Holiday money should be spent wisely abroad
Preparing for a holiday abroad, financially, may take longer than some Britons anticipate, as new research from an online independent travel agency has revealed that the time taken for most holidaymakers to save up their travel spending money is, on average, six months.
Holidaymakers will take £800 per couple, £1200 per family of four and £500 per person on their week-long travels, according to the poll of 1,726 members of the British public, by www.sunshine.co.uk.
I think if you want a decent trip abroad, you should budget for around £50 per person, per day, as that’s plenty for food, the odd activity and your postcards back home.
Chris Clarkson, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, said: “Spending money forms a big chunk of the overall holiday cost and is often just as much as the flights and accommodation.
“Whilst many people look for last minute holiday deals, is often better to book early, because it gives you the opportunity to spread the cost out over a longer period of time. If you book early, you have longer to save more money for holiday spends.
“It seems in some cases, people are starting to save holiday spending money before they’ve even booked anything, as six months is a decent amount of time to have.”
The poll found that, although the average amount of time taken to save up for holiday spending money was stated as six months, more than two thirds of respondents said they had failed to save up as much as they’d wanted to for their last holiday abroad.
Furthermore the poll showed that the top five things holidaymakers spend money on when travelling abroad are food and drink, excursions and activities, clothes, souvenirs and gifts, and, unsurprisingly, taxis.
Chris added: “It’s no surprise that most spending money goes towards food and drink and even those on all inclusive trips can end up spending cash on eating out to have a change of scenery from the hotel restaurants.
“I think if you want a decent trip abroad, you should budget for around £50 per person, per day, as that’s plenty for food, the odd activity and your postcards back home.
"However, all inclusive options can be a great way to save money, providing you take advantage of the meals and drinks on offer each day and don’t eat out all the time.”
How much spending money do you take on holiday? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
Tagged in Travel