Budget travel: 50 ways to save money on your holiday

If you are booking your travel independently, rather than as pre-packaged

holiday, make sure you get an overview of the fares available through a

website such as Skyscanner.net,

which shows all the fares available on or around your chosen dates (be sure

to uncheck the boxes so that the results for indirect flights are not shown

– unless you really want to see these). I did a test search for flights in

August from London to Malaga; the cheapest return was £221, the dearest,

£704. Be sure to check what is included in the fare quoted (see below).

Save: up to 300 per cent on flights

3. Pick your dates

If you have to travel in the school summer holidays, go for the latest

possible dates. The last week in August and the first in September are

normally significantly cheaper than the rest of the holiday period. With the

August bank holiday falling quite early, on the 26th, you may be able to

squeeze in a week before the schools go back.

Save: 10-15 per cent over peak-season prices

4. Travel in the October half term

The alternative to taking a family summer holiday is to travel in October

instead. It’s a tricky time of year for weather in the Mediterranean – think

about the Canaries, Morocco, or (if you can afford the flights) Florida

instead – and book now to be sure of the lowest fares.

Save: 25-40 per cent over peak summer prices

5. Use price-comparison websites – with care

Price-comparison websites seemingly offer nothing but benefits to consumers

looking for the best rates on car hire, travel insurance and package

holidays. They can certainly save you money. But comparisons can be

distorted by companies striving to offer the cheapest headline prices by

stripping away as many extras (such as levels of insurance cover) as

possible, just as the no-frills airlines do. The sites are getting better at

reflecting pricing complexities (Travelsupermarket.com in particular), but

be very wary of buying on price alone.

Save: significantly

6. Check IT fares

IT stands for “inclusive tour”, the arrangement by which long-haul flights are

sold as a package in combination with hotel accommodation or a hire car.

Depending when and where you book, it can be cheaper to book this whole

package, including the hotel, than buying the flight alone.

For example, Trailfinders (020 7368 1200; trailfinders.com)

is currently offering BA flights to San Francisco on selected dates between

October 21 and December 13. The seat-only fare from Heathrow is £719; but an

IT package costs £685, including the same flights, three nights at the

three-star San Francisco Hotel and seven days’ car hire. The package price

is per person, is subject to availability and is valid only when two adults

travel together.

Save: £100s

7. Avoid expensive frills

As we regularly point out in this section, additional charges for check-in,

hold baggage, seat selection, priority boarding, credit-card bookings,

text-message confirmation and so on can vastly inflate the headline price of

a flight. Our online editor reported

last month that such expensive “frills” could increase the cost

of a £77 flight with Ryanair to nearly £300. So when you are booking

flights, make sure you look at the very bottom line.

Save: £10s per flight

8. Weigh and measure your luggage

Whether you are travelling light with hand baggage only or, checking bags into

the hold, be absolutely sure that they are below the size and weight

restrictions imposed by the airline before you leave for the airport. Excess

charges are swingeing.

Save: £10s

9. Time your departure

Fares for long-haul flights are priced by departure date, so adjusting your

leaving date by a single day can bring big dividends. For example, currently

through Trail finders (020 7368 1200; trailfinders.com),

you can book an EVA air flight direct to Bangkok from Heathrow for £569 for

travel in early 2013 – as long as you fly by April 30. Book for departure on

May 1, and it will cost you £775.

Save: £200+

10. Monitor the internet

Many travel companies, including airlines, hotel chains and car-hire brokers,

circulate special offers and price reductions by email, for which you have

to sign up. No-frills airlines and railway companies announce the opening of

booking periods in the same way.

If you can commit yourself a long time in advance you will usually get the

best fares, especially for peak periods. It may be annoying to get emails

you don’t want, but, if you act quickly when an offer arrives, you can make

significant savings – Premierinn.com

is offering rooms from £19, for example. British Airways’ regular rounds of

“world offers” are particularly worth following on Ba.com.

Save: significantly

En route

11. Book parking with your airport hotel

The airport

guides we published last week pick out the best-value hotels and parking

in Britain’s busiest airports. If you need to depart early in the morning

and to park while you are away, it’s often cheapest to go for a combined

deal – either through the hotel or a website such as Holidayextras.co.uk

or Parkbcp.co.uk.

