With the emphasis placed firmly on carefully managing your finances in recent times, many people are seeking extra value from everything they purchase and that, of course, includes their holidays.
Of course, low headline prices for holidays to continental Europe or far-flung destinations often look tempting. But, once you add in all the hidden costs and work out how much you would need to allocate on food, drink, entertainment and other extras, all of a sudden that ‘cheap’ holiday can start to look rather expensive.
Hidden holiday costs can vary depending upon the operator or airline used and when you start to multiply each of them by the number of travellers in your party then they soon become significant. Here are some of the most common hidden costs:
Budget or charter airline charging extra for:
carrying your luggage on your flight
reserving a seat on your flight
providing a meal on your flight
priority boarding
Holiday operator charging extra for:
transfers between airport and accommodation
booking, processing and administration fees
room surcharges for under-occupancy – i.e. two in a room instead of four
a resort fee – whether you use the resort facilities or not
Other charges:
fees for withdrawing cash from a foreign ATM or using your card abroad
high priced mobile phone costs back to the UK
In addition to that rather expensive list; the cost of entertainment, food and drink, excursions and other purchases need to be added to the total. So, it’s no wonder that all-inclusive breaks taken entirely within the UK are gaining in popularity. Although most people have seen all-inclusive holidays advertised in foreign holiday brochures, less are aware that a growing number of select UK holiday operators also offer such breaks.
As such, major holiday camps designed for families and specialist operators that cater exclusively for adults are seeing an increase in bookings from people simply fed up of being taking for a ride from foreign tour operators. They want an all-inclusive holiday that includes accommodation, set meals a day, entertainment and the use of sports facilities in the total price. And, they don’t wish to be held to ransom on extra hidden costs that are for essentials – such as taking your luggage on holiday, for example.
