Saving Money on a Holiday

Going on a family vacation can be considerably more expensive than going with your partner only. Instead of buying two airline tickets and renting a double room in a hotel, you need maybe four or five tickets and at least two hotel rooms.

Fortunately, there are a lot of family-friendly offers that help keeping things in budget. Still, there are some aspects where you can cut on costs.

An expense that is often not recognized is the food. When on holiday, you often either lack the opportunity to cook or you're not in the mood to continue that annoying household routine. Dining out is fine and surely an essential part of the recreation - after all, you want to enjoy your stay. But that doesn't mean that every little snack has to be bought ready-made somewhere. If you can't bring food, maybe because you're going by plane and your luggage weight is limited, it might pay to look for a supermarket at your destination. And a sandwich, for example, does well as a replacement for a whole round of hot dogs as an afternoon snack.

If you're staying in a hotel, you can try and ask at the reception if they can empty the minibar at your rooms. Anyway, you should definitely avoid touching something in there, as the price is normally astronomic. And this way, you can make use of it as a fridge to keep some supplies there.

When you're booking the trip and you're not too fixed on a certain location that you want to go to, you can consider going to a travelling agent. Make a budget limit, and ask them what they can do with it. You might also want to check out several agents so you can choose the best offer. Instead of going to a hotel, renting a holiday house can be seriously cheaper. If you have a befriended family, maybe even with kids, too, then you can think about sharing a larger house. The atmosphere is more personal than in a hotel, and mostly you'll find a cooking site - if you don't mind gastronomical activities during your free time. If your family is insisting on a hotel, tell them what nice things you can do on your trip with all the money saved.

Brigette Meier is an occassional author for http://www.e-nterests.com - visit the site for more interesting articles.

Makeup days gnaw holidays
Florida Today, FL - 3 hours ago
19, 22 and 23, dates when many people had scheduled holiday travel. Teachers also are concerned that attendance will be poor and grades will suffer. ...

Pyramid selling ... how the credit crunch has changed our summer ...
Sunday Herald, UK - 10 hours ago
But when it comes to holidays, we have done quite the opposite. Instead of staying at home and counting our coppers, more Britons have left their mounting ...
Exclusive: Holidays will costa lot more next year Mirror.co.uk
all 2 news articles

Highway stats provide snapshot of holiday drivers
Nashua Telegraph, NH - 4 hours ago
"I've always been a numbers geek," said Colitti, who is responsible for the department's release of data after major holiday weekends. safety on the throngs ...
HOLIDAY TRAFFIC STATISTICS Nashua Telegraph
all 2 news articles

10 great green and ethical holidays
Times Online, UK - 9 hours ago
It’s rare to get all three in one holiday. Now you can, courtesy of the latest hotlist of eco-destinations At one time, choosing a holiday was a no-brainer. ...

Hamish McRae: The slide in sterling may have spoilt our holidays ...
Independent, UK - 9 hours ago
The fall against the euro has done more than make holidays abroad more expensive and the fall against the dollar has done more than stop us benefiting from ...

Govt offices paralysed as staff enjoy holidays
Times of India, India - Sep 5, 2008
Panaji: The Goa administration has been literally paralysed with government staff coinciding their leave with the Ganesh festival holidays. ...

Cruise holidays better value than 10 years ago.
4Hoteliers, Hong Kong - 8 hours ago
Whilst the cost of everyday household items and food increases, it seems that the cost of holidays has dropped significantly. Cruise holidays, once the ...

Telegraph.co.uk
Holiday key to school standards?
BBC News, UK - Sep 5, 2008
There were those with webbed feet who had spent their holiday in the UK and those who could remember that the bright light in the sky is something called ...
KILLER STORMS Daily Star
Summer washout and more rain on the way Sunderland Echo
all 363 news articles

'Holidays (Are) on Us' This Winter from Vail Resorts
MarketWatch - Sep 5, 2008
Vail Resorts unveils the ultimate lodging deal for the 2008-2009 winter season with a free night of lodging on the busiest holidays at top-rated Colorado ...
Vail Resorts offers 'last chance' sale Summit Daily News
Colorado Five Mountain Pass Has Something For Everyone OnTheSnow.com
all 16 news articles

CNET News
New ipods set to hit market in time for holidays
National Post, Canada - Sep 3, 2008
As Apple Inc. nears a milestone of selling four million iPhone 3G's, investors should focus on the company's new holiday product lineup, expected to be ...
Come September: iPods Macworld
Apple September 9th iPod event confirmed SlashGear
all 328 news articles

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Tis The Season