How To Save Money On Holidays Abroad

Booking a holiday can be a daunting task and everyone seems to know how to save cash when booking. Of course, 2020 and 2021 were not the years to travel far. We did manage to get away and explore a bit. Lots of others didn’t manage it for various reasons. One was that it was completely daunting with all the new restrictions and rules in place. Another reason is the misconception that only the wealthy travel abroad. Read on to find out how to save money on holidays abroad.

Despite spending much of my 2020 on furlough I still managed to get away twice to Zante and Kefalonia. I was worried that I would forget to fill in a vital piece of paperwork. I was stressed about how everyone would cope with wearing masks the entire time we were travelling. But we took the leap and grabbed a couple of bargain breaks when we did.

Where My Budget Travel Obsession Began

Quite often I get asked how we afford to take our kids travelling to the places that we do. Too many people travelling to Australia and Asia seem out of reach. The truth is that with a little bit of knowledge, it doesn’t have to cost much more than the average family on a holiday to the Balearic islands.

After years of being obsessed with travel, working in travel and even going back to my backpacking days I have managed to pick up a few tips and tricks that allow us to explore some amazing countries.

Way back in 2002 my friend and I managed to save up to travel around Australia on the basic wage from our weekend jobs at JD Sports. Lots of planning, bargain hunting and determination meant that we were able to save enough to secure our working visa. We also saved to pay for our travel and accommodation. I learned so much from this time, and use this experience even now to help me arrange our travels. I wrote all about my backpacking hacks here!

Other tips and tricks I have picked up since working in the travel industry. People often look at me shocked when I tell them our next trip is to Malaysia or Singapore. I give this same look back to people who tell me how much they’ve spent on their trips to Spain!

Be Flexible

Top tip number one is probably the most important one to take into account to save money on holidays abroad.

BE FLEXIBLE. I can’t stress enough how important it is, flexibility is the key. If you can’t be flexible on your dates be flexible about your destination. Even just being flexible on hotels, airlines or flight times can save you money. For example, in March 2019 we went over to Malaysia to meet our friends from Australia. Since it was 2 families travelling, we couldn’t be as flexible as usual.

We had to decide where and when we were going to meet up so that was fixed. What we did have the flexibility in was how we got there. We did lots of research and found that flying into Singapore and then booking Air Asia flights from Singapore to Penang would save us about £500. The flight from Singapore only takes 10 minutes longer than it does from Kuala Lumpur. We also got to add another country to our list of countries visited as a family.

Use a Travel Agent

Use a travel agent. There’s a total misconception that booking with a travel agent will cost you lots more than booking online. It’s not true, booking with an agent will save money on your holidays abroad. I have always booked with agents even back in my backpacking days. Even when I booked flights to Sri Lanka for volunteer work. A travel agent offers so much more value than you realise.

I know I sound biased considering it’s been my career for the last 16 years, but it’s something I am so passionate about. Travel has always been a competitive industry with lots of people often fighting for the same job. Lots of us came to work in the industry after working as reps, studying travel and tourism courses or completing an apprenticeship after leaving school. Travel agents are a dedicated bunch.

We don’t fight for these jobs because they are well paid because they aren’t. And we certainly don’t get the perks that people think we do! We fight for these positions because it’s our passion. Travel agents have shown their worth during the pandemic. My colleagues helped to guide me in the right direction of paperwork to be filled in for Greece. We are constantly up to date with what changes have come into place. We know where you can and can’t go and we know that if you have an idea in your mind about where you want to go we can advise you.

Ask the experts

Many people think that Greece is all well over 4 hours flight and are surprised to find that Corfu, Zante and Kefalonia are all within 3 hours 30. If someone wants to go to Abu Dhabi most people don’t realise that it’s within driving distance from Dubai. Both airports are perfectly viable options for the perfect price and flight times. Both examples often will save you money.

We advise about visas, tourist taxes, departure taxes etc. Things are often forgotten about when booking online just by looking at a website. An experienced agent takes all of these things into account when giving the total cost of the trip. When looking for a good travel agent look out for one who holds both ABTA and ATOL certificates as well as look out for how much experience they have in the industry. A little more cash initially can help save money on holidays abroad in the long run.

Travel Light

Travel light! One thing that often gets forgotten in the excitement but packing light can save big bucks. Budget airlines often charge per suitcase but scheduled airlines usually include a case per person (weight limits vary). When we did our big trip to Australia in 2017 we flew scheduled with Qatar Airways from Birmingham to Perth. We had suitcases each included but a few of our internal flights were booked with various low-cost airlines that charged per suitcase.

We cut down from 5 to 3 cases for the three weeks saving us quite a lot of money. As well as saving money travelling light is better for the environment. Air travel isn’t the most environmentally friendly way to travel it’s good to remember that the heavier the case the more fuel needed to fly the plane.

Eat Locally

Eat locally. Another thing people think I am crazy about is not going All-Inclusive with 3 kids. In reality, we have been all-inclusive and have paid a lot of money for all-inclusive holidays but they haven’t been the amazing experiences we’ve had when we have stayed in self-catering apartments or bed-and-breakfast hotels. Truth be told we never miss out. We don’t. In Greece, you will quite often find me with a nice cold beer and the kids with an ice cream each and it doesn’t break the bank!

All-inclusive breaks are great but you pay for 3 meals a day plus snacks and all the drinks you can drink. We often travel self-catering and breakfast is usually nothing more than a croissant and a coffee. That’s all I need to fuel me for a day of sitting by the pool or on the beach! The best experiences can be had eating and drinking in the small bars and restaurants or the hawker stalls in Asia. I can tell you that 99% of the time these meals will taste a lot better and cost a lot less than the daily cost of the all-inclusive.

I mentioned in my post about the Bayview Beach Resort in Penang that Bed and Breakfast was great for us there as not many places had a Western breakfast nearby. Whenever we go to Greece these days we will stay in self-catering apartments as breakfast is often in the form of a croissant from the local shop with a cup of instant coffee. In Zante, As we have been so many times now we know we can get a cooked breakfast for under €5 as a treat now and again.

You don’t have to spend a lot to make memories

Travel with children doesn’t have to be expensive, long haul travel doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s nice to have a few luxuries and sometimes it’s good to work out where you are willing to save money and where you absolutely will not compromise. For instance, your dream holiday is a 5* hotel on a tropical beach if it saved money would you compromise on either the star rating or the location? Some wonderful lower-star-rated hotels have a location to die for. Sometimes the 5-star hotel a 5-minute walk from the beach might save you a huge sum of money. Life is all about compromise and travel, especially travel with kids, is no different.

Let me know what your best money-saving tips are when it comes to travel in the comments.

Thanks for reading as always.

Becky x