The summer is here, and that can only mean one thing: a family holiday. You work too hard and for too long not to have time off over the summer. Plus, it is always nice to get the family together and spend quality time together in another country. The only problem is the price. Holidays are not cheap, especially in the summer time. To keep the cost down, you need to know a few tricks of the trade. And, luckily for you, you will find a handful of them below.
Try A New Destination
Spain, Italy, and France are always going to be expensive because of the demand. Every year, millions of Britons get on a plane and head for their favourite tourist spots. As a result, the price goes up and up every year. If you want to save money, you need to avoid these countries. At the very least, you need to avoid the most popular spots. Try and find a place that you have never travelled to before and give it a chance. Places like Hungary and Eastern Europe are both cheap to travel to and cheap to stay, and they will be less crowded. If you do decide to go to Spain, then make sure you look into Plaza de Catalunya luggage storage beforehand, so you can avoid the early check-in fee at hotels.
Book Outside Of High Season
The term ‘summer holiday’ means that you should go in the summer. However, you don’t have to go on holiday during the summer months if you holidays in the autumn. After all, the kids get a week off from school in October, so they are fine, or go at the beginning of September. All you need to do is book time off work, and you are free to go in the low season. The prices drop dramatically, and that drop will give you more money to enjoy yourself while you are on holiday. You’ll be able to find cheap holidays from Southend Airport, for example, that’ll allow you to jet off to a whole range of European countries. For those of you that are thinking about the weather, September is as warm as the end of August.
Get Insurance
No one wants to tempt fate, but injuries can happen when you are abroad. And, that is the worst place for them to happen because they are expensive. Even a small trip or fall can be enough to cost your family thousands of pounds. The reason is that medical care is a lot more expensive on the continent than it is at home. Without insurance, you might not have the money to cover the cost of treatment. If you do, it will take a big chunk out of your earnings. Insurance or a European health insurance card is enough to pick up the tab until you get back home.
Go With Friends & Family
The more the merrier, or say the saying goes! But, from a financial standpoint, it is true. When there are more people on a holiday, there are more people to split the bill. That goes for everything from accommodation to travel expense. You will find that you even chip in for the bill when you would normally pay for it alone. Take food as an example. Instead of going out and picking up the cheque, you will split it between everyone at the table. Over the course of two weeks, that will save you a lot of cash. Plus you can share childcare and can each get a ‘night off.’
Use Vouchers
Don’t forget to use voucher sites like Groupon, Wowcher and Littlebird for days out in the UK and abroad, there are often great deals to be had and money off, you shouldn’t need to pay full price.
Try a House Swap
If you are brave enough there are house swap websites now where you can save a bundle on holidays by offering your home as a destination in itself and then swapping for where you want to visit.
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