Rising accommodation, travel and food costs make holidaying in the UK no longer the business they used to be, but has the balance shifted in favor of going abroad? Guardian Money research suggests that for some British holidaymakers, a trip abroad will not be a reward.
Our holiday snapshot in the UK, France and Spain found that for a family traveling from London, a trip across the Channel could be less than a break from Devon. Flying to Spain would cost a lot more, but the promise of better weather will be worth it for some.
Prices for stays in the UK have risen, but figures suggest that the typical cost of summer holiday accommodation in France and Spain has risen at a faster rate.
The information provided by the Trivago comparison website shows that the average price for accommodation, including hotels and accommodation options in France during the months of June to August this year is £ 126. per night compared to £ 106 during the same period. in 2019. This represents an increase of almost 19%. In Spain, the average price increases by 16%, from £ 106 to £ 123 per night. However, in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, average prices have risen by 34%.
These figures do not make the UK figure look so bad – a typical 12% increase from £ 98 in 2019 to £ 110 this summer, according to Trivago, which lists millions of accommodation options instead.
It may come as no surprise that we are seeing families reconsider their plans to go abroad after airlines canceled hundreds of flights. Which? Rory Boland of Travel
Separate data provided to Guardian Money by hotel technology provider allora.ai show that average UK hotel prices for the summer of 2022 have increased by around 10% compared to last summer, as hoteliers face the same cost of living problems that households face.
While accommodation costs have clearly risen, the consumer body What? found that the average cost of flights to mainland Europe has decreased since 2019. found that the average cost of a summer holiday flight from the UK to mainland Europe this August, booked in March this year, was £ 92 compared to £ 182 in 2019. .When Which? Comparing six routes from London Stansted to destinations such as Venice and Barcelona, he found that all six were “significantly cheaper” in 2022.
This can help bring a holiday in the sun a little more within reach.
However, like Rory Boland, the editor of Which? Travel says: “It may come as no surprise that some people and families are reconsidering their plans to go abroad after airlines canceled hundreds of flights and consumers faced widespread disruption. at airports “.
As always, this is not a direct picture.
Guardian Money decided to do its own price test, based on a family of four. We increased the price of travel to three different destinations by the sea: Brixham in Devon, Le Touquet in northern France and the Malaga area of Spain.
As fuel prices increase, driving distances can influence your vacation decision. Photo: Neil Hall / EPA
We found comparable properties in Brixham and Le Touquet at almost the same price (£ 765 and £ 778 per week, respectively).
With fuel prices at the pump so high, the distance it will drive has become an important factor in calculating the cost of a trip. In our price test you would pay more to drive from London to Devon and back than to go to the north of France and then home.
Fortunately, there are many websites that can help you budget this part of your trip. The RAC’s online mileage and fuel calculator can help you calculate how much a trip to the UK will cost in terms of fuel. For those who go further, places like ViaMichelin allow motorists to write their destination in France, Spain or anywhere, and suggest a route and calculate the estimated cost of fuel for the journey, plus the cost of road tolls.
There are also many websites that will help you find the cheapest petrol stations along your route, such as plein-moins-cher.fr (which covers France) and fuelflash.eu.
On holiday in the UK
“With high inflation, most holidays in the UK are more expensive due to the higher energy costs at the hotel or cottage where you are staying, as well as the higher catering costs that make food and drinks are more expensive when you eat at a restaurant, ”says Paul Charles. the CEO of travel consultancy PC Agency.
He adds that there is also strong demand for holidays in the UK, and it has been since the pandemic began, which is driving up prices. “However, you have to balance the highest cost in the UK with the fact that you will normally have cheaper travel costs and no flights to book.”
Which one? says you may be able to save money by visiting “lesser known” locations. He asked members to rate coastal towns and says those with an average hotel rate of £ 100 a night or less included Llandudno in North Wales, Filey in North Yorkshire, Lynmouth in Devon, Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. and Tynemouth in North Tyneside. .
