Sue's ways to save

How to beat holiday rip offs

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Bumped up charges and hidden costs can all drain your holiday spending money.

Here’s how to stay one step ahead and beat holiday rip off charges.

Avoid splashing the cash at the airport……

Save on airport parking

Unless you can hop on the train or got a friend generous enough to do the airport run, driving to the airport is often the easiest option, especially if you’re leaving home in the wee small hours or getting back late at night.

Book airport car parking in advance to save up to 60%

Book airport parking in advance to save up to 60% compared with ‘pay on the gate’ prices. And you don’t have to look far as lots of sites like TravelSupermarket and Holidayextras offer deals.

Worth factoring in extra time to cover any flight delays and beat penalty fees. I always add on at least another three hours to the time I hope to collect my car, just in case the flight’s delayed. This is because with some airport car parks you’ll be charged the full ‘gate rate’ for any extra hours if you overstay your allotted time. Others may have a ‘grace period’ of up to six hours. So check before booking.

Beat baggage charges

One in three of us get stung with charges for overweight baggage according to MoneyExpert.com And that overstuffed suitcase can cost an average of £44 a time so always double check airline limits for hold and cabin bags.

No ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to luggage limits……

If you’re doing a ‘multi-trip’ holiday and flying with different airlines, check all the limits. When we flew to Australia we got a generous 32kg in the hold with Emirates, but with our internal flights across Australia it was just 23kg.

Stick with the lowest limit in cases like this as nobody wants to jettison half their luggage before they get on the plane or face a fine!

Free grub or is it?

So you’ve made it to your holiday destination and celebrating by ordering a couple of drinks while checking out the menu. And how kind, dishes of olives and bread are coming out with your drinks, even though you didn’t order them………

Seems like a generous gesture, but watch out, as in some tourist hotspots you may be charged even if you don’t touch them.

Free grub or is it?

Ask if there’s a charge for any snacks and nibbles, and if you don’t want them, politely say no and double check the bill at the end too!

Do a DIY tour

Booking day trips can save time if you’re going somewhere that’s off the beaten track. But they can be pricier than hopping on the bus, or even hiring a taxi for the day.

I always check if it’s possible to do a ‘DIY’ version of the tour or book with small local companies.

In Cuba we saved £30 and had the most fantastic day simply by hiring a local taxi driver for the day, instead of taking a coach trip to see the local sights.

Orlando’s Chevrolet Bel Air 1955

The wonderful Orlando arrived in a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, took us to the Cuban Cigar factory, we headed off the beaten track to explore some of the local villages, got invited to pop in at his Grandad’s Birthday party, popped in at his favourite back street bar for lunch and we rounded off the day at his Mum’s for Cuban coffee! Just the most fantastic day, great memories and a million times better than any coach tour……..

Save on snacks

If you don’t get meals and drinks included in the price of your flight ticket, it’s worth stocking up once you’re ‘airside’. Prices for drinks and snacks on board budget flights can be sky high so don’t get caught short.

I always stock up on sandwiches and water at the ‘airside’ Boots or Pret though have been known to splash out on a G&T. Well I am on holiday………

Airport deals and freebies

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My holiday starts when I get to the airport.  But if you’ve got a few hours to spare before your flight, it’s all too easy to ‘treat’ yourself by kicking off with a celebratory glass of bubbles, a spot of airport shopping or maybe a splurge in Duty Free?

And unless you’ve factored in your airport spending, you can end up more than a few pounds lighter before you even step on the plane!

Most airports are stocked with plenty of the big high street names, but when it comes to savvy shopping, most of the discount vouchers you can use in the high street are next to useless at the airport.  That’s because most always exclude airport locations in the small print, so if you want a few treats, the best way is to check if your airport has a loyalty scheme or members area where you can sign up to bag ‘airport exclusive’ offers.

Here’s just a few to kick off.

Heathrow

Heathrow’s loyalty scheme is called ‘Rewards’

This is like a traditional loyalty scheme where you earn points on spending and can swap them to get money off.

Free to sign up online and you can collect points on everything from food and drink to parking and shopping.  You’ll get a point for every pound spent, (or one point for every £10 at Travelex), plus a bonus of 100 points for signing up.

Swap points for money off shopping. 500 points means £5 off or save them for your next trip as they last 3 years.

Gatwick

I reckon Gatwick’s scheme is one of the best when it comes to serving up vouchers and deals.

You can sign up free to MyGatwick which then opens the doors to lots of personalised deals.  All you do is pop in your flight details for a selection of tailor made offers.

