Let’s consider some holiday ideas to beat the credit crunch, because despite economic gloom (Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance research reveals) almost 28 per cent of the adult population intend to book a holiday between Christmas and the end of February 2009. Even for those of us on a small budget, there are still ways out, but you have to be a little more cunning and flexible.
The first principle is to decide on a budget and stick to it, get an overall budget that you want to spend on your back time. There are so many ways to travel – packages, all inclusive, no board, full board, flights and separate accommodation – and too many types of vacations to mention in one place – that this is the only way to make rational decisions where cost is an issue. driving factor. Once you have an overall budget, break it down, for example:
- Flights (and airport taxes + supplements) or ferries
- Airport parking or transfers or airport hotel
- Accommodation
- Food and drinks (don’t forget that with the fall of the pound sterling they will rise 25-30% from last year, take the higher figure as it can slide further)
- Recreation and travel (car rental)
- Souvenirs + duty free
- Travel insurance
- New clothes or other essentials to buy before you go – sunscreen
- Hidden charges and extras
This will help you compare radically different types of vacations and force you to think about the total cost of different options. Also worth noting: don’t assume there will be better deals later. I have not heard any tour operator boast about how well reservations are being held under current conditions. This may mean that the sphincters are starting to tighten and they want to fill some places now to avoid a lot of unsold vacations later. They’ll also have shed some capacity, and things could still be busy at peak times. So start looking now as there are plenty of bargains out there.
Christmas Bargain Ideas
There are obvious ways to save money when you leave, like going for a shorter time or downgrading, but why compromise when you can try to get a bargain? Haggling is the new black these days, so keep in mind that people will expect to bargain and that makes it easier.
So if you’re booking accommodation, haggle. Go online to get a price and then try a phone call to the hotel. Even if they don’t lower your rate, they’ll see if you can get an upgrade. they can throw breakfast or some other treats. Ask about transfers from/to the airport?
Great advice: from first-hand experience. Don’t make the mistake of concentrating on a single item like accommodation. We looked at a bunch of villas, found one we liked on an island we liked, and booked it. We then looked up flights, these were incredibly expensive, even on a budget airline. Especially true at peak times. It more than eliminated any savings we had from doing a bundle. The same is true in reverse, just because there are cheap flights, don’t assume you can go and find cheap accommodation. However, as a general rule, the price of flights goes up closer to the time of the flight and the price of accommodation goes down, so if you’re going to bet, book your flights first!
Holiday Ideas – Think Laterally
Instead of going with a big operator, look for villas or vacation homes advertised locally by owner. The price for you will be lower if you do not pay for the markup and marketing of a large operator. Keep in mind though, there are more risks, you’ll have to pay cash, and you’ll have much less return if something goes wrong. A friend got his extended family a great villa in Florida from an ad in the local free magazine, just down the street from Disney and it all went off without a hitch. Also keep an eye out for announcements on bulletin boards or on the work intranet.
Top Christmas Ideas That Bust Crackles
With the pound plummeting and many more out of work or feeling vulnerable, this could be a great time to discover the delights of staying in Britain and Ireland.
It could be a very good year to familiarize the children with the camp. It’s adventurous and fun and kids get involved very easily. We already went out and bought a tent at the end of last season and some sleeping bags so we were able to get a really good bargain. The two boys are always talking about when we are going to go camping. With air mattresses to cushion old bones you don’t need to suffer (too much). You can always start off smoothly with a long weekend away.
This could be an opportunity to pass on all those camping skills you learned from scouts or guides. Even if you didn’t (learned nothing), The Adventure book for boys (and girls) is all the rage right now.
If you have slightly older kids, another great crisis-busting idea is to ride a bike or walk on vacation. Don’t laugh, it’s not as dumb as it seems. The Youth Hostel Association runs hundreds of establishments across the country (250 locations in the UK alone), but especially in our National Parks (but also in Cities). I thought these were just for juniors, but that’s not true. Anyone can join for a modest annual fee (£22.95 will cover 2 adults and all children at the same address) and the accommodation is cheap, clean and generally very friendly everyone. It is a great experience for children. If you’re always complaining that your teens never get out and exercise, then don’t count these vacations down, they can be great for the whole family. Let the kids plan part of the excursion and even navigate; a great way to learn these skills
If you still want to go abroad, International YHA has over 4000 great value establishments and your UK membership will cover that too.
Arrange your vacation payout before you go.
One of the best ways to stick to a budget is to know exactly how much all of your major outlays are going to be up front. Therefore, from this point of view, an all-inclusive or full board vacation is a very good bet. This also removes the exchange rate risk from you and puts it on your tour operator. Generally speaking, when you book as a package you’ll get a very good deal and it should be impossible to get it that cheap by leaving locally. It has the potential downside that hotel catering may not be as good as you’d like or there aren’t enough restaurants on the resort, or enough variety on the menu. However, most hotels/operators will do their best to accommodate you if you have specific requests and you will have saved so much you could still go out to eat a couple of times.
Save money on food/dining
If you don’t go all-inclusive or full board, you can save money by not eating at a restaurant at lunchtime. Grab a cheap picnic set (plastic plates and cups don’t weigh much if you’re flying) and shop for things at the supermarkets. If you like a glass of wine, it also means you can buy a bottle or two for the evening and have something useful to drink.