Yahoo Finance 7 holiday tips to save you money on your summer trip abroad
Everyone loves a summer holiday – the trouble is, they can be very expensive.
Last year, UK holidaymakers were likely to spend an average of £974 per person on a summer holiday including £288 on spending money, £96 on buying new clothes and £58 on transport costs.
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The 1.6 million users of online site HotUKDeals have shared their top holiday hacks to cut the cost of a trip abroad.
Before you fly:
1- Clear your cookies and shop around.
Booking flights and accommodation separately is an established way of saving money and, according to members of HotUKDeals, using sites like Momondo, Skyscanner and Travel Republic are useful for comparing prices to help holidaymakers get the best deal.
UniquelyMoi247, along with other members of HotUKDeals, advises that as you search and compare prices online, some websites track re-visits and increase prices each time, to hurry users into buying.
2- Ensure your credit/debit card is foreign-friendly or use a pre-paid card. Don’t rely on credit and debit cards that you would use in the UK as using them abroad will probably incur charges in the shape of non-sterling transaction fees and cash withdrawal fees – as well as unfavourable exchange rates. Members suggest using specific travel credit cards such as the Halifax Clarity card, or, better still, pre-paid cards.
3- Book as much as you can in advance. Transport costs can really hit the overall cost of your holiday. Comparing prices and/or advanced booking of things like airport parking, resort transfer, car hire and taxis can save you a bundle. When hiring cars, a pre-bought car hire excess insurance policy can save money versus the car hire company’s daily cover – you can compare prices at websites like moneymaxim.co.uk.
4- Check international roaming charges. Check with your network whether your holiday destination has free international roaming and set appropriate usage caps so you don’t go over your allowance. You can check on your provider’s website to see which countries are included or whether you need to take out an extra plan for your holiday to cover any costs for calling, texting and browsing online. If you don’t have data allowance, download as much as you can before you go, such as google maps or city mapper for the local area and the TripAdvisor guide, for example.
On-board:
5- Avoid unnecessary costs on-board. Many travellers are tempted to splash out in the airport or on the aircraft on items such as perfume and cosmetics. But is it always cheaper to do so? On-board catalogues are available online, so you can compare prices before you travel and make smart decisions once on the flight.
At your destination:
6- Negotiate day trips and excursions. One member of HotUKDeals – Parvatik – managed to get a 30% discount by negotiating the cost of a boat trip in Tenerife, so it’s well worth other holidaymakers trying their luck!
7- Eat where the locals eat. One member suggests that tourist restaurants can be up to ten times more expensive than local restaurants. Why not explore other restaurants where residents eat, saving money and absorbing some local culture?
