Quick and easy ways to make your holiday money go further
Summer is around the corner, and we can’t wait to book our next trip. But what if you could make that holiday budget go even further? Here are a few easy ways to squeeze every inch of sunshine out of that holiday budget….
Chose your dates wisely
The number one way to save money on a week away is not to go during the school holidays. Obviously this does not help, if you have children but for those without, it is madness to go in August and expect a low-cost break.
Stay under the radarfor the best flight prices
Booking websites use browser cookies if you have searched with them before. If you look again for the same flight, they note your interest and raise the prices accordingly. Remove your tracks and any chance of this shoddy behaviour by clearing your computer’s cache after a search or turn on your browser’s private search function.
Book activities in advance
With a little research, you can plan ahead for what you might like to do. Attractions often have discounts for buying tickets online or a certain number of days in advance. If a couple of families are holidaying together it might be worth seeing if venues do cheaper entrance fees for groups. Book tickets through cashback sites may also bring down the overall cost.
European Health Insurance Card
The free EHIC gives discounted medical care in 28 European countries. Travellers are treated medically on the same basis as an insured person living in the country they are visiting. So you may be expected to contribute towards the cost of care but it won’t be the eye-watering sum it could be.
Shop around for travel insurance
Check if you have it already without knowing. Sometimes an insurance policy comes bundled with with your bank account. Give it a good read to make sure it covers what you plan to do and where you plan to go to. Have it in place as soon as you book the holiday in case illness strikes and you can’t travel.
Overseas mobile use
Data-roaming charges in the EU will be scrapped this month, but if you’re taking a phone abroad check with your service provider so you don’t return home to a hefty phone bill. Vodafone for instance will only be dropping the data-roaming charges for new or upgrading customers.
To avoid getting caught out turn off data roaming in the settings before you start your journey, and use wifi wherever possible .
Consider using public transport for transfers
It can work out much cheaper and better than waiting around at the airport on a boiling hot coach for the other flights to get in before a detour round all the hotels. Do your research, travel sites such as Trip Advisor often have good practical information from people who have done it before.
And ifthe old mantra that you need a holiday to get over a holiday rings true for you, make sure you check out our loan products and easy ways to save to keep more pounds, euros or dollars in your pocket.
