Eight Ways To Save Money On Holiday

A dream holiday can be a bit of a strain on your finances, not only from booking the trip itself but for the money you’ll need to spend while you’re actually away. You’ll money for food, days out and some spending money, which for you and the family can soon add up. If you’ve taken out a holiday loan from somewhere like Evolution Money to pay for the trip, you’ll want to manage your holiday spending money a budget, so you don’t need to borrow more. 

Arrange your own excursions. Booking trips through your hotel or travel agent could mean you add a premium to the cost of the trip. If you’re staying in a tourist friendly area, any trips will be easy to organise yourself, with english options on the website to book tickets and staff used to guiding english speaking guests. You could slash the price of tourist trips and still see all the sites.

Shop tax free. Shopping in the EU is currently tax and duty free (although this may change after Brexit), but if you’ve holidayed outside of the EU, you can still reclaim local sales tax from shops that participate in national tax-free schemes in places like Singapore or Turkey. Keep your receipts and present them at the airport on your way home. Your refund should be processed by post.

Walk instead of taking public transport or booking taxis. Many popular cities, like London and Paris are actually very compact in terms of where the main tourist locations are, and are often very walkable. You can save a lot, and you’ll see more, if you walk around the city to explore instead.

If the distances are too long to walk, buy a travel pass. These can work out much cheaper if you’re hopping on and off buses, trams and trains all day than buying individual tickets every time you go anywhere. Look out for family passes too, as these are often a bargain.

Look out for sightseeing passes. Some tourist locations will pair up to offer a discounted rate if you visit both sites. Some cities, like Vienna, also offers passes that give access to places like museums and concert halls and cover travel on local public transport. You may also be able to book group tickets for the family that will work out cheaper than buying individual tickets.

Look for discounts. Over 65? Retired? Under 25? Student? There’s probably a discount ticket available, and younger children often for free. Don’t miss out on any concessions that you are entitled to, and spend less on your sight-seeing.

Look for free things to do. If you’re staying in the UK, remember that many museums and art galleries are free to visit. These are all still popular places to play tourist and will have lots of interesting things for you to see and enjoy, without having to spend any money.

Stay away from the mini bar. It can be tempting after a long day sightseeing to just raid the mini bar, but the prices will be majorly inflated. Instead, visit a local supermarket and buy some cheap bottles of water and other snacks to keep in the room.

If you enjoyed this head over to my 10 Must Visit Tourist Attractions In Edinburgh