The Post Office recently ran a survey and found out that 46% of people are actively trying to lower the cost of their holiday. This means that holiday companies are feeling the pinch as many people are waiting longer to book and spending less on the package.
Thanks to a relatively good summer and the constraints on people's finances because of the recession, the UK holiday market has been one of the few winners this year. But despite many people touting the return of the British summer holiday, people still want their week in the sun, and preferably somewhere a little more exotic than Torquay.
Airlines such as British Airways have reported massive losses this year as people continue to jump on the low-cost carriers bandwagon. But even the Ryanairs and eayJets out there have had to think up new ways to make money, namely excessive baggage and check in costs and a reduction in the number of routes and airports that are serviced.
Cross-channel ferries and Eurotunnel have picked up some of the slack. You can take a whole family to France for the cost of one person's flight, even before you add the baggage charges.
Until recently, self-catering accommodation was a less popular option among us Brits, with most people favouring all-inclusive hotel packages, but these days hotel rooms go empty, and self-catering accommodation is packed to the max. You get more value for money from the accommodation itself and spend less on food and booze ? it's a win-win situation.
Travel insurance has also taken a bit of a beating too. Most people will never claim on their holiday insurance, but if something doe go wrong whilst away, the cost of treatment outstrips the cost of the insurance policy. This is particularly true in the US. But even in Europe people shouldn't just rely on your European Health Insurance card, if someone needs to be airlifted to safety and they don't have insurance they are the ones that have to pay.
If something does go wrong whilst away, the costs of treatment will be far greater than the cost of an insurance policy. Also, a European Health Insurance Card really isn't adequate and for those holiday makers lucky enough to be heading off further afield, to the US for example, travel insurance is essential.
Annual family policies also tend to work out better value than individual single-trip options and specific insurance for the kind of activities that people will be engaged in such as skiing or backpacking are vital. It's not worth cutting corners on insurance when you can make savings in other areas of your holiday.
1stoptravelinsurance.co.uk offer a variety of standard options with cheap travel insurance then allow you to tailor your policy to ensure that you get the right travel insurance for your needs.
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Travel Tips Articles Via RSS!