I’ve just done this and on my next trip I’ve already been offered a voucher for a half price G&T, (they know me too well!), 15% off food and a free trip to the airport business lounge.

Glasgow

There’s the promise of deals, discounts and offers if you download its free app

Bristol

Sign up for its free Rewards scheme for deals and offers.

Worth checking the ‘vouchers’ section of its website too as I’ve spotted deals for free coffee and cake in the past although have to say the current selection of just four offers is looking somewhat stingy.

 

Recycle your clothes for cash

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One in three items hanging in our wardrobe hasn’t been worn for a year so here’s how to make some money from your old clobber.

Get your money back 

If you’ve got stuff that’s still got the  tags on and is relatively new then taking it back to the shops is your best bet.    Most high street shops have generous ‘returns’ policies which means they’ll swap or give you money back on ‘unwanted purchases’.  But you’ll have to produce the receipt or some other form of ‘proof of purchase’.  And you can usually only do this for around a month about you’ve bought it; not five years later…….

Worn it but still looking good?

I’m a big fan of  eBay and often pick up great bargains that are advertised as new or ‘worn once’.  In fact I even turned a profit on a fabulous Coast dress I once bought for  a New Year’s Eve party for just £10.  Wore it on another two occasions, sold it back and still made money!

Boost your selling potential with clear photos taken in really good light.

£5 voucher for M&S

Donate any item of Marks & Spencer clothing to Oxfam charity shops and you’ll get a £5 M&S voucher that you can use when spending £35 in store, excluding food and gift vouchers.

Dropping items in the ‘Shwop Drop’ bins in store also means 50 points on your Sparks card.

And you can earn Nectar points at Oxfam when your join its Tag Your Bag scheme.  You’ll get 100 points on joining and another 2 points for every £1 raised when your items sell.

Sell it to John Lewis

John Lewis is trialling a ‘buy back’ app where you should soon be able to sell back worn or unwanted clothes you’ve bought in store.  You’ll get a price per item and once you’ve sold back £50 of clothes you get a gift card.

Hand over your old trainers

Get a £20 voucher when you hand in your old ones at Runners Need which has nearly 40 stores across the UK.   Hand over any brand of trainers you like to get the voucher and exchange them for a new pair either in store or online.

Get a £5 voucher for H&M

Drop off any unwanted clothes in the special bins in H&M and you’ll get a £5 voucher to spend in store.

Sell items to Patatam

From the new year you’ll be able to sell items to this site that’s just come over from France.  Sells good quality second hand clothes from mainly high street brands and right now you can buy, with the option to sell from the new year.

 

 

 

 

Does shopping at outlet malls actually save you money?

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Factory outlets and outlet malls all promise big discounts of up to 70% but can you really bag a bargain?

I love a bargain but I’ve always been a bit sceptical about outlet malls and never found the bargains live up to the hype.

In fact I actually came away out of pocket on one occasion when I left empty handed, but having shelled out for coffee or lunch during my bargain hunting day.  And when it comes to eating and drinking at these places, there’s usually no cut price deals in the cafes or restaurants.

On a recent trip to Manchester for a travel feature, I popped into the Lowry Outlet at Salford Quays.  Spying the Cadbury shop I whizzed in hoping to snap up some cheap chocolate, only to find the prices flagged up were actually more expensive than some supermarket deals.

So I did a little investigation and you can read my full feature for LoveMONEY.com  here

Prague – see the sights & save money

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Prague is a stunning city but there’s lots of ways to see the sights and save money.

I’ve made a one minute video version below or read on for my top five moneysaving tips.

Getting around

If you want to use the city’s buses, metro or trams you can buy a 30 minute ticket for 24 Czech Koruna, that’s just over £1.  Or if you want a longer trip; go for the 90 minute version at around £1.50 or an all day pass that comes in at around £4.

Getting from the airport into the city is cheap and easy. We took the 119 bus from the airport to Nádraží Veleslavín and with two short metro trips we were in the centre of the Old Town within an hour and all for around £1.50 which is the price of a 90 minute ticket.

Plus these ‘all in’ tickets work on Prague’s Funicular Railway too, which is worth a trip, and takes you to the top of Petrin Hill  for some stunning city views.

Prague Castle

Well worth a visit and it’s actually free to get into the Castle grounds and gardens H But if you want to go inside the Old Royal Palace or get further than the entrance of St. Vitus Cathedral you’ll need a ticket.

