How to find summer sun while keeping your costs down

Escaping overseas for some winter sun remains an incredibly popular pastime for Brits, despite fluctuations in the value of the pound.

According to Post Office Travel Money, a number of exotic long haul destinations have continued to see their popularity swell, despite costs in the destinations also rising.

Further data from Skyscanner has revealed that many warmer destinations – those with temperatures above 22°C between November and February – are cheaper this year when compared to 2018.

Winter sun and low-cost flights

Take the example of flights to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh – where temperatures reach upwards of 30°C in December – which are down by 15% year-on-year.

In the same month, flights to the Krabi in Thailand, Doha in Qatar and the Egyptian beach resort of Hurghada are all 10% less than they were 12 months ago, with all three offering temperatures from the mid-to-high 20s.

Temperatures in Hurghada drop slightly in January, yet flights for the first month of 2020 are nearly a quarter cheaper than in January this year.

Flights to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro and to Buenos Aires are also significantly cheaper this coming January and February than in the first months of 2019 – both offer temperatures approaching 30°C.

Watching the costs

Depending on where you go, you may want to hire a car for added freedom, although this can cause the costs to spiral if you’re not careful.

This is especially the case if you require extras such as sat-navs and child car seats, or if you want to have more than one named driver on the hire policy.

It’s therefore important to plan your trip in advance and ensure that you have everything you need – after all, taking your own equipment can help to keep the costs down.

Doing your research and shopping around can also help to find the best winter deals, especially when looking at hire firms with more than one hire desk in your chosen location.

Those in the city centre could be significantly cheaper than those near the airport, for example, while you may also get varied levels of insurance cover.

Make sure you’re covered

Before you jet off overseas in search of some winter sun, make sure you have adequate insurance protection for your trip.

Car hire excess insurance covers the excess you would need to pay should your hire vehicle be damaged or stolen – a figure that could amount to hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

This additional cover can provide peace of mind for the duration of your trip and costs considerably less when purchased online than at the car hire desk.

Date Created: 15/11/2019