Save: £10s

12. Bring your own plastic bags

Some airports – Gatwick, for example – provide free transparent bags suitable

for taking liquids and pastes through security. Others – including

Manchester and Stansted – you charge. In case your bag is challenged by

security, these are the official rules published on gov.uk:

individual containers for liquids and pastes must hold no more than 100ml,

they should be held in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag, which

holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm and must

fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed; there is a limit of one

plastic bag per person.

Save £1

13. Travel overnight

How well do you sleep? If you drop off easily, or catch up quickly, you can

save the cost of a hotel by taking an overnight ferry or a couchette on a

train. Night-time Dover-Calais crossings are usually sold at bargain prices,

but cabins on longer Channel crossings can be more expensive than a room in

a budget hotel, so compare prices carefully.

Save: on a return trip, the cost of two nights’ accommodation

14. Take your own food

A round of sandwiches and soft drinks for a family of four would cost at least

€26 euros on board a plane. Better and cheaper to bring your own – though of

course you won’t be able to take liquids through security and will have to

buy drinks in the departure lounge shops.

Save: £10s

15. Travel by coach

Most of us prefer trains, but you will usually pay much less to travel between

places in Britain and on the Continent if you use coaches. National Express (nationalexpress.com),

for example, currently has special-offer return fares from London to Paris

from £38, compared with Eurostar’s lowest return of £69.

Save: 45 per cent

Saving on staying

16. Swap your house

If you live in a reasonably desirable area, and are prepared to let others

borrow your house, a home swap – and perhaps a car swap – with like-minded

holidaymakers abroad will guarantee huge savings. Use a reputable agency to

ensure proper introductions and insurance arrangements. Try: Home Exchange (homeexchange.com);

Homebase (homebase-hols.com),

HomeLink (homelink.org.uk)

and Intervac (intervac.co.uk).

Save: all your accommodation costs

17. Stay by the beach

Private pools add hundreds of pounds to the cost of a villa. Book a villa near

the beach instead and you still be able to swim but your accommodation will

cost you much less. Note, too, that many Spanish towns have municipal

swimming pools.

Save: £100s

18. Beware the cost of camping

You could be forgiven for thinking that staying in a campsite in a tent or a

mobile home would be a way of cutting costs. But in high season a mobile

home is likely to cost at least £1,000 for a week on a big site in the

Vendée, while a gîte could cost as little as £500 – both prices including

the cost of the ferry fare.

Save: 50 per cent

19. Use budget hotels for stop-overs

When travelling in France, look for ultra-cheap hotel chains and book well in

advance. They may be short on character, but they are generally clean and

efficient, and particularly good for families happy to sleep in one room.

Abroad, Accor (accorhotels.co.uk)

has several brands, including Formule 1 where you can book rooms from about

£20 a night. In Britain, try also Premierinn.com.

Often in France, such hotels are outside town centres, on industrial sites,

so it is worth checking Google Earth to get a feel for the exact location,

especially if you are planning to arrive in the early afternoon or evening.

Save: £100s

20. Check wireless access costs

Most hotels now offer free coverage. Check before you book, and consider

switching hotels if the one you are interested in makes a charge. It could

mean big savings on the cost of telephone calls and more (see cost of

roaming below).

Save: £10s

Sightseeing and shopping

21. Arrange your own excursions

An organised, commercially run coach tour from central Paris to Versailles

costs about £45, including admission to the palace. Take the RER train (€5

return) and book your admission online (£16; billetterie.chateauversailles.fr)

and the total bill is £21.

Save: At least half the price

22. Shop tax-free…

There is no tax- or duty-free shopping within the EU, but if you are

travelling outside the member states you can get a refund of the local sales

tax (VAT) from shops participating in national tax-free schemes in countries

including Morocco, Turkey and Singapore. You will need to keep receipts and

present them at the aiport as you leave the country – refunds are normally

made by post. The website globalblue.com

has some useful information.

Save: up to 20 per cent

23. Walk

Many popular cities – Paris, Vienna, Venice, Madrid, Amsterdam, Rome – are

compact. Plan your sightseeing geographically and you can save on all your

bus and tube fares.

Save: £10s

24. Buy a travel pass

If you prefer not to walk, transport passes can help you save significantly on

costs. Different cities have different systems. In Paris, tickets are sold

in “carnets” – allowing 10 journeys for 13.30 euros compared with a one-off

single of €1.7 (ratp.fr).

In Venice, a 72-hour waterbus pass (actv.it)

costs €35, compared with a single fare of €7; make six journeys in three

days, and you have saved €7.

