Your money: How to spend your holiday wisely

A BARGAIN TRIP COULD BE RUINED BY COSTLY LIVING
By Tricia Phillips

IT MIGHT be cold and grey outside but sun, sea and sand are at the forefront of many people's minds. Booking a summer holiday is one of the most popular ways to banish the January blues.

Holiday giant Thomas Cook forecasts that families will take more breaks than ever this year, to more exotic locations. The market continues to grow year on year, fuelled by the explosion in low-cost, short-haul flights, internet bookings for DIY holidays and the surge in overseas property ownership.

For most families the annual holiday is one of the biggest outlays of the year, so bagging a bargain is a top priority. But it's not just the price of the holiday that you need to think about. You've also got to take into account how far your spending money will go once you get there.

According to government statistics we took a record 66 million overseas holidays last year. This reflects the growing trend of people taking several shorter breaks rather than one summer break of a fortnight. Last year nearly half (47 per cent) of packages sold were for seven nights or less - up from 42 per cent in 2003.

And despite the fact that more families are choosing exotic and unusual locations such as Brazil, Cuba and Jamaica, nine of the top 10 hot-spots for next summer are in Europe - with Turkey leading the way.

The only exception is Florida, which has crept back on to the bottom of the list in 10th place after being knocked off it last year.

Stunning scenery and weak currency are making the Balkans a major draw for costconscious trippers. Bulgaria is growing in popularity, thanks to its affordability and family resorts on the Black Sea.

But however desirable your destination, what can you expect to spend once you've touched down at the airport?

You don't want to be worrying about the price every time you fancy a drink or the children plead for an ice cream.

Prices for holiday essentials can add up - and they vary drastically.

A pint of beer can cost up to £1.54 more if you holiday in the Canaries rather than Bulgaria. A cup of coffee in Turkey or the Algarve costs just 60p, but in Italy you'll have to stump up £1.85 - that's £1.25 more for each cup you drink.

And when it comes to suntan lotion there can be a whopping £6 difference in price from once place to another.

We've found that you could pay an enormous £630 extra on a seven-night break for some everyday basics compared to the cheapest destinations we found.

A family of four (two adults and two children) spending a week in Bulgaria, one of the cheapest places in Europe, can expect to shell out around £336, based on seven pints of beer, 10 cans of Coke, suntan lotion, 28 three-course meals, five bottles of wine, 14 ice creams, 10 cups of coffee and car hire.

But if the same family flew to Greece that total would be a hefty £641.

And if they chose Italy, which comes out as one of the most expensive European destinations, it would set them back a whopping £966.

Check our table below to find out the sort of costs you can expect once you land at your chosen holiday destination.

We've teamed up with Thomas Cook to find the top 10 cheapest locations for travellers who don't want their holiday expenses to run out of control.

Unless you do your sums you may find that bargain escape isn't such a bargain after all once you've totted up the costs.

DAILY MIRROR
18 January 2006