For many a holiday is the highlight of the year, with some people saving up for months to make sure they can afford to take their family away. As many families struggle to make ends meet, holidays are starting to be seen as luxuries which some are now being forced to do with. However, with a little foresight and some savvy financial planning, you don’t have to blow the bank to take your family away.
A number of sites now offer a range of money saving tips, and I particularly like these from My Voucher Codes – they have even created a money saving video.
Some of the tips are really simple, such as booking all-inclusive, which can help reduce how much you will spend when on holiday, to travelling with a group to allow costs of things like villas and care rentals to be shared. Whereas some, like taking an empty bottle with you when you fly to fill up from a tap after you have passed through security are brilliant in their simplicity.
One thing many people don’t realise is that £100s can be saved by booking off peak, indirect flights. Also choosing to stay on the outskirts of a popular tourist hotspot can mean serious savings on accommodation. If you aren’t going as a big group there is always the option of saving money by considering some alternative accommodation. Booking into a private room at a hostel, taking part in a home swap if your own home will be empty while you are away, or renting a sofa or spare room have recently are becoming increasingly common accommodation options.
When flying it is important to remember to pack light. Always try and weigh your bags before you leave home and if you find you are over, or close to the limit, take out any unnecessary items. Also, always make sure you are aware of any hand luggage limitations as you don’t want to find out at the gate that you have to pay an additional fee as your hand luggage is too big or heavy and so needs to be placed into the hold.