Holiday price stings could bust the family budget
As the schools break up for the summer, parents can look forward to getting more holiday cash this year than last if they visit the eurozone, thanks to a rise in the value of sterling. But Post Office Travel Money’s new Family Holiday Report shows that they could get stung by holiday ‘rip offs’ as new consumer research reveals a long list of family concerns.
Hefty mobile phone roaming rates were named the top ‘rip off’ by 56 per cent of parents with children aged 16 and under taking part in a survey of major holiday concerns by Post Office Travel Money - closely followed by charges for using a debit or credit card abroad (52 per cent).
Read Top Ten Holiday ‘Rip Offs’:
Baggage charges were seen as a ‘rip off’ by 47 per cent of parents questioned, while poor exchange rates in hotels or currency kiosks abroad (39 per cent) and bad airport rates (41 per cent) also rated as major moans. Despite this, Post Office research revealed that tourists are wasting over £28m a year changing pounds into euros at the airport² - and may not be taking enough cash to cover holiday costs.
24 per cent of parents also voiced concern about the cost of beach items and Post Office resort research for the Family Holiday Report indicates they have good cause. With see-sawing prices across Europe, it found that an hour’s ride on a pedalo costs just £5.36 in Portugal’s Algarve but twice as much in Majorca, Brittany or Cyprus.
Families also face widely varying prices for hiring sun-loungers. In Spain half a day’s hire could cost just £1.80 but in Italy it would set families back £11.71 - over six times more.
Keeping the kids entertained on holiday can be a costly minefield too. At £90.09, a family visit to a water park in Cyprus could rock the boat, costing more than twice as much as in Europe’s cheapest, Italy (£43.24).
Meanwhile Turkey’s Saklikent Gorge offers the cheapest day out for a family of four at just £7.41 - unless you count Mont St Michel, one of France’s top attractions, which comes free as long as families stick to window shopping. By comparison Italy’s famous Pompeii ruins cost £29.73 for the family.
If parents face getting fleeced when spending their euros, they rate getting stung by jellyfish or bitten by mosquitoes as the biggest hindrance to holiday fun. When Post Office Travel Money asked families to choose their major holiday irritants, 34 per cent named bites and stings alongside dirty beaches and seawater as the top irritants.
Both these irritations eclipsed that perennial problem for parents - missing home food favourites like roast dinners and Marmite (4 per cent) and their children hating local food (13 per cent). So too did fear of a family member getting ill or having food poisoning (32 per cent), porters grabbing luggage to get a tip (29 per cent) and feral animals (16 per cent).
But there is some good news for families holidaying in Europe. Although 24 per cent complained about meal and drink costs, the Post Office Family Holiday Report reveals that family meals account for the biggest drop in prices this year.
Meal prices in Portugal, rated best family value destination by the Post Office, have dropped 47 per cent since last July (£27.03 for two adults/two children with drinks). Prices have also plummeted in Cyprus (-20 per cent) and Greece (-17 per cent) - but are up 33 per cent in France. Eating out in Turkey is likely to cost around 13 per cent more, because the lira has strengthened by almost 11 per cent year-on-year.
Sarah Munro, Post Office Head of Travel Money, said: "There is plenty families can do to avoid getting stung on holiday. They should check excursion and attraction prices online before they go to avoid the most expensive and they should also pack kids’ beach items that could break the holiday budget if bought overseas.
"Families can save enough to pay out for some unexpected holiday items if they avoid wasting cash by leaving it until the last minute and changing their currency at the airport. They should also take enough holiday cash to cover some unexpected costs, rather than pay out hefty charges for using plastic abroad - or take a credit card like the Post Office one, offering 0 per cent commission on overseas transactions."
Sterling can be changed into euros over the counter at more than 8,500 Post Office branches, while the Turkish lira is available over the counter at 4,000 of these. Other currencies featured in the Family Holiday Report are among 29 available on demand at 1,600 larger Post Office branches. Over 70 currencies can be pre-ordered for next day branch collection at around 12,000 Post Office outlets or online at postoffice.co.uk, where home delivery can be arranged.