Top Tips For Holidaying On A Budget

In this day and age it can be depressingly tricky to scrape together enough cash to feel comfortable in jetting off for that dream holiday you so deeply desire. Money’s tight, consumers are under strain and the cost of living’s not getting any cheaper…

But that’s enough of all that doom and gloom. What we need is a little get up and go, a little initiative and spirit. It may be the case that we can no longer afford to plan and spend our holidays in the way we might have in more prosperous times, but it’s also true that we’re more than capable of finding ways to plan a break that’s easily good enough to put a smile on our faces. So what’s the secret? It’s quite simple. Budget

Many people find budgeting excruciatingly boring, and who can blame them, but unfortunately it is absolutely essential to the planning of  a cut-price holiday. Be realistic – how much do you really need to set aside for your trip? There are numerous expenses to take into account.

Accommodation –Here’s where you can save a whole lot of money at the outset. If your main goal in going on holiday is to be pampered in an extravagantly plush building that’s fine, but you really may as well go to a spa. Fancy hotels are one of the main drains on many holidayers’ budgets, and that’s a crying shame given all the affordable options out there on the market. For families, countryside cabins, chalets, bunkhouses  and campsites offer perfectly comfortable accommodation for young and old alike, often at a delightfully low cost. Meanwhile, for younger travellers, hostels offer basic accommodation for less than the equivalent of £15 per night in most of Europe. If that still sounds like a lot then consider couch-surfing and work stays.

Use a budget airline –If you’re planning to holiday on a budget then it makes all the sense in the world to use a budget airline. Budget operators offer perfectly amenable services with a number of European operators serving hundreds of routes. Check out these cheap flights to Faro for an example of the savings possible in this age of the cut-price airline.

What are you doing? –It’s important to ask yourself before you head off on your budget holiday, what exactly do you plan to do with your time away? For a budget holiday, the best locations are those in which you’ll fins plenty of free activities. Seaside locations are great budget destinations for beach bums, whilst culture vultures will find plenty of free museums in cities like London – be sure to check what’s available in your prospective destination before you book your tickets!