5 Easy Ways You Can Save Money on Your Next Holiday to Lanzarote
We’ve put together a selection of easy ways you can save money on your next holiday to Lanzarote. Hopefully, by using these ideas you can afford to travel more regularly to Lanzarote each year, or at the very least have more money to spend when you’re here on your holiday!
- Save Money on Your Flights
Flights are often one of, if not the biggest expense on any holiday, so being able to save money on them is an excellent way of ensuring you have more money in your bank account before you arrive.
This can make a huge difference on your holiday as not only will you be excited to be setting off on your holiday, but also be happy in the knowledge that you’ve made a big saving on your flights! With all this extra money you can afford to enjoy more meals out, go on more exciting excursions and generally do more while you are staying in Lanzarote.
Times, days, and airports make a difference:
The cost of flights to the same destination can vary hugely depending on several factors, including the airport you fly from and to, time of day, day of the week and which month you are travelling in. If you are not especially constrained by when you can travel and which airport you fly from and back to, then you can make significant savings.
Airlines generally operate by the supply and demand model and most people prefer to travel at more convenient times of the day, at weekends rather than during the week and to and from the most convenient airports. If you are prepared to fly early in the morning or in the evening, during the week rather than the weekend, and from and back to alternative airports then you can potentially enjoy significant savings.
Travel off-peak if possible:
Lanzarote is of course a hugely popular holiday destination for families with children. Airlines know that demand will be higher during school holidays, as this is when parents are able to take their children away, so unfortunately airline companies dramatically increase their flight prices.
Unless necessary, such as if you are travelling with your children, we recommend going off-peak. By not flying there during school holidays, you can potentially save a lot of money because the demand is much lower.
Use a flight comparison website when searching for your flights:
To help you find the cheapest flights based on several factors such as airline, airport, time, and date, then we recommend using a flight comparison website when searching for your flights.
Some of the most well known and powerful flight comparison websites are Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.net) and Google Flights (www.google.co.uk/flights/). Another less well-known option, that is worth considering if you want to save money, but also want to try to offset the amount of environmental damage caused by your flight is FlyGRN (flygrn.com). When you book a flight through FlyGRN, they will offset your flight’s carbon emissions for free.
- Choose Your Currency Exchange Wisely
When and where you exchange your currency can also make a significant difference in what kind of deal you get and how much money you have to spend while you are abroad. If you are going to be using cash while abroad then it’s strongly recommended that you don’t wait until you get to the airport to change your money.
Once again this is a case of supply and demand and if you are exchanging currency at the airport then your options are very limited. Therefore, the currency exchange companies that operate there charge a premium because of supply and demand in the same way as the airlines.
Where to exchange your currency:
The best option if you want to take foreign currency abroad is to check the rates using XE (www.xe.com) which provides live exchange rates on over 180 different worldwide currencies. It offers a quick and easy foreign currency exchange system.
You can then use a website such as Travel Money Max (travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com) to find out which currency provider will give you the best rate on your currency. It is often advisable to order currency rather than going directly to a bank or travel agent. Your currency can be delivered to your home, collected in-store, or collected at the airport you are travelling from.
If you order currency ahead of time you are almost certainly guaranteed a much better rate than if you bought the currency either directly in-store or at the airport. It is also best to take a larger amount so you avoid having to change more money abroad.
Travel cards are a great option:
One of the reasons many people choose to take foreign currency with them is because most banks or credit card companies charge you a fee for using your debit/credit card abroad. Not only that but you also get charged a fee at the ATM where you are withdrawing money or places that you shop.
The downside of taking cash with you though is that it can get stolen or lost and is more inconvenient to carry around. A great alternative to cash or your normal card is a travel card. These can be loaded up with foreign currency and generally provide better exchange rates and lower fees. They are safer than carrying around cash as they require a PIN and be blocked if lost or stolen.
An excellent option is Wise (wise.com) which offers a travel card with no hidden fees or last-minute transaction costs. You can load multiple currencies to your Wise card and keep track of everything via your online account. When using your Wise debit card, you can also spend in currencies in your account for free, in any shop, restaurant etc. that takes Mastercard or Visa.
- Beat Extra Baggage Costs by Travelling Light
These days because many of us own so many things, especially clothes, it’s hard for us to decide which to bring with us on holiday. This often results in packing far more than we need so we then have to check-in baggage or even suffer from excess baggage costs because we have gone over the weight limit.
Be selective in what you take:
If you’re only going on holiday for a week, do you even need to check in a big suitcase or could you manage just as well with only your carry-on luggage? Or if you are going with your partner or family, you could take one check-in suitcase between you.
Often people think that they will need a variety of different outfits to suit every possible occasion, but what invariably happens is you only end up wearing half of what you take. To maximise the amount of clothing you can fit into your bag use simple space-saving hacks like rolling your clothes.
It is also definitely advisable to weigh your baggage before you get to the airport to avoid any unnecessary charges if your luggage is too heavy. Not only does taking fewer things save you money, but it also means there is less to haul around during your trip, less to worry about and fewer options to have to choose from in terms of what outfit you wear.
- Save money on Your Travel Insurance
When travelling abroad it is always advisable to have travel insurance just in case of any unexpected accidents, especially if you are intending on going on any adventurous excursions!
Don’t try and save money by not buying travel insurance at all, as it is much better to be prepared rather than risking a much bigger cost. On the other hand, by shopping around online you can save a lot of money on travel insurance.
It is also much better value to buy annual multi-trip travel insurance rather than paying an on the spot price for a single trip.
- Make the Best Use of Mobile Technology and Apps Abroad
Mobile technology and apps have come a long way in recent years and are now hugely useful tools for travellers, allowing you to save time and money when travelling. For example, with the TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com), you can check out all the local restaurants in the destination you are staying and compare not only their reputation but also the prices. This is also the case for different excursions and things to do.
With the Google Translate app, you no longer need to buy phrasebooks or foreign dictionaries if you are trying to converse in the local language.
You can also check out travel guide apps such as the Lonely Planet Guides app which is packed with tips and advice from on-the-ground experts. These apps are great as, unlike a traditional guidebook they won’t become outdated as they are constantly updated. It means you don’t have to buy expensive guidebooks and also you can cut down on the weight of your luggage. All you need is your mobile phone.
These are just some of the great ways that you can save money both before and during your next holiday, but there are also many more. What are your favourite ways to save money when travelling? Let us know via social media. Also please do share this article if you found it useful and think it could help others. Enjoy your next holiday to Lanzarote!
