How To Save Money On Your 2011 Holiday
Have you budgeted to go on a holiday, think you've got everything covered -
and then halfway through your trip realised your financial planning was out?You're not alone.
Many people have found the amount of money they thought they would need for a trip overseas hasn't been enough. And with airlines and holiday companies adding extra on to a lot of items that used to come as standard it's not a problem that's going to go away.
In their defence it's not surprising that airlines and holiday companies do this - the recession has hit the travel industry hard, and they need to increase the amount of revenue per passenger they are carrying on the airlines, and hotels for each guest they accommodate.
But putting the full price on advertised rates could affect their business, as it's the headline price that catches many people's attention - and with travel portals searching for the lowest price more popular than ever travel companies have to get around the low prices offered by making money elsewhere.
As an example we looked for a holiday to Ibiza for next summer, June 2011, to see what the holiday companies were offering, based on 2 adults with a reasonable hotel for 7 nights and Ibiza flights included.
Thomson Holidays, one of the UK's leading tour operators, have available return flights and a choice of two different Ibiza hotels for 320 a person, and they also include getting to and from the airport to either of the Ibiza hotels.
Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights. Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights.
Great deals from Britain's two leading holiday companies - but extras available include choosing a seat on the flight, a meal and travel insurance. The first two can be missed for the budget conscious, but travel insurance should never be cut out and can be taken either with the holiday company when booking, or independently.
In some ways the hidden costs that only become apparent when booking a trip, in the above example Ibiza holidays, aren't surprising given that the cost is often the first feature considered, and many holidaymakers expecting to have 5 star flights, hotels and holidays at 2 star prices - the most reliable companies have to compete at the headline prices offered by others.
Away from the booking itself, once people are on their Ibiza holidays or elsewhere, the cost of mobile phone calls are the biggest cause of complaint, despite the EU having ordered charges to come down in recent years.
Other charges that holidaymakers deemed to be excessive included the cost of a taxi - most commonly used to get from the airport to the Ibiza hotels where most people would be staying.
To keep costs down it's possible to book a taxi online with an agreed price and a driver waiting for you rather than taking pot luck upon arrival. Keeping luggage weights within the airlines allowance will ensure no surcharges, and some airlines offer half price luggage costs when it's booked online instead of doing it at the airport.
Searching the internet for good hotel deals often pays dividends, and some of the villa holiday companies have surprisingly good rates for Ibiza villa holidays - if there's four or more people visiting the island for a week it can sometimes work out around the same price as hotel accommodation. And exchanging currency in the High Street means getting a better exchange rate than at the airport.
And there are local variations in Europe that can inflate the cost of a trip. For example with leisure activities a trip to a water park in Cyprus will cost a family of four 90 Sterling, while in Italy it's half that.
But one thing that isn't going to cost any more is the weather, and for beach and sunlovers the Ibiza weather is going to be the same no matter how much has been paid for a flight or accommodation.
If you're searching for a cheap holiday, remember the extras, and that often you really do get what you pay for.
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