Ticket prices start from around £3 for the Castle Picture Gallery up to around £15 if you want one that gets you in pretty much everywhere.

We went for ‘Circuit B’ which costs the equivalent of £10 and gets you into four of the main sites including both the Cathedral and Old Royal Palace.

And getting there is easy.  Hop on the number 22 tram that takes you to within a five minute walk of the Castle.

Free tours

Tours can eat into your  holiday budget so why not take a free walking tour of Prague.

These free tours meet every day at the bottom of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.

Rooftop views

If you want rooftop views over Prague you can head for the Old Town Hall Tower but you’ll pay 250 CZK for the view; which is around £10.

We escaped the crowds to enjoy both views and beers from a different angle at the T-Anker bar  This hidden gem is on the top floor of the Kotva department store, just a five minute walk from the Old Town Square.   Plenty of beer to try but I’d recommend their own one which works out at just over £2 a pint.

Cheap eats and drinks

In case you didn’t know, the Czech Republic is famous for its beers, so worth popping by the Prague Beer Museum  to sample the local brews as they’ve got 30 different ones on tap.

You can order a selection of ‘taster’ sizes of the  local brews as well as the full sized versions and there’s plenty of snacks including some delicious fried cheese that won’t break the bank.

 

 

Nice – see the sights and save money

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Nice may look pretty fancy but there’s plenty of ways to see the sights and save money.  I’ve just been there to see a friend for a couple of days and absolutely loved the place.

And it’s easy to get there.   It was just a two hour easyJet flight from Luton and if you jump on the number 98 bus at Nice airport, you can be on the beach in around 10 minutes.

I’ve always been a cabin bag kind of girl, (unless my hold luggage is included in the ticket price!), and if you’re happy to travel light, then I reckon Nice has got to be one of the easiest weekend breaks in terms of speedy arrival so you can enjoy every minute and won’t waste several hours trekking to and from the airport.

So here’s my tips on making the most of your time and saving some cash along the way….

Getting into town

Pick up the 98 bus at the airport which goes all the way along the seafront, or Promenade des Anglais to give it its correct name and it’ll set you back just six Euros.

Nice airport is so close to the centre of town that you could actually walk it.  Yes it saves money, but unless you’re happy to do around an hour’s walk in the heat and got super small cabin luggage youmight regret it.

See the Statue of Liberty

Yes, I know, I haven’t got my countries muddled up.  You really can see a smaller version of this iconic statue outside the Opera House on the Quai des Etats-Unis. 

In fact most people miss it, as it’s not that big, (around four feet high), but well worth stopping to take a look.

And in case you didn’t know, the designer of the world famous statue was French; one Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.

Best view over Nice

Head for Castle Hill if you want a stunning panoramic view over Nice.

You can climb the steps or get a free ride in the lift, which is slightly hidden away, but saves your energy in the heat.  Long story, but don’t expect a castle at the top as that’s long since gone but it’s a beautiful area to wander round with views over Nice and you can see the port from the other side.

Most people take their snaps from the top but if you head down a few steps to the waterfall you can even get the view all to yourself.

Explore the old town

Half the fun is getting lost in this labyrinth of narrow streets packed with shops, cafes and squares with open out to reveal some stunning churches.

Stop for ice cream at Fenocchio  which has two sites in the old town.

This family run ice cream place has over 80  flavours, from the rather unusual ones like Cactus, Poppy, Beer and Avocado to some truly yummy ones with my favourites including white chocolate, both honey and nuts and Baileys.

Yes at two Euros a scoop it’s not cheap, but worth it, and if you pick up a crepe or galete for a couple of Euros, you’ll have a cheap lunch.   Or pick up some pastries from the Moulin de Flor bakery.

Food & drink

Plenty of restaurants to choose from if you want to eat on the beach.   One of my favourites is Sporting restaurant and beach  But while it’s great with  delicious food and great service, you will pay for the experience so if you want to save money you’ll have to be prepared to swap that lunchtime beach view.

So why not pick up some snacks around the Cours Saleya market as there’s plenty of pavement cafes there.  Or for authentic and delicious tapas style finger food, head for Rene Socca, which is tucked away in a backstreet in the old town near Garibaldi Square.  We shared several dishes, had a couple of glasses of wine and still had change from twenty Euros.

Watch the world go by

Nice is a fabulous place to watch the world go by.  Plenty of free seats along the Promenade des Anglais, so you can stop and take in the views, take some snaps of the iconic Negresco hotel,  (or pop in for a drink if you can afford it), or go and sit on the beach.