Travel Planning To Save Money

Travel Planning To Save

For most of us, taking a holiday means forgetting about pretty much everything that isn’t holiday related, and just relaxing. Of course, if you’re worried about how far the money you’ve got for said holiday is going to stretch, relaxing can be a lot more difficult than it sounds.

Hopefully we can help by recommending a few things you can do that’ll reduce some of your expenses while you’re away.

The first thing you’ll want to do is plan your trip. Now, for many people, that simply means picking out where they want to go, and then arranging transport and accommodation. While it’s true that those actions do form the bulk of one’s Holiday framework, there’s a great deal more that goes into the actual planning.

Some of the many things to consider are:

Where and how are you going to be eating?

It sounds trivial at first but for a family of four this will really add up - Weigh up all the options - is that £40 per night reduction for room only worth it? Or will that extra bit for full board actually end up saving you cash?

What sort of local transportation are you going to be using?

Will you need to get around whilst there? Will it be more cost effective to hire a car? Or can you rely on the local transport infrastructure?

Will bank machines be available, or other forms of cash machines and such?

Most places take Visa and Mastercard these days but not all. Be sure to fully research the places that you'll be visiting. Weigh up the pros and cons of cash versus credit for instance. What will your bank charge for using your card abroad? What special provisions will you need to make? How much commission will the travel agent be charging for your foreign currency? Perhaps it's cheaper to convert it whilst abroad - research such questions on places like Tripadvisor and see what others have said.

Are you going to have phone and / or Internet access?

Roaming charges can add £££'s to your phone bill giving you a nasty shock on your return. Check with your provider and see if they sell bolt ons. Or buy a prepaid SIM. There are a lot of options out there, so don't get caught. Many cities and resorts these days also offer free WiFi. Don't get whacked by extortionate internet charges either. We've heard stories of people being charged £25 per day for room Wifi. Don't be a sucker.

Pack with Prudence

The last thing you’re going to want to do is to pack smart. As a general rule, that’s going to mean considering all the items you’re likely to use while away that you’d already have at home. Depending on where you’re going and how you plan to get there, some of that may change.

Over time we'll be adding more information and additional sections giving more specific tips on how to save money for each type of trip you might take. This will of course take some time. We’d love to hear your own comments, tips, or suggestions for saving money on holiday travel in the meantime.