Saving Money on Your Italian Holiday

It’s January, for many the most depressing time of the year, not only are we battling to work through the freezing temperatures but many of us have the debts of Christmas to contend with as well. The thought of booking a holiday and imagining ourselves enjoying a glass of wine on a sunny evening outside a beautiful terracotta roofed farmhouse can be just the thing we need to get through the rest of the winter months.

Recent research by TravelSupermarket has found that even though people’s finances are stretched, 96% of us plan to get away at least once during 2012, which is 5% more than managed to go on holiday in 2011.
If booking a holiday after over spending at Christmas does seem a stretch to far at the moment, here are some tips on how you can still get away to your favourite spots in Italy without breaking the bank.

Travel off peak
If you have the luxury of being able to travel at whatever time of year you want an effective way to save money is to travel off peak and avoid the school holidays. Those who are able to travel outside of the school holidays, on week days and during anti-social hours are usually those who get the best deals on their holiday travel.
If you’re in the position to, booking your flights well in advance is another way to save money as generally the earlier you book, the cheaper the flight.

Take out travel insurance
When you’re thinking about ways to save money when you’re planning your holiday purchasing travel insurance might seem like an unnecessary extra cost. This isn’t the case; the small outlay that you have to pay out initially could end up saving you thousands if anything were to go wrong whilst you were away from home.
Price comparison sites will allow you to view several different policies to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your money; visit MoneySupermarket.com to compare travel insurance policies before you go.
When travelling to Italy, make sure you also get your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) this doesn’t act as a replacement for travel insurance however it does have several benefits. The EHIC is completely free and allows the bearer to have any medical treatment in the same way as an insured person who lives in the country.

Savvy spending money tips
Planning in advance how you are going to get your travel money can end up saving you money, if taking cash never leave it until you get to the airport to change your currency as the rates here aren’t very competitive. Pre-ordering your money in advance and shopping around can allow you to get a good deal on your Euros.
For an alternative to carrying large amounts of cash, prepaid cards are designed for use abroad and do not have the large charges for transactions made overseas that a lot of debit and credit cards usually have.

Our friends at MoneySupermarket provided these great tips for traveller's to help you save money on your upcoming holidays. On the topic of great deals - did we mention our holidays start at £899 per person, all included?