Happy Friday everyone! I am delighted to announce that The Money Principle, Skint and the City and SavvyScot have partnered up with My Voucher Codes to bring you a fantastic giveaway with a prize fund of £300! The giveaway will last until the end of the month and one lucky winner will receive £300 (over $450) via PayPal. While the winner will receive cash to spend on whatever they like, February is the month for HOLIDAY PLANNING!!
courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
5 Tips to Plan a Successful Holiday
Prepare Financially
This one is an easy one… if you prepare financially, then you immediately remove the worry of overspending before you go, whilst you are there and when you return. As simple as it may sound, you need to work out exactly how much the trip is going to cost. Use TripAdvisor to research typical menu and drinks prices (some travelers upload pictures of the menus) and find links to enquire about activities / sight – seeing. Booking trips / expeditions in advance often saves a small fortune and you can get discounts at ebookers. Taking Disney theme parks as an example: The cost of a 5 day multi-park pass online (in advance) is not too dissimilar to a day pass for one park on the main gate. Use the time you have at home to negotiate with different dive operators / hotels / car rental companies etc. and get a deal. Often companies like to have guaranteed business (because they use a lot of freelance staff) and will reward advance bookings with a hefty discount!
Book with a Reputable Travel Company
In our recession deprived economy, lots of travel agencies have been going bankrupt. Ensure that you book with a respected and protected agency to ensure that your money is safe! Better still, book directly with airlines. ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s License) offer fantastic protection against unfulfilled trips. Comparison sites are great; ensure that you don’t book with a small intermediary firm which doesn’t book your flights / accommodation immediately. Consider alternate methods of transport that I previously discussed.
Take Travel Insurance
Many people have protection through current accounts / other policies. The bottom line is, ensure that you are covered. Medical bills (especially those that include specialist procedures or services like air lifting, re-compression etc.) can be astronomical! A few pounds investment now could save you paying 10s of thousands and bankrupting yourself!
Research Your Destination
Obvious right? Considering that most people don’t bother doing this and rely on a single guidebook… not so much! The internet is full of social (largely unbiased) reviews which you can take advantage of. Travel forums, review sites, Wikipedia, lonely planet …. the list of resources goes on! While I understand that you might want your holiday to be a break and stress-free, that is not an excuse not to do some research. You can always make a list of the top places to eat out or the top attractions – even if you only visit a couple. While more uncommon these days, you may not have internet access readily available at the destination – consider printing maps and directions.
Choose the Right Type of Holiday
What type of holiday are you after? If you are an adrenaline junkie like me, a fortnight long beach holiday on a remote desert island will cause you to get very bored. Equally, if you want a bit of peace and quiet, a party destination like Ibiza is not the best choice! What I guess I am saying is don’t book a holiday just because you are getting a deal. Last minute savings are only savings if you would have spent the money in the first place! Sometimes it is cheaper to book a holiday and arrange the ‘theme’ yourself. For example, it is often cheaper to make the arrangements for Ski holidays yourself (flights, hotel, lift pass, lessons etc.) rather than book a package through an agency – sometimes not. Take the time to do the maths and work it out!
If you won the £300, what holiday destination or activity would you put it towards?
Ireland!
One tip that you pointed out was being prepared financially when planning a holiday. I’ve been on many holidays in my time and one thing I always did besides planning is saved the cash to go. There’s nothing worse than going into debt for a vacation but that’s my opinion where others may well not care.
Canadian Budget Binder recently posted..Mr.CBB’s Personal Finance Reading List #6 ~Worrying and Complaining Does Nothing, Now That’s Snow!
That is very true Mr CBB – This probably doesn’t occur to 90% of people!
Yay free money! £300 is just what I need to come back to France in April or May. There is this super cheap company flying from Cancún, round trip is usually £250, plus £50 to get there.
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I think I would put the money towards a honeymoon in Hawaii! No, I’m not engaged yet, just thinking ahead. 🙂
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I want to go at Paris in France!
I could use it as part payment on a car so I could get back to doing all sorts or local day trips to check out my own township and surrounding cities… and beyond
Oooh, I’d love to win this! I would put this toward our honeymoon fund. Never skimp on travel insurance! I’m super paranoid and always get it.
eemusings recently posted..Same old same old money arguments
Mt themed holiday would be stay at home and put it in the bank for a rainy day.
bf and I have planned a trip to Vegas, but I’d love to do a trip somewhere warm and beachy instead. Maybe Aruba or the like. I never used to buy the travel insurance, but recently started when we started booking flights for my 80 year old grandparents. You never know what’s going to happen.
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I cannot believe the amount of giveaways going on right now! Thanks for this Savvy!
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Good Luck dude
Your £300 Giveaway is awesome, I’m not planing for holiday but I’d love to help some poor peopls and pay my bills. I’ll do my best.
Thanks for the givaway.
Would love to go back to Toronto, this would help!
Simon.
I would put the money towards a trip to Nicaragua! I’m glad that you brought up travel insurance. People tend to forget about the fact that life still happens when you’re traveling. I was in a car accident in Toronto one year and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. Luckily, I didn’t have to pay anything.
My goodness, that sounds awful! Glad you were OK financially!
Hi, I want to go to Paris this year.
Also, another tip I would add to this brilliant post is that if you are a UK resident make sure you get a EHIC card which is free and means that you can get reduced or sometimes free hospital treatment within Europe.
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Great point Gemma… saves a huge outlay for sure
We did not have our honeymoon yet. We choose to fix up our new home first. so, I would put it towards a romantic getaway. Perhaps, someplace in Ontario.
I’d put this money towards a trip to Europe, Particularly the UK as i’ve become fascinated with it recently. The humor, the food, the way of life all capture my attention and pique my interest.
I’d love to go back to New Zealand, so that’s what I’d do with it.
We’ve already booked 2 weeks in Scotland so I’d use the money to visit the historic places in Edinburgh and elsewhere.
ive always wanted to visit spain
I’m not too bothered where so long as there is lots of sunshine
Have to be disney paris with the kiddies @kikicomp
Disneyland Paris!
Spain!
I would put 300 pounds towards taking my darling wife on a honeymoon. It is 7 years since we got married and she has been very patient. We have a one week window and want to go somewhere in Europe. 300 pounds would make a significant difference to where and how memorable it would be.
would take the children to butlins 🙂