In the current economic climate, everyone wants to make their holiday savings stretch a little further. Fortunately, cheap holidays have never been easier to plan and, no matter where you are going, you can cut costs in a number of ways to minimise the damage to your bank account.
Camping is a brilliant way to save money on accommodation and it no longer means spending uncomfortable nights in leaky tents, eating baked beans straight from the can. Sturdy, hi-tech tents and comfortable bedding can be bought for less than £100 and, whether you’re planning a holiday in the UK or abroad, one night of camping rarely costs more than £15 at most sites.
Also available at many sites in the UK and Europe is the more luxurious but equally-affordable option known as ‘glamping’, whereby accommodation is available in pavilion tents, yurts and tipis, offering luxurious comfort and a taste of the great outdoors at vastly cheaper prices than your average hotel room.
Another way to save money on accommodation is to get involved in a home swap. Travellers all over the world are inviting people to come and stay in their homes, so if you fancy a weekend in Tokyo and can offer someone from Tokyo a place to stay at your house, you could travel without spending any money on accommodation whatsoever.
Besides accommodation, the other major barrier to a world of cheap holidays often seems to be transportation to the desired destination. Rising oil prices mean cheap flights are harder to come by but there are ways of grabbing the best deals.
Courier flights give travellers the chance to purchase a vastly reduced ticket if they agree to take charge of the delivery of a package. These deliveries rarely involve anything more than handing a loading note to officials at the destination, leaving you free to enjoy your holiday with a sizeable amount of extra spending money on your side.
Another option for cheap transportation for the road hardy is hitch-hiking. Despite what horror films might have you believe, hitching is a safe method of travelling if you are careful and sensible and it is a great way to help the environment by using vehicles that are already on the road. Mainland Europe is a hitch-hiker’s haven, with roads linking France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal, offering thousands of miles of uninterrupted road travel.
Booking last minutes is often the best way to find cheap holidays these days. Airlines and hotels almost always have spaces that will go unused unless they are sold at a discount rate at the last possible moment, so if you are willing to travel to a wide variety of places, keep your eyes peeled for late deals.