Britons wanting to go abroad for their half term holidays could save over £950 by switching to a budget location.
Figures from M&S Travel Money found a family of four looking for a five-night beach holiday could reduce their costs by £238 if they went to the Algarve in Portugal rather than Brittany in France, with total savings of £952.
The average cost per person for a five-night holiday in Brittany is £457 compared to £219 for the Algarve.
A family looking to go to Kalkan in Turkey for a holiday could save almost £95 per person if they went to Tenerife in the Canary Islands instead.
Nic Moran, from M&S Travel Money, said: “We know that for many families, getting the most out of their holiday budget is always a must, but perhaps even more so in the current climate.
“By considering alternative locations to some popular holiday destinations, families could enjoy savings on their October getaway, while still enjoying everything they were looking for from their break, whether that be sun, sand, architecture or cuisine.”
Britons looking at going to the popular Puglia region of Italy, at £259 a head, could save £77 per person if they went to Sofia in Bulgaria, which would be just £182 per person.
M&S Travel Money also found Sofia has the cheapest local costs of the destinations it looked at, with a family day out costing just £12.16 while a local bottle of wine costs £5.68.
Ms Moran also provided some travel tips to help Britons keep their costs down:
- Plan spending money early – Order currency online or visit a high street bureau de change to secure a rate in advance. Travelling with both local currency and a credit card also ensures a person is covered for all eventualities
- Consider alternative airports – Flights to airports slightly outside of the destination may work out cheaper – but make sure to factor in any additional travel costs
- Travel outside of peak hours – Travelling outside the peak hours can be cheaper than the most in-demand times
- Take plenty of money – Be sure to have enough cash for snacks, taxis and tipping, as ATMs may not always be readily available.
Figures recently revealed the best European cities to retire to for those with a less than £1,000 a month budget.
Plovdiv and Burgas in Bulgaria were both high on the list as a person can get by with monthly costs of under $900 (£780).
Another option in eastern Europe was Debrecen in Hungary, where monthly coss are just $960 (£830).
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