about the TikTok-viral Wowcher mystery holiday deals, Samantha assured: "Do not worry!
"If you hate the stress and just want to go somewhere and have little care about the luxuries just go!"
She continued: "Since a travel agent will ring you to determine your holiday, you absolutely CAN haggle with them."
Samantha and her friend were not actually originally meant to get Paris: "We were meant to go to Malaga in December! Instead of a beach holiday, I asked for a city break so there was more to do."
According to the thrifty traveller, Wowcher had 'no problem switching it' as it 'just took some extra time on the phone'.
She added that the woman on the other end of the line was 'absolutely lovely and incredibly helpful', before advising: "If you have been to the location before do not be afraid to ask to find another destination.
"If you are like me and from Northern Ireland they can fly you out from Belfast or Dublin airport too at an extra cost, but Wowcher just states it's only from Scotland, England, Wales airports on the website.
"This was £30 extra per person but worth it rather than flying to England."
She also shared that 'you are paying for what you get' when it comes to the hotel.
"Do not expect a grand five-star hotel, they are all three or three-star hotels," Samantha continued. "But the travel agents genuinely do their best to get you in the city centre where you are a walk away from everything.
"The hotels were not new but they were safe, I didn't have any concerns of safety at all, since we were just two females travelling alone."
The jet-setter concluded: "These holidays are usually so hardcore to get everything done in three days, you will be crazy tired the next day but it will be an unforgettable experience!
"You can turn a £100 holiday into what seems like a £500 one!"
After having now been to both Venice and Paris using the deal, Samantha is now in the process of booking her third Wowcher £99 holiday and 'hoping to get somewhere like Amsterdam, Athens or Pisa'.
Wowcher's official 'fine print' on the holiday deals reads: "Once customers have been advised of their holiday destination they will not be entitled to a refund on the basis they do not wish to travel to the destination drawn."
A Wowcher spokesperson told Tyla: "Once a customer purchases our Mystery Holiday they are randomly allocated a destination and there is the chance to change this destination at redemption.
"Yes, you can speak with the travel provider to determine preferences, for example if you are awarded Barcelona but you do not like the hotel or flight times, often the provider can try and find you something more suitable. If they can’t find something more suitable within that destination, they can offer you an alternative.
"These alternatives depend on availability and what the travel providers can find you within budgets. They may also offer more desirable options at a higher cost but this is only ever optional to the customer."
Tyla has reached out to Wowcher for comment.
Rhiannon Ingle