The Secret To Planning A Low-Cost Holiday

We all want something for nothing, it’s human nature – or if we do have to pay for it, then we want to pay the lowest price for the best quality. It’s called being a conscientious consumer.

Holidays, as they’re an expensive commodity, quite often get struck off our I want lists when there’s a national economic crisis or you’re having to tighten the budget strings for personal financial reasons.

But with the British climate and winter days bringing darkness before five in the afternoon, don’t you just long for some sun? Do you wish the view from your window wasn’t one of autumnal bare trees, but cyan blue sky and sea?

If you do, you are not alone, and if you thought it was just a dream, think again. There are ways to cut expenditure on a break overseas to make it more affordable.

Taking a low cost holiday doesn’t have to mean settling for less or sleeping in a hostel dormitory with ten sweaty-footed surfers, but it does mean spending a little time searching and planning to get the best deals to keep your money in your pocket rather than in the coffers of the tour operators.

How can you do that?

Get Low-Cost Flight Tickets

There are several airlines who offer flight tickets to destinations all over Europe at prices lower than you pay for car parking when you’re doing the weekly grocery shop. Jet2, EasyJet and Ryanair fly from most airports in the UK and are constantly competing with last-minute sales or special promotions. Fares advertised are always one-way, and you’ll tend to find if you check the return ticket price it takes the shine off the whole deal.

Learn to shop around. Go with one company, come back with another and you’ll discover you can probably get low fares both ways. If you’re not rigid on dates and your work schedule permits, fly midweek rather than at weekends – and avoid public holidays at all cost.

If you can’t find a destination to suit your pocket that’s around two hours flying time or just over, try mainland Spain, Portugal or the Balearics: you’ll pay a lot less.

Tip – Search and then book your outgoing and return tickets separately. It often works out a lot cheaper than just asking the flight company’s search engine for a return flight on a low-cost promotion.

Tip – Clear your search engine after browsing, or each time you go back on the airline site, you’ll find, strangely enough, the price will have gone up.

Use Smaller Airports

We are creatures of habit, and after years of tour operator dominance in the holiday market, we’ve grown accustomed to using the major airports they include in their package deals. Flight companies still need to fill the seats and so ticket prices from smaller airports can be economically attractive if not so convenient on flight times, but that’s when it pays to be flexible.

Smaller airports are mostly less crowded and although they may offer less amenities than Gatwick or Manchester, you’ll find parking fees are substantially lower, which is a great saving.

Tip – Leave your car at home and use public transport. Most minor airports have a good service network provided by trains and buses, making them easily accessible, and if you travel off-peak, you’ll save on fuel costs and parking, which will leave you quids in.

Don’t Fly – Drive

There’s nothing like a road trip to give you a fulfilling sense of adventure, and it’s no longer as time-consuming as you might expect it to be. It may take a little more planning, but it pays some amazing dividends if you’re brave enough to give it a try.

Forget wishy-washy, seasickness-inducing ferry rides, and book your car onto the EuroStar. From Folkestone it takes just thirty-five minutes to reach Calais, and from there Europe is basically your oyster. Depending on your vehicle, it’ll cost from around a hundred pounds each way, and for that you can take the whole family, plus as much luggage as will fit in your boot as, unlike on the airlines, there’s no weight restrictions or excess luggage charges.

A drive through France to reach the closest Spanish holiday coast, the Costa Brava, can take around twelve hours if you do it non-stop. Though you might consider breaking the journey with an overnight stay in a rural French bed and breakfast: after all, you are on holiday, so why rush?

The biggest plus about driving? You won’t need to rent a car at your final destination, which is a massive saving – and you get to see more than one country while you’re away.

Tip – Tolls on French main roads can eat a serious hole in your holiday spending money. Plan your route using ViaMichelin and go the scenic way. It might take a couple of hours more, but the saving will be enormous.

Cost-Cut On Accommodation

There’s no question that the major expense factor for any holiday is the accommodation, but with a bit of forethought even that can be reduced drastically if you think out of the box. Hotels charge for their rooms on a ‘per person per night’ basis which, when travelling with a family, can turn out to be pretty pricey.

A private villa, let’s be honest, is not the first thing which comes into your head when you’re planning a low-cost holiday, and that is where most of us go wrong. If you can rustle up a few friends you don’t mind spending time with, or an extra couple or two who’d love to get away from grey skies too, well, you’ve got it made and you’re on your way for a luxury stay at economical prices.

For some great examples of villas to share, take a look at the Club Villamar website. It’ll give you the general idea of prices per villa per night and what amenities you can get for your budget, which could be private pools, en-suite bathrooms in every room, or quiet locations. With the added bonus, you won’t be sharing the sun loungers with half of Europe either. Split the per-night price by the maximum inhabitants allowed or however many are in your group, and you’ll find you’ve got the best place to stay for less than you ever thought possible.

Tip – Have a friendly get-together with fellow travellers before you go on holiday to set parameters on joint activities, chipping in for the food and drink budget and who gets to do the washing-up. It saves a lot of stress when you arrive.

Eating Economically

Savouring local food, whether you’re in Spain, France, Portugal or Italy, is part of what makes a holiday special, but can soon start to cost an arm and a leg if you eat in restaurants all the time. If you’re travelling in a group and staying in a villa, the best thing to do is check out shops and supermarkets where the locals get their weekly groceries. It’ll be cheaper and probably fresher than anything you can buy in the main resort areas.

Tip – Plan who’s doing the cooking on what night, as splitting the responsibility between you lessens the workload. Having barbecues and eating al fresco can also make self-catering much more fun.

Tip – If you’re in Spain and no-one feels like cooking, check out the local takeaways. No, not chain-brand burgers or kebabs, but Asadero de Pollos. They’re the local versions of fast-food restaurants. You’ll find they serve an amazing variety of dishes from spit-roast chicken, to prepared salads of all descriptions, to fantastic garlicky roast potatoes and desserts too. A substantial meal, which will feed six, will cost approximately twenty-five Euros.

Tip – If you’re in France or travelling through it, be aware they stick to mealtimes. Lunch is from eleven thirty until around one, and dinner sittings begin at around eight. Eating in French restaurants is not cheap. If you’re on a budget, try the lunchtime three-course set menus, then have something lighter at night.

When To Go

Many of the major holiday resorts have a peak and low or off-peak season, which we, being climatically conditioned to summer sunshine holidays, often expect to be during the winter months. This is not always strictly true, and some destinations which are blessed with perennial good weather, like the Canary Islands, experience their busiest times from November through to April. So it’s always best to check out the places you’re interested in visiting to find out when this is, and unless you’ve won the National Lottery, Christmas, Easter and any time during the scheduled school holiday period, anywhere, are not the times to be considering if you’re looking to keep costs to a minimum.

Tip – The week before Christmas, there are usually some major bargains to be found, on flights and hotels, if you search hard enough.

Low cost doesn’t have to mean low standards if you shop around and plan. Yes, it takes up a little more time than doing a straight booking with a tour operator, but after all, what else is there to do on dark winter nights – and planning a holiday beats watching the TV any day.

If you plan and then take a low-cost holiday once, you’ll do it again and again. That means you can have not just one, but two or even three holidays a year.

Viva España!