How to afford that dream family holiday…

The cost of taking a family holiday can vary a great deal depending on chosen destination and the levels of luxury selected, but it is very interesting that a survey that came out last year found that the average British family spent a whopping two month’s salary on their Summer holiday.  This works out at the average cost of £860 per person, to take their annual break away from the UK. This is an awful lot of money, and it’s not clear whether this figure is solely for the price of booking the holiday, or also includes the cost of food, entertainment and other purchases whilst away too. See the report here. With these considerable costs in mind, we’ve compiled a guide to saving money on your hard-earned and eagerly-awaited family holiday this year:

Some holidays are sold as package deals which include flights and accommodation, booking in this way can prove to be expensive, with no flexibility on flight times and arrivals.  From my experience in the past, booking flights and hotel accommodation separately can both be more cost-effective and tailored to a family needs.  You can choose a flight during the day or night, and a night flight might be more beneficial if you have little ones that may sleep during the flight.  Booking flights separately allows you the choice of airlines, which airport to travel from and it’s a good idea to look out for special flight deals or use air miles to keep costs down. Be aware that cases are not usually  permitted into the cabin of the plane. A tip to help with this is to purchase or borrow a cabin suitcase for all the family that fits the size specified for hand luggage.  This then allows extra space for all those family supplies and holiday purchases.

Some flights add an additional cost for food, so take snacks and drinks with you to save money and have to them to hand when needed.  Purchase sun-cream prior to the trip, as this can be very expensive to buy at the airport or on holiday – save those store loyalty card points to purchase the sun cream and all those medical supplies that you take just in case.

When selecting a hotel, choose one that has things to do for the children at the hotel e.g.  swimming pools, children’s entertainment and evening entertainment to keep everyone happy and also check other amenities close by.  When visiting a hot country children may not want to travel far in the heat, so having child-friendly entertainment nearby, is a good idea. If you do need to travel further afield, local public transport including buses and trains will definitely be cheaper than getting a taxi or hiring a car.

On days out, take water with you, as again this can be costly to keep ‘splashing out’ on!  A tip to keep drinks refreshingly cool is to see if you can store a bottle of water in a freezer overnight (some accommodation may have fridge in the room with a small freezer part). Then you have a nice cool drink with you during your day.

Whilst away, we still like to hunt down a bargain, so look at internet offers for any places nearby that may offer a discount, family deals or food offers. Also search the internet for places to visit in the area that are free! When visiting a local beach be aware that the majority of them charge for sun beds so it may be cheaper just to have 2 beds, as the children may spend more time in the sea (whilst you relax in the sun).

We can help you save money on your family’s travel insurance – if you ‘Like’ our Facebook page, you will be thanked with an exclusive 10% discount code.