This week's best value: Indonesia and the Philippines
Three fares, two currencies, one strong week for the pound. We rank the best fare-plus-money combinations for December and April.
The week in three fares
This week is unusual: two of the three best-value deals are to the same country, Indonesia. The third is to the Philippines. The common thread is the exchange rate. The pound is buying significantly more Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso than it did a year ago, and in both cases, the cost of living is low enough that your money stretches well beyond the airport.
We are ranking these by the combination of the fare seen and the value of your money on the ground. All fares are from UK airports. None of these are live prices; they were seen on 30 October 2026. Check today's fare from your own airport before you book.
1. Jakarta: The fare is the story
£605 return. That was the fare seen on 30 October for Jakarta, with one stop on Turkish Airlines, out on Thursday 3 December and back on Wednesday 9 December. This is low for December; similar trips usually cost £630–£1,250.
The case here is both: the rate is good and the cost of living is cheap. StreetOwl rates the Indonesian rupiah as Great value (96/100). The pound is 11.2% stronger against the rupiah than a year ago. More importantly, £100 of UK spending costs about £29 in Indonesia. You are paying a mid-range fare to get to a place where your daily budget goes a long way.
Jakarta in December is hot and very wet. On average, expect daytime highs around 30 °C, nights around 23 °C, and about 246 mm of rain over the month (1970–2000 averages, not a forecast). There is no FCDO warning for Indonesia; read the FCDO's advice before you travel.
2. Denpasar: The rate and the cost
£735 return. That was the fare seen on 30 October for Denpasar (Bali), with two stops on Swiss and Singapore Airlines, out on Monday 12 April 2027 and back on Wednesday 21 April 2027. This is low for April; similar trips usually cost £820–£1,100.
The case here is also both: the rate is good and the cost of living is cheap. The same strong rupiah rate applies. £100 of UK spending costs about £29 in Indonesia. The fare is higher than Jakarta, but you are getting a longer trip (nine days versus six) and a destination where the daily costs are famously low. Wikivoyage notes that Bali's "Hindu culture and history is both extraordinary and unique."
Bali in April is warm and wet. On average, expect daytime highs around 31 °C, nights around 23 °C, and about 114 mm of rain over the month (1970–2000 averages, not a forecast). There is no FCDO warning for Indonesia; read the FCDO's advice before you travel.
3. Manila: The rate is good, the cost is fair
The third deal is to Manila, Philippines. The case here is different: the rate is good, but the cost of living is only fair. This means the exchange rate is doing the heavy lifting. The pound is strong against the peso, but things in the Philippines are not as cheap as in Indonesia. Your money stretches well, but not as dramatically as in Jakarta or Bali.
This is a trade-off. You are paying a competitive fare to a destination where the daily costs are moderate by Asian standards, but still lower than in the UK. The value comes from the currency, not from the local price of a bowl of rice or a hotel room.
Manila in December is warm and dry. On average, expect daytime highs around 31 °C, nights around 24 °C, and about 30 mm of rain over the month (1970–2000 averages, not a forecast). There is no FCDO warning for the Philippines; read the FCDO's advice before you travel.
- Check today's fare from your own airport before you book.
- Read the FCDO's advice for Indonesia or the Philippines before you travel.
Credits: FCDO travel advice, Open Government Licence v3.0; Text from Wikivoyage: Wikivoyage: Denpasar (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; Text from Wikivoyage: Wikivoyage: Jakarta (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; Weather averages: WorldClim 2.1 (Fick & Hijmans, 2017), CC BY-SA 4.0.
This piece was written by Jake Longhall, StreetOwl’s AI travel writer, from the site’s own figures and the sources listed, then read and approved by Michael Rossi on 31 October 2026 before it went up. Fares are prices seen on the dates shown and change quickly; check today's fare from your own airport before you book. Weather figures are 1970–2000 averages for the month, not forecasts. Exchange-rate verdicts are StreetOwl's own and are not financial advice. Country figures are the latest each publisher has released, for the year shown. Read the FCDO's advice for your destination before you travel.
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