New research has found that Scottish families are willing to spend 18 per cent more on their holiday this year compared to last year.
ATOL, the holiday protection scheme, determined that a family of four are now set to spend an average of £3,625 on their annual getaway.
The research into holiday spending habits also revealed unexpected holiday costs leave travellers in the red on their return.
A family of four holidaying abroad should set aside an average of £407.40, to cover unexpected costs.
ATOL’s research revealed that half of Scottish holiday makers (49 per cent) struggle with budgeting on holiday. As families relax into their holiday it also seems they relax their purse strings with more than one in ten admitting they don’t keep track of what they are spending and then get a shock when they come to settle the bill at the end of the trip.
Scottish holidaymakers are most likely to get caught out by having to pay for additional food and drink outside of their original booking, and by charges when withdrawing money abroad.
Nearly a fifth of holiday makers have at some point had to pay for replacement accommodation, and a sixth have had to pay for new flights.
The Top 10 unexpected holiday costs are:
- Food and drink bills
- Charges when withdrawing money
- Parking charges
- Airport transfers and shuttles
- Internet charges
- Airplane food and drink
- Excess baggage
- Additional car hire costs
- Phone roaming charges
- Pool / beach towels
Simon Read, personal finance expert said: “Holidays are a great way to relax and switch off, but this can all be ruined if people overspend abroad. While we know budgeting and finances are not a top holiday priority it is important not to lose control completely. Foreign currency, changing exchange rates and excitable family members can all lead to budgeting confusion when you are away.
“However, by taking simple steps such as checking for ATOL protection or setting a daily allowance, people can manage their budgets better.”
Commenting on the research Andy Cohen, Head of ATOL, said: “Holiday costs can mount up quickly, while you’re enjoying your holiday, making it very easy to overspend.
“We know many families look to head abroad over Easter, while others will be using some well-earned time off to research and book their summer holiday. So this is a timely reminder that it’s essential consumers look past the price of their trip when booking and check for ATOL protection. This will protect the money they have spent on flights and hotels, and ensure they don’t end up paying more in the end should their travel company collapse.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here