10 Real Tips for a family holiday on a budget
Going on a holiday is one of the most fun things to do as a family. You get to meet new people, experience new cultures, get exposed to things that you might never have seen in ten lifetimes if you had stayed in your usual environment. You get to learn more about the world and also appreciate new beauties.
Holidaying in Ireland comes with a lot of advantages. For starters, you get to unwind and enjoy a typical Irish welcome regardless of which part of Ireland you are. With the north being a part of the UK, you get the added advantage of not needing to change your currency if you reside in the UK. You can also make use of those extra euro bills you have left from your last trip across the EU as the south has adopted the euro.
However, one huge downside that sometimes comes with holidaying is the very real possibility of overspending. Very often, families embark on trips with the intention of not spending more than a particular amount but on getting home, realize that have spent almost twice their budget if not more. To avoid these, I have taken it upon myself to help you compile a couple of tips that have been tested and trusted to help you keep to your budget without having to sacrifice your fun.
Some of the tips that can really help you cut on spending are;
- Have A List Of Holiday Expenses
During the holiday, you need to understand that shopping isn’t the only thing that requires money. You need to sit down and make a list of everything you will be paying for during the course of the holiday. The traveling, hotels, gifts, charity, feeding, and even money for gas if you will be driving.
Most people make the mistake of believing that shopping is the only money–sucking activity and this isn’t true. All these little activities and spending matter a lot also. Once you have a list, you have a general idea of which activities are important and what they will cost. People often forget that incidentals can easily take up all the money if there is no proper plan or discipline in place.
- Make A Budget
The feeling of unlimited spending ability makes money go quicker than anything else. At the beginning of the holiday, decide on how much the maximum spending limit will be. And most importantly, when you are deciding on what the budget should be, make sure it is only from the amount that you have previously set aside for this purpose.
It is always a bad idea to decide to dig into some money that was meant for something else entirely, with the hope that you will be paying it back over time. This hardly works, do not risk it!
- Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
However, as fun as this can be, family holidays can be equally as stressful. Not just physically, but also financially. A lot happens during a holiday, regardless of where you go, that requires you spending a lot.
Apart from that, accidents happen during a holiday that will require you to spend money that wasn’t budgeted. For example, you could lose important items while at the airport or get sick due to new cuisine or a number of other things. To help make these types of situations easier, it is advisable that you get travel insurance before you leave.
Travel insurance will cover anything from lost items to providing support in the case of a medical emergency. You can also reclaim canceled or rescheduled flights while also getting help with car hire. However, you need to extensively research the insurance you are going for and check that it covers what you feel you might need. You should check out the AA Travel Insurance website to check and compare cheap travel insurance quotes within your budget.
Right travel cover can save you a lot of grief. To save costs, you need to look at your traveling habits. If you and your family travel more than once a year, then getting multi-trip insurance will be cheaper than purchasing a single policy every time you want to travel.
Also, you need to review the options you pick for your insurance to cover. For example, an insurer could offer both Travel Disruption and flight Cancellation cover. You really do not need to pick both as you might just end up paying for a cover twice.
- Reward Yourself
Sometimes, you can always change your SuperValu spending into Avios points or you can redeem Tesco Clubcard points for Irish Ferries travel tokens. This will go a long way in reducing your transportation costs.
- Food And Drinks
To cut costs, you can decide to use an Airbnb. Apart from the lesser cost, you get the added advantage of being able to cook your own meals sometimes and also the chance to do some local shopping for groceries. It is no news that cooking at home is relatively cheaper than ordering hotel foods. And even though you might not be able to do this every, I mean you are on holiday and should be resting, it is still an awesome way to cut costs.
Also, you can decide to go for a family picnic on the beach or some other place with a postcard scene. Apart from the fact that you will be sightseeing, it is also a great way to bond with family members. And the best part, you will be saving costs and at the same time, you will not have to queue up for a table.
- Foreign Banking
If you will be traveling out of the country, then you have to make arrangements for how to get cash in that country. Now, using a credit card is pretty much the cheapest and most accepted means of payment. But, knowing that you tend to overspend when you pay with a credit card, you might want to find means of getting cash.
If you are still within the EU, you will realize that most Irish banks will not charge you for any withdrawals you make at the ATM. However, foreign banks might have their charges.
If you will be going outside the continent, you can buy a foreign exchange card right here in Ireland at relatively decent prices. Apart from being cheap, they are also quite safe.
- Think Like A Local
A very sure method of avoiding spending too much is to think like a local. The minute you stop seeing yourself as a newbie, you start seeing things from a different perspective. Why do you have to pay extra for a meal when you can easily get a discount for the meal? You can get a discount for everything, including live music. Once you decide on where you are going for your vacation, you can go to a number of websites to search for venues where you can get discounted vouchers for their various activities.
- Go All-Inclusive
If you know you always have a hard time sticking to your budget, then it is better if you are not the one in charge of your activities. One perfect way to do this is by going for all-inclusive holiday packages. All your activities including meals and accommodation have been included in your bills so you can know exactly how much you will be spending before you even leave your home.
Although there are extra expenses that might be incurred, you will be rest assured that the major ones are taken care off and then you can budget a small amount for the extras. A typical example of an all-inclusive trip is a Cruise.
- Take Advantage Of Foreign Exchange
It is only logical that when you are going on a trip to a country where your local currency is more valuable than theirs, you will be getting more value for every euro spent. For example, if you are a UK resident traveling to the Republic of Ireland, you can take advantage of the higher value of the Pounds when compared to the Euro and get more value for your money.
- Make Use Of Your Credit Card Rewards
Depending on your credit cards and the rewards you have piled up, you might be able to use them to save on a couple of euros in flight tickets and hotels. However, since the mileage conversion isn’t fixed, it is advisable to regularly redeem your points.
You could also maximize the cashback policy of your card by ordering your tickets and hotels online if there is one.
These tips are by no means a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. However, if you go through everything, you will definitely see tips that you can apply to your lifestyle and even see those that you could revise to fit better with your lifestyle.
