Franklin Connection

So are you and your family taking a foreign holiday this year or are you, like many other families, following the staycation trend and staying at home? The downturn in the economy has resulted in a huge fall in demand for holidays abroad, but it has also meant there are some absolute bargains to be had.

Travelling with your whole family in tow is anything but cheap. And if you are flying abroad, maybe taking advantage of a cheap holiday offer, you’ll have the added expenses that inevitably occur at the airport. If you have ever spent a few hours at Heathrow you will already know how the various airport restaurants can quickly empty your pockets for a little refreshment.

The trick, if there is such a thing, with budget travelling is to anticipate as many of your expenses as you possibly can and then look at ways to lessen these costs. When travelling children there are always the unforeseen expenses and demands for ‘I want one of those’ that must be contended with.

One key moneysaving tip is to get your money changed before going to the airport. Generally, the money exchange facilities at airports don’t provide the highest rate of exchange. Also, find out how much it will cost to get cash from your bank while you are on holiday. It may prove more economical to take some travellers checks.

One of the biggest expenses you’re likely to have at the airport is feeding your family. The thing to do is to take food and refreshments with you. Why not take a few of their favourite things and have a picnic in the departure lounge. They will have fun and you will save a small fortune.

Do the same for your partner and yourself and whatever you do, don’t go buying beer and alcohol from the airport bars. The prices for alcoholic beverages at the airport are always extortionate and a couple of drinks could set you back enough to buy a small house.

Travelling to the airport can be enormously expensive if you are taking public transports or a taxi. Many people travelling with their families will opt to drive their own cars. This raises the problem of Heathrow Parking limitations. The answer is to book your airport parking space well in advance. The earlier you can book your space the cheaper it is likely to be.

Another option that can be good if you have an early morning flight, or if you have to travel some distance to the airport, is to book yourself into a Heathrow Airport Hotel for the night before your flight. This may seem like a massive indulgence, but many Heathrow hotels include airport car parking into the price of their hotel rooms. You can often find a Heathrow hotel room with airport car parking for around the same price as car parking alone, without the hotel room.

If you can anticipate where you are likely to spend your cash when headed off on holiday you will give yourself a good chance of coming up with a cheaper alternative, which will give you a much happier holiday.