If you can recall those halcyon days of youth, the sense of freedom at being allowed six weeks off school to do anything you like (even if by week three you were so bored you were sitting on the front step watching ants) was almost as exciting as Christmas. So one of the worst things about growing up, is that you don’t get that First Day of the Summer Holidays feeling anymore. Besides seriously upsetting the boss by suggesting six weeks uninterrupted holiday, spending six weeks ambling around Europe or going on an African safari can cost some serious wonga.
Going on holiday doesn’t come cheap, even in England. And if your break coincides with floods, hurricanes and tropical storms (which these days happen even in Norfolk) then it’s likely you’ll spend even more. But there are a ways of finding a holiday that don’t cost a fortune, and some things you can do when away, to save even more.
Camping
Yes. Camping is officially cool again. Forget those Carry On films and 1970’s style tents in a sickly shade of orange with ‘french windows,’ these days, the word on the field is ‘glamping.’ Glamping has turned camping into THE thing to do for your hols, and doesn’t require a great deal of expense. It’s quite possible to be a happy glamper with nothing more than a pair of hunter wellies and a Cath Kidston tent. Once you’ve invested in your tent and swiss army knife, camp sites are a really cheap way to holiday, costing as little as £5 per night.
And remember that camp sites abroad are often much better equipped than ones in England. Cool Camping have a free directory of the best camp sites in England, or you can buy the Cool Camping Europe book, for the best campsites in Europe on Amazon, here.
You can get a fire going, sing ging gang gooley, and have a fine old time. If it rains? Well, it will be horrible, but think positive.
House Swap
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that is a bit of a tourist trap, you could try a house swap. The idea is, that you swap your house or flat with someone else who lives somewhere you want to visit. Your house swap doesn’t even have to a perfect match. Even if you live in a flat so small you have to stick your arms out of the window to turn around, if it’s well located in London or a touristy city such as Bath, then you stand a good chance of swapping with almost anyone. So it’s quite possible to swap your poky flat for anything from a condo to a castle. Americans will think it’s just ‘so cute.’
From £35 you can sign up for Guardian Home Exchange, or try Home Link, who charge £115 for a year long membership.
Work and Travel
Ok. You might be trying to escape from work, but you can swap your services for food and accommodation. You’ll get to go somewhere nice, meet people, try new skills, and it’s very cheap. Help Exchange list people across the world, looking for help with almost anything, from crewing a boat, to looking after horses, or help with children. And the great thing is that other visitors leave reviews, so you can make sure you’re not signing up for a boot camp. To find out more, click here.
Where’s Cheap?
The Post Office publishes a holiday costs barometer every year, showing how much 8 different tourist items cost in different countries. They have worked out what we want to buy on holiday, and cleverly come up with the essentials; beer, coffee, suncream, cigarettes, and an evening meal. What more could you need? To check the total costs of these different items in various countries, you can look at the table here.
But remember, to get more bang for your buck, (sorry, pound sterling) you also need to consider the currency exchange rate. To find the cheapest currency conversion available, check here.
When to go
If you’re young, free and single, (or at least, don’t have kids) then you’ll be able to travel outside of the school holidays and save a fortune. The government have banned parents from taking their children out of school for holidays, so families are now paying a premium for summer holidays during the long break. If you go on holiday at the beginning of September, the weather is still lovely in most places, and you’ll pay much less. If you do have a family, then bear in mind that French children go back to school earlier, so you’ll find bargains in France towards the end of August. And if you can, stay flexible and book late. Travel companies, airlines and hotels need to fill their empty rooms and seats, so this is the way to find the real bargains. Try Travelzoo for a round-up of all the best late deals.
Tips to save on holiday.
So you’ve found a bargain holiday – but what about when you’re there? Mobile phones and bank cards will cost you a fortune if you’re not careful, so follow these simple rules.
Mobiles:
Try and avoid using your mobile. Costs per minute from abroad can be up to £1.50 per minute, even to receive calls.
It’s free to receive a text, so get friends and family to text you.
If you have a phone in your hotel room, get people to call you on that, but DON’T call out.
Disable your mobile voicemail or you’ll be charged for it, and retrieving messages also costs money
If you have internet access, try Skype.
If you must use your phone, contact your network provider about using a special roaming tariff.
Or why not just Send A Postcard? Think how happy your granny would be, to get a lovely postcard with a donkey on it?
Credit and Debit Cards
Every time you withdraw money or use your credit or debit card abroad, you’ll be charged a loading rate (commission) for your currency conversion. This is normally around 2.5%, so if you spend £100, you’ll be charged an extra £2.50.
To avoid these charges, the best thing to do is apply for travel friendly plastic. The Post Office credit card charges 0% commission on spending in the EU, or try the Santander zero credit card. Alternatively, if applying for credit is a problem, you can now also buy pre-paid travel cards. You simply load the currency of your choice onto the card before you go. Make sure you shop around though, because the exchange rates vary massively. To check the pre-paid travel card differences, click here.
Happy Holidays!
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