Is there such thing as a £99 holiday?
With school holidays and summer fast approaching many families are looking for a cheap getaway. Some people choose to book their holidays a year in advance so they have time to sort out the finances for it. With the average family holiday for four costing £2,500 if not more it’s easy to see why families are being sensible about paying for it. There are also professions such as teaching where teachers have no choice but to holiday during peak times such as school holidays.
Do offers of £99 holidays really exist?
If you buy newspapers or receive weekly newsletters from travel companies and agents you will notice how every now and again you will see offers of ‘bargain’ holidays that are available for a limited time only. Here are a few that I have come across 1 week in Turkey £139 including flights, 1 week in Greece £159 including flights and the most popular 1 week in Spain £129 including flights. When you see a week’s accommodation including flights to the destination you think ‘wow what a bargain’ but what does it or doesn’t it include?
When you call up so called ‘£99’ holiday deals you are nearly always told that they’re sorry but the offer has sold out, this is a ploy so the travel agent can tell you about other so called ‘fantastic’ deals they currently have. It’s not known if such bargain holiday deals were ever available in the first place or if it’s just a way of reeling in potential customers.
If you are lucky enough to find a bargain holiday then here are some popular mistakes travellers make when they book their holiday:
Airport departure and arrival – check to see that the departing airport is accessible to where you live, you may fin that the holiday you’re after is departing from an airport further than you think. It’s the same for the holiday arrival destination, make sure it is in your resort area and you don’t need a costly and lengthy taxi ride to another resort.
Are meals included – know beforehand if you have a bed and breakfast, half board, all inclusive or self catering accommodation. If it is self catering you can save some money by bringing some essentials such as tea bags, sugar, powdered milk and pasta.
Airport transfers – when you arrive at your holiday destination are transfers included or do you need to pre book or find a taxi when you arrive. This is important as you don’t want to be left stranded at the airport in a foreign country.
Luggage allowance – most cheap holidays only give you an allowance of 10-15kg and this is to be taken onboard as hand luggage. If you want to bring a suitcase that needs to be checked in you may have to pay an additional £30 that will also give an allowance of 23kg or more.
Location – if you are getting a good deal you may want to enquire about local amenities such as how close is the beach, the bus stop, taxi, supermarket etc. You may find that the beach is a good 15 minutes walk or a fee paying bus ride daily which can soon add up.
In all you are highly unlikely to be able to find a good deal for anything less than £300 at least. Once you take into account that you will need to go to the airport via taxi or pay a week’s airport parking, transfers at the holiday destination, food, transport costs on holiday and pocket money for gifts, souvenirs or entertainment you soon find out that there is no such thing as a £99 holiday.