8 STEPS TO AN Affordable Holiday

From quality time with family to me-time on the beach, a vacation is always good for the soul - but it shouldn't break the bank

- KEITH BAIN

1 Do your research

Budgeting for your holiday should ideally start a year ahead of your trip, giving you time to determine all the costs, look for ways to reduce expenses and save enough money.

Use a consolidator app like Skyscanner for the costs of flights, car rental or accommodation - and to find out which time of year is the cheapest for your destination. Scan Booking.​com for accommodation at discounted prices, and compare it to Airbnb.

There are also websites (such as numbeo.​com) with 'cost of living' indexes that reveal the average prices of everyday goods and services in places around the world.

2 Build a budget

Once you have 2 chosen your destination, work out an itinerary and use it to create an itemised, day-by-day budget (see step 4). Include everything, big and small: sightseeing, entertainment, gift purchases, transport, airport transfers and tips.

Include any activities that are unique to the destination you may not have another opportunity to visit the same place again, so make the most of it. The last thing you want is for your budget to keep you from once-ina-lifetime opportunities or experiences.

3 Plan the transport

Remember to factor in the cost of transport once you are there such as cabs, Ubers, buses and trains. You may need to rent a car (for which you must also factor in a deposit, insurance and fuel), or you might decide to rent a bike, or buy a bus or train pass. Do the research to figure out what will suit you - and your pocket - best.