cheapy holiday tips

There are those who love to brag about how much they paid for something and those who just can't wait to let us know who little they paid. Gone are my days of backpacking and looking for the cheapest of everything. I like a little luxury without hassle. It's not always the cost that is valuable to me, its the time especially on holiday.

I’ll search to compare prices, look at discounts and book excursions locally etc but I just couldn’t do a holiday with only hand luggage. Nor could I travel in swimwear, I’d just be far too hot and uncomfortable.

I once had a puncture on my way to Aquafit. I was wearing my swimsuit under my clothes to save time. Can you imagine how comfortable I was as I sat for ages waiting for the repair service then onwards to a busy tyre depot. I don't think I've worn a swimsuit on the way to swimming ever again! Certainly wouldn't try that for long airport waits and flights!

I've had my days of cheapy holidays. Now we are retired it's five star all the way. I remember meeting two English ladies on a tour of New England. Our deal was breakfast and dinner.At breakfast they happily made up filled rolls, fruit and pastry for their lunches. I don't see anything wrong with that. The left over food was probably going to be thrown away.

For me it's no to most of those things. When I mention 'travelling light' my husband falls about laughing.

Jane10 DH goes swimming every morning at the leisure centre about 20 minutes drive away. He wears his swimming trunks on the way there and has forgotten to pack dry trousers to travel home in more than once .

Millie22 I'm with you on that, I believe a luggage allowance is meant to be used to the full.

I can easily go on holiday without hand luggage - I haven't that many clothes

Sorry that was WITH hand luggage.....

There isn’t a luggage allowance on trains, but I still take a small wheeled cabin bag. I like to travel light, and I’ve got very good at packing just enough for a ten-to- twelve day holiday in it, with a smaller tote bag for tablet, small bag of makeup, pashmina etc that I need to access on the journey. The suitcase goes in the luggage rack or under the seat. I don’t launder things in the hotel room either. My dream is to travel with an empty suitcase and buy clothes at the destination- I love shopping!

haha brilliant-

Cheap(skate) holiday tips
- stay with relatives no hotel bills to pay
- camping in the garden is always fun
- borrow someone else’s National Trust card then you won’t have to pay to go into stately homes etc.
- pinch food from the hotel breakfast buffet and hide it in your bag so you don’t have to buy a lunch
- tell the hotel/ airline it’s your birthday/ anniversary/ honeymoon and you might get an upgrade.
On the other hand...don’t bother and just treat yourself and blow the expense.

I think there is a difference between holidaying economically and being cheapskate. Being cheapskate to me means cutting off your nose to spite your face. Staying in a cheap and nasty hotel because it saves money, sitting on a bench in the pouring rain eating fish and chips because, it costs more to eat them under cover. I had an uncle like that, and being out for the day with him was not fun.

We have a holiday home in France and we are adept at playing the ferry timetable to travel on the cheapest crossings, but if travelling overnight, we always have a cabin. Now in our mid 70s, our days of sleeping on the floor or sitting in a chair overnight to save money are long gone.

I think you can holiday in an economical way and get good value for money without spoiling the ship for a ha'pporth of tar, which is my definition of cheapskate.

I'm all for saving money, though some of the tips mentioned would be going a bit far. But I do enjoy searching online to get the cheapest rate for the same room, there is nothing wrong with asking very politely if there is a possibility of an upgrade on a room or flight.

If going through a lot of airports on a trip, a lounge pass makes things a lot more pleaseant, but search for discounts, don't pay the full price.

Book as much of a trip yourself, rather than handing over everything to a travel agent or set package, and you can save thousands. Some people hate doing this, but for me it is part of the anticipation of the trip. Find an organised trip you fancy, and see if you can save money by booking each element yourself, travel agents take their cut. Using something like Freedom Africa, or Freedom Australia allows you to book as much or as little as you want yourself.

Some airlines will give you free stopovers in good hotels.

When it comes to packing, I am one of the worst, always thinking that something might come in handy. We always weigh the cases before departure, and if I haven't got close to the maximum, I feel I have failed. If I am over, the extra goes in DH's case!

I travel a lot and some of those are just common sense, some I don't understand.

Apart from the UK you wont find charity shops anywhere in my experience.