Save £5+

25. Buy a city sightseeing pass

These can be a useful alternative to travel passes and offer more benefits,

but not all of them are good value. The 19.90 euro Vienna Card, is one it

usually pays to buy: it allows unlimited free public transport for 72 hours,

and discounts (of up to about 25 per cent) or other offers at more than 210

museums and sights, theatres, concert halls, shops and restaurants.

Save £5+

26. Play the age card

If you are over 65, under 26 or still a student, you may not benefit from

buying a pass at all. In Italy, in particular, entry to museums and

galleries belonging to the state (Musei Statali) – which includes many of

the most famous ones – is free for European citizens over 65 upon

presentation of a passport. Students should also make sure they carry

student ID to benefit from free entry or lower charges.

Save: £10s

Driving

27. Be wary of car rental pricing

The pricing of hire cars has become more and more problematic recently as

companies try to keep the advertised cost as low as possible, then catch you

out with extra charges during the booking process or on arrival. Compare

bottom-line prices rather than headline prices.

Save £10s, possibly £100s

28. Buy hire car insurance

Among the most expensive add-ons is a charge to waive the insurance excess you

would be liable to pay if you were to damage the car. You can cover this

much more cheaply if you buy cover from an insurance specialist. Try Insurance4carhire.com;
Questor-insurance.co.uk;
Worldwideinsure.com;

and Icarhireinsurance.com.

Save: £10s

29. Avoid petrol charges

Don’t get stung by extortionate refuelling charges added to your car hire bill

– or offered in advance when you pick it up. A friend had to decline a

refuelling charge of €100 recently. Refuse all such options and fill up just

before you return the car – or, if it’s supplied nearly empty, time your

refilling carefully.

Save: £10s

30. Buy cheaper fuel

Buy petrol at supermarkets – where it is up to 10 per cent cheaper than in

filling stations on motorways and autoroutes. Petrol is currently cheaper in

this country than in France, so fill up in Britain, but diesel is

significantly cheaper across the Channel. The French Government website (prix-carburants.gouv.fr)

gives a comprehensive overview of the cost of fuel at stations all over the

country.

Save: 10 per cent

31. Hire a diesel car

Not only do diesel engines use less fuel, but cheaper diesel (17p per litre

cheaper than petrol in France, 11p per litre cheaper in Spain) means big

savings.

Save: £10s

32. Drive toll-free

Return tolls on the French autoroute between Calais and Nice cost €203.20

euros. Plan your route on the slower but more scenic “D” roads: there is no

charge, you will use less fuel and you will save more than enough to pay for

a couple of overnight stays in hotels.

Save: £10s

33. Avoid fines

Traffic police levy on-the-spot fines in most countries on the Continent, and

the use of speed cameras is now as prevalent as it is in Britain. Sudden

changes in speed limits can catch out even careful drivers, so if you are

entering a village, city or other built-up area, note that the limit is

likely to be 50 kph or less. In France, be extra careful – the limits fall

when it rains – from 130kph to 110kph on the motorway, from 110kph to 100kph

on dual carriageways, and from 90 kph to 80 kph on the open road.

Save: £10s

Eating and drinking

34. Don’t open the minibar

The cost of drinks from hotel minibars seems to rise relentlessly, I’ve seen

mineral water at €8 recently, and it is always higher than in the bar (or

the cost of a bottle smuggled in from a local supermarket).

Save: At least £2 per drink.

35. Skip breakfast

At least in the hotel. Either negotiate a bb rate or nip out to the

nearest cafe. In more expensive hotels you can pay €40 or more just for a

continental breakfast.

Save: £10+

36. Pick your menu

Two rules for cheaper eating out: first, eat at lunchtime, when menus are

always cheaper; second, choose from a fixed-price menu, or the dish of the

day – menu del día (Spain), plat du jour (France), menu fisso (Italy).

Save: half price

37. Choose local wines

Most wine experts will agree that the best match for local cooking is a

locally produced wine – they are designed to complement each other. Local

wines are nearly always better and much cheaper than many others on the

list.

Save: £5+ per bottle

38. Drink free water

More and restaurants are, by default, serving mineral water (at perhaps €4 to

€5 a bottle) rather than tap water. If you insist on the latter, you will

usually be accommodated; if the restaurant refuses, you could always

consider readjusting the service charge to reflect your dissatisfaction.

Save: £3 plus per bottle

39. Stand at the bar

Food and drink in a Continental European cafe is always much cheaper at the

bar than at a table. An expresso in Rome might cost €1 at the bar, €3.5 if

you take a table.

