Beating the Budget Blues: Holidaying on a Shoe String

July 15, 2010 - PRLog -- Mr Osborne's stern make or break budget heralds in harder times times around the corner. The prospect of holidaying in Britain does not seem so cheap, as VAT goes up. The announcement of a  review of airport departure taxes, imminently means rises, and maybe summers to come look a bit grayer. With cuts slashing all through the country, you may not feel particularly rich these days, but you probably feel as if you need a holiday. Here are some tips to help you through vacationing in these tough times.

Pick your Moment
If you have a loose schedule, you will find great deals in the 'off' season, with many vacation rental properties charging half the amount their summer prices. If you book towards the end of summer some places charge 20 percent less at the end of August.

Getting There Cheaply
If you're easy within regards to your destination, and willing to look around for the best deal, then budget airlines offer good value flights, though rather sparing on the luxury. Driving is often a cheap option, freeing you from the costs of car rental or transport. Taking the euro tunnel to France means you don't have to pay above the odds for getting your family abroad.

Go Light
If you are travelling by budget air, you will find one of the ways they make their money is charging as much as they can for extras, minimise your luggage to get the best price.

Avoid Hotels
Hotels often eat up money, a tip for the bell boy here a tip for the maid there, then the bar costs and so on. If you are with a family they can be stressful settings, either all holed up in one room, or the children in some other side of the corridor doing heavens knows what.

Vacation Rentals
A much cheaper alternative to hotels is the vacation rental property, one that many return to, choosing not to stay in a hotel again. This offers you a wide variety of options in regards to where you stay and the type of holiday you have, you could for instance pick a villa in Portugal, or a gite in Brittany. Gites in Brittany can come as cheap as £900 for two weeks and will house your whole family with no hidden charges.

Fill up on the Right Side of the Channel
If you are crossing the channel in to France then you will find a marked difference in fuel prices. It tends to be cheaper to buy petrol in Britain, while France offers cheaper diesel. If petrol, go with a full tank, if diesel go with what you need to get there.

Go the Long Way
Driving through France you can save significantly by avoiding toll roads, though this may add hours on to your journey. You can maneuver away from the tolls with your satnav, but if you don't have one you can plan your journey with google maps http://maps.google.com

Watch out for Cameras
Speed cameras have been popping up all over France so it is wise to be aware of them and not get caught, be aware that if you speed there's a good chance of a fine coming your way. Many cameras have been added to Brittany catching out a lot of tourists. The on the spot charge for speeding up to 20km/h above the limit in France is € 68 (€ 135 if the limit is lower than 50km/h), more severe charges can go up to € 1500.

Do Lunch
If you like eating you don't have to get landed with the massive bill of an evening meal, as time is your own, you can go for a cheaper lunch deal and spend the afternoon sleeping it off.

Charge to your Credit Card
This advice is for those who pay off their balance at the end of the month. If you do, the cheapest way to spend money abroad is to use your credit card where you can. You won't lose out with exchange rates as with buying cash, or using a debit card. Watch out for a new trait from overseas traders, offering to charge in pounds, this is often at a readily converted inflated rate, make sure you are. charged in local currency.

# # #

Short term rentals from around the world, direct from the owner at http://www.vacationrentalpeople.com.

Try one of the beautiful Gites in Brittany at VacationRentalPeople.com: http://www.vacationrentalpeople.com/vacation-rentals.aspx...