I use Ryanair a lot because they are the only airline who flies my route. I think they've caught on to the "putting oversize cabin bags in the hold for free" tricksters and they certainly check hand luggage when you check in larger stuff. I'll watch them on Sunday when I fly again.

After years of lugging a holdall through the labyrinthine miles of Stansted Airport, I always check my bag in these days. It's usually already on the carousel by the time I'm through Passport Control, and if it isnt, I'm on holiday, so what does it matter if I have to wait a bit? Rather that than all that carrying.

2: No idea what that's about. Airbnb is more expensive than a hotel in my experience.

3: Hotel shuttle buses are not always free, public transport (if available) is cheaper.

Not sure why a posh hotel works out cheaper, though.

Many tours have to be booked in advance. We arrived at a place of interest on our last holiday for a pre-booked tour at 2.30pm. People who were just turning up without having booked were told that the next tour with free places would be at 7pm!

What does "pinch itineraries" mean?

4.Wouldn't do any of that but would pack cutlery and picnic cups and plates. Knives not in carry-on luggage of course! Also useful, a teatowel and/or large cotton cloth to serve as a table cloth in picnic areas. Buy a roll of kitchen paper when you get there.

6: Don't understand what this is about. I've never bought duty free. Booze is far more expensive than in our local supermarket here in Germany. If bringing back gifts I get a local souvenir, something flat and easily packed.

7+8: Its never occurred to me to ask for another room. As long as the bed is comfortable, whats the point? It's only somewhere to sleep.

9 See above

10. If I take a packed lunch it usually ends up in the bin when I get home. Too much going on during the journey to eat.

I can't think of many ways to save money on holiday without skimping on comfort.

My main suggestion is: learn the language, so you don't get cheated.
Take the time to work out instructions e.g. for ticket vending machines,so you find the cheapest alternative.
Plan in as much detail as possible and scour the guide books and internet for free activities in the place you're visiting.

I agree with what *Monica" says about a difference between being a cheapskate and holidaying economically. We've been to expensive places such as Venice and New York. We didn't stay in top notch hotels but in cheaper (but nice) ones. We found cheap places to eat in both places and just treated ourselves to one or two 'posh' meals. We still saw all the sights and had a great time.

Borrowing someone's national trust card doesn't sound very honest, not sure if do that.
But if you can do what you want more often by doing things as economically as possible why not. I do that but have learnt that to do the most when I'm away sometimes it's worth it to pay for convenience. So sometimes getting a taxi if it means that you don't have a long and tiring bus journey to the next place you want to go to so you enjoy it more because you're not tired. Sometimes when you add up costs it's not that much dearer for an easier time. I was considering a couple nights camping for example within the UK but when I discovered how much the sure fees were at the very convenient site I looked around and found an air BnB for not much more which was very convenient for a v regular bus up into town, included a huge breakfast in the cost, I was able to heat up pizzas etc so even a quality pizza worked out cheaper than eating out and there was WiFi, and no packing or unpacking camping stuff.
I learnt from my in-laws about sometimes being cheap spoiling a day out. They would not pay for parking unless they absolutely couldn't avoid it and as they had a large vehicle often had to park quite a way away from wherever the attraction was. So part of the day was spent driving around trying to find a free place, which was inevitably a long walk so a day out with them was often partly spent driving around, walking to the place we were going and back and while exercise is good, little legs would get tired so it would spoil it for the children, that is the sort of being cheap I don't hold with

We usually sort out our own trips or visits when we get somewhere rather than paying the cruise company or hotel more expensive trips. Most major cities have big red bus which are a great way to see a place and hop on and off as you wish. Otherwise the only thing we do is avoid going away in expensive and busy school holidays. On another note, I would hate to be sat next to someone who was saving money by wearing lots of clothes and had their pockets stuffed. Plane seats are plenty cramped without someone bulging over the arms!

If you want to go abroad for a holiday keep your eye on site's like TUI and see how the prices are going . We are going soon to a hotel we love in Italy and it is almost half the price we normally pay. I used to like to be organised months in advance but no longer . I will wait and see what I can pick up.

When I said borrow someone’s NT card it was tongue in cheek ?- a cheapskate idea and I don’t do it as I’ve got my own card. I don’t steal from the breakfast buffet either. ?

crystaltipps no need to borrow a NT card, at some venues you could shimmy over the fence into the grounds........or just mingle in when a big group goes through the entrance gates.