Now that we are in full swing of the summer holiday season, it’s no surprise that 27th July saw the start of the most popular holiday week in the UK.
I peaked far too early with my holiday this year by going on May 1st which means I have had to watch everyone else go away (Boo!).
We have been unsure when the sale of our new house would complete and couldn’t commit to booking a holiday until we were sure. To make up for that, Paul and I have been having days out and weekends filled with home grown adventures both near and far! We usually try to go away for his birthday which falls in the middle of August. This year we settled for an American themed drinks party full of our favourite treats from trips across the states.
Did you know the average daily spend on a holiday in America is £87 per person. As we usually holiday in the US once a year, we certainly know this one well, although we do manage to spend around $150 (£95) per day for us both with the odd splurge day in between.
One of my tried and tested ways to save money on holidays both home and away is to utilise websites such as Groupon, Living Social and Travelzoo as well as brands own websites for coupons, deals and vouchers. For example, on our last visit to Las Vegas, we managed to snaffle a Travelzoo voucher which gave us $100 of high end cocktails for around £20 – which even with the conversion rate is brilliant!
Have you ever spotted flights in a sale when you don’t yet have the money to pay for them? I am forever dipping in to my savings to book flights thanks to that cursed British Airways Sale reminder email! Pesky sales always fall the week before payday or Christmas don’t they? One great way to overcome this problem is to use a credit card such as the Santander 123 card to pick up the flights and spread the cost.
Booking a holiday or flights with a credit card not only means you can spread the cost in line with your incoming pennies, you are also legally covered against anything untoward happening in the tourism industry such as an airline going bust.
Did you know that in a poll, only 18% of people use their credit card to book a holiday or travel? I thought it would be higher than that when you consider the great deals and cash back offers.
If you book your flights through a cash back rewards site such as Quidco, you can get extra cash back teamed with the 1% cashback from supermarket shopping, 2% from department stores and 3% cash back at petrol stations – hence the 123 part of the Santander card.
With great cash back on offer, you could turn a UK break in to a money making trip for you when you fill up your car on route, fill up your tummy with picnic food and fill up your wardrobe with swish new summer clothes! I certainly wish I had received the 1% cash back when I was doing the grocery shopping for our party! Blimey!
Have you been away yet this year or have you had a staycation?