The average Premier Inn player, with an average price of £ 66 per night, was rated by Which as one of the best big chains? members.
Which one? says Filey, North Yorkshire, has an average hotel rate of £ 100 per night or less. Photo: Richard Saker / The Observer
Travel blogger Sally Akins says that sometimes you can get a better deal or room upgrade if you book by phone instead of online. “So use a comparison website to narrow down your options and then get on the phone to make your final booking,” he says.
Blogger Julie Falconer (A Lady in London) says that when it comes to food and drink, markets, street food stalls, food trucks, or picking up a picnic lunch at a grocery store can save you a lot compared to eating in restaurants.
Ferry to France
The large number of ferries comparison and booking websites available, such as Direct Ferries, Compare Ferries, Ferrysavers, AFerry and Ferryonline, have made it easy to search for offers and compare prices.
For many people living in the UK, especially in the south-east of England, who want to load their car and drive to France, the ferry crossings from Dover to Calais and from Dover to Dunkirk are usually the cheapest ways to get there. ‘getting there. However, depending on where you live and where you travel to France, some may choose to sail from Newhaven, Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth.
“Dover-Calais is the cheapest way to cross the canal in a minute,” says Niall Walsh of Direct Ferries.
You can use ferry comparison and booking websites to plan a trip. Photography: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
On our price check, the cheapest round trip on this route was £ 184; however, Dover in Dunkirk was £ 3 cheaper for our selected trip, so it was worth looking into both options.
The cost of going to the Eurotunnel at that time was much higher: £ 429.
“Night / morning crossings are typically cheaper than day crossings,” says Walsh.
We asked Direct Ferries for the cheapest round trip cost this summer (Dover-Calais or Dover-Dunkirk) for a car with a family of two adults and two children. The answer was £ 143, which is a Dover-Calais Irish Ferries that left on 27 July and returned on 3 August.
As for accommodation, Carolyn Boyd, a travel expert in France, says: “skiing or gîtes in France, even holidays. villages.” He has written a number of plays for the Guardian, including one entitled France on a Budget: An Expert Guide to Going on Vacation Like the French.
“In addition, there are many business accommodations that are available cheaply in the summer, so look for aparthotels like Adagio or Citadines,” he adds.
Boyd, who writes a newsletter called France Traveler, says that in his recent travels he has found that eating out is cheaper in France than in the United Kingdom.
“Look for bigger meals at lunch when the menu of the day is cheaper (a fixed price for two or three dishes, often only € 25 for three dishes), and then you can fill yourself with bread, cheese, charcuterie, fruit, etc. in the evenings, bought in the morning market / local shops, and the north of France is ideal for lovers of galette / crêpe Breton, as creperies offer very healthy and plentiful meals for just € 6 “Part of the reason I love Brittany!”
Flying to Spain
For those who have some flexibility on when to go, sites like Skyscanner have calendar tools that will show you the prices of the selected trip for each day of this month.
We were charged £ 554 for our four return flights, but we could have paid less if we had opted for different dates. The price seemed very volatile: just over a few minutes after we were quoted for £ 554, the price went up to £ 574.
Which one? found that a group of four could expect to pay up to £ 192 to book standard seats together on certain flights, but of those surveyed, 95% of short-distance passengers who did not pay more said they were given seats together anyway. . However, if you’re traveling with young children, you probably don’t want to risk being separated.
Which one? found that the average cost of flights to mainland Europe has decreased since 2019. Photo: Steve Parsons / PA
As for car rental, as a result of rising demand and falling stock prices have risen. Which one? says that the later you book customers, the more they will pay; We recommend booking your rental car two months in advance.
Spain has a pretty good score on the cost of eating out, according to the most recent annual holiday money report from the Post Office, which analyzed prices in 36 destinations around the world.
He said the typical price for a three-course dinner for two (including a bottle of house wine) was £ 41.90 on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. This is more than the £ 29.20 you would normally pay in the Algarve region of Portugal, but much less than the £ 71.95 and £ 73.64 …