How To save Money On Your Summer Holiday

If you’re preparing to jet off in the coming months, there are plenty of ways that you can ensure you don’t blow your entire holiday budget in the first few days of your trip.

According to Which? you can help to keep your costs down by taking some simple steps ahead of your holiday, and while you’re there.

1. Avoid currency conversions

When paying for something or withdrawing money, you should opt to pay in the local currency rather than in sterling.

In the vast majority of cases, this provides better value than if you allow your bank to use its own currency rate for the transaction.

2. Think about how you pay

Using a credit card overseas will often incur a number of fees, so you may want to consider whether it is worth using it.

You can expect to pay a non-sterling transaction fee, as well as non-sterling cash fee for withdrawals and interest on the withdrawals too.

Instead, using a specialist travel credit card may avoid these charges, enabling you to save.

Using a debit card can also rack up fees unless you find a card option that does not have additional charges for use overseas.

3. Sort your travel money in advance

If you intend to use cash when on holiday, it pays to sort your foreign currency prior to travel, either online or via a high street exchange.

The rates on offer there are considerably better than what you’ll find at airport exchanges, meaning you’ll get more for your money.

Should you still have concerns over your holiday spending, downloading a budgeting app on your mobile phone may help to limit your expenditure – check out the app store on your smartphone to see what options are available?

4. Don't forget insurance cover

A quarter of holidaymakers go on holiday without insurance, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, leaving themselves at risk should something go wrong.

In addition to travel insurance, you’ll also want to make sure you’re covered when you’re out on the road, especially if you’re hiring a vehicle.

Adding car hire excess insurance can enhance your cover by protecting you against the excess you would need to pay in the unfortunate event that your hire vehicle is damaged or stolen.

Although you would need to pay the excess in the event of a claim, you can then claim the finance back via your policy.