Save: £2 a time

40. Order draught beer

Draught beer is half the price of bottled beer in many bars. Ask for une

pression in French; birra alla spina in Italian; cerveza de barril in

Spanish).

Save: 50 per cent

41. Walk around the corner

Restaurants and cafes a few steps away from the big sights are invariably

cheaper than those whose main trade comes from tourists. A five-minute walk

can halve your bill and get you a much better experience. The obvious

example is Venice: a capuccino costs €15 in St Mark’s Square, €3 in a cafe

in the Castello district.

Save: £10s on restaurant and cafe bills

42. Don’t over-tip

The British don’t tip as generously as the Americans, but often pay more than

is expected on the continent, where the service charge is typically included

in the bill – look for servis compris in France, servizio incluso, in Italy

and servicio incluido in Spain. You could add a few coins if you wish, but

there is no need.

Save: 10 per cent on meals

43. Take the basics

If you are self-catering, take enough basic provisions to cover everyday

needs, so that you don’t have to buy expensive versions locally. Items often

dearer than at home include salt, pepper, tea bags, washing powder,

dishwasher tablets and bin bags.

Save £5+

Money, insurance and health

44. Play your cards right

You could invest a lot of time and effort changing your bank account to

benefit from the one offering the very cheapest foreign-currency services –

but the deals can change by the week, and it almost certainly isn’t worth

the effort unless you travel a great deal and spend a lot of money when

abroad.

The most economical rule to follow is to avoid buying cash from bureau de

change; use your debit card in overseas ATMs if you need cash when abroad,

and your credit card to pay for as much as possible – though this works only

if you pay off the balance each month.

Save £10s

45. Save on travel insurance

Travel insurance can be cheap if you buy a basic policy online – but you can

easily pay too much. Be particularly wary if you have an annual policy on an

automatic renewal – it is always worth getting a new quote each year. Age is

used more and more to calculate premiums – even over-50s can expect to pay

more than younger travellers now.

Over the next few months, we plan to develop a detailed online guide to buying

travel insurance. In the meantime, the best policy and premium I have found

for this year is the annual family policy I bought through PJ Hayman (pjhayman.com)

for £90.

Save: £10s

46. Be wary of cancellation insurance

This is offered more and more often, and it is usually very bad value, so turn

it down unless you are really sure you need it. For example, I was recently

offer cancellation insurance on the Gatwick Airport official car park

booking site for 95p. You might think it was good value to protect a booking

that might be worth more than £100. But when you click to find out more, you

discover that the cancellation fee for any booking is only £10. So you would

be paying 95p to insure £10. Not worth it in my book.

Save: £1 plus

47. Get a Health Insurance Card

The European Health Insurance Card (which replaced the old E11 form) confirms

your entitlement to free or reduced-cost medical treatment in other EU

countries. Even if you are insured, it is worth having because you may get a

lower excess on your insurance policy. But be careful when applying for one,

and do not order from a website that charges you to issue it; it is free

through the official site, ehic.org.uk.

Save: £10s on insurance claims

48. Phone roaming costs

The cost of mobile phone roaming in the EU has fallen recently, but you still

need to check your tariffs. My contract with Vodafone allows me to use my

home allowance for a charge of £3 a day. But this can be a very bad deal. If

all I want to do is to send two or three texts a day and use Skype to call

home in the evenings, and I am able to check my email on the hotel Wi-Fi, I

could change to another tariff and pay just 9p per text. Over a week, being

on the wrong contract could cost me £20. Outside the EU, Skyping on the

hotel Wi-Fi is nearly always an invaluable way to save on the cost of calls.

Save: £10s

49. Beware the cost of jabs

The cost of inoculations for trips to long-haul destinations can run into

hundreds of pounds, especially if you need protection against rabies and

hepatitis. But a lot depends on where you get them. It used to be virtually

certain that your GP would be the cheapest option – with some vaccinations,

against typhoid, for example, usually available free on the NHS.

Very often it will be cheapest to go to your GP, but it’s also worth getting

quotes from a commercial travel clinic such as MASTA (masta-travel-health.com),

which may offer a more convenient service and greater expertise on health

conditions in more unusual destinations.

Save: potentially £100s between two people

And finally…

50. Win a free holiday

Have your say in the annual Telegraph Travel Awards poll for a chance to win

one of 22 holidays worth a total of £175,000. Complete

the survey here.

Save: the cost of your holiday

Budget travel: 50 ways to save money on your holiday