Holiday Budgeting Tips

With Summer just around the corner, our holidays are always something to look forward to. But no matter how good our intentions are, how often do we stick to our holiday budget? When you’re enjoying yourself, it’s easy to rack up the spending and worry about paying for it later. The trouble is your credit card bill can come as a mighty shock when it hits your inbox after you get home. Here’s our top tips to cut back on your holiday spending without cutting back on the fun.

How Much Can You Afford?
The first thing you should have in mind is a budget, whether you’re going as a family or a group of friends a budget means that you’ll be safe in the knowledge that whatever you’re searching for isn’t going to break the bank. It’s very easy to start off without one and before you know it you’ve come across a villa with a helipad which is only an extra £300pp! Work out what you can afford to spend and create a rough daily allowance from this (just keep some extra in case of emergency). Of course, you’ll spend more on some days than others, but if you keep track as you go, it’ll be more enjoyable when you do decide to splash out a bit.

The Search
Choosing where you actually want to go can be hard but features like Skyscanner’s ‘everywhere’ search can help you narrow it down, especially when you’re working with a budget. There are also apps like ‘Hopper’ which are great for finding out the best times to book for certain destinations. They’re mainly beneficial if you’re looking to book flights and accommodation separately.

If you’re looking for a package holiday, websites like Holidaypirates.com are great for finding cheap deals. Although they offer fixed dates so you may have to be a bit flexible if looking on there.

Airbnb is always a great place to start when you’re looking for affordable accommodation – with a large selection of places and an easy to use filter on the site, it makes it easy to narrow down your search. And if you’re not that fussed about sharing a place with other people, it can be very cheap.

Insurance

Insurance is something which always seems a bit of a hassle and can be forgotten about on the odd occasion, but is very important. The company which you book your holiday through can often try and sell you some whilst you’re in the process of booking but it can be a smart move to hold off. There are plenty of comparison sites out there where you can compare different insurance packages and what they offer, and they will usually be cheaper than what you’ve previously been offered.

Cash or Card?

It’s always a good idea to have a little bit of cash to take with you so you’re able to pay for things as soon as you arrive (taxis etc.). But, taking a large amount of cash can be a dangerous idea - no one likes to carry round lots of money and it can be a safety risk if you’re in a country you’re not so familiar with. Travel money cards are a life saver when it comes to traveling, they’re easy to use and you don’t have to worry about carrying lots of cash around in your pocket. You can also then keep track of spending through mobile apps or online servicing sites.

Mobile Use

It seems an obvious one, but it can be easy to forget to look up what fees your network may charge when you go abroad. Make sure you know exactly what the deal is around using your minutes, texts and data abroad. An industry change in June 2017¹ resulted in the abolition of roaming charges in the EU, meaning that you could use your minutes, texts and data in your plan at no extra cost. However, not all plans are covered, so make sure you check with your network before you jet off. And, of course, if you’re traveling outside the EU make sure you’re aware of any charges which may occur when roaming.

Eating out

Everyone loves eating out when you’re on holiday. Trying new foods and experiencing new flavours is great but it can burn a hole in your pocket. Look out for fixed price lunch menus, or even make your own - especially if you can pick up fresh local produce at a market. A packed lunch for a day at the beach could mean spending £15 for the whole family, rather than £65 at the local taverna.

At the end of the day a holiday is a time to relax, and if you budget well, you’re not going to be worrying about how much money you’re spending. We’d love to hear if any of the above tips helped you, so please tweet us @Cashplus and let us know!

Sources

[1] Agreement end roaming charges june 2017

This content was created on 15th June 2018