The final countdown to those last-minute holiday savings

The summer is well and truly upon us and many people – or at least the lucky ones – will be dusting off their suitcases and searching for their passports as well as doing all the other last-minute bits and pieces that need to be done before breaks away.

But while the cost of the big ticket items – accommodation and flights or ferries – are likely to have been covered already, there will be opportunities to spend and to save when getting from A to B and back again and it is sometimes the last minute details that can end up costing the earth.

But that is why this page is here, to make sure that doesn’t happen to you and to help protect you against the financial calamities in suitcases and in restaurants and we have broken it down into six areas where you might be spending – and potentially saving – in the weeks ahead.

The travel insurance

1. If you’ve been paying close attention to Pricewatch over recent years you will already have your travel insurance sorted because you will know that spending a fairly small amount today can save you endless heartache tomorrow (or indeed today as over 30 per cent of claims are made before holidaymakers get anywhere near their destination).

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The final countdown to those last-minute holiday savings

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But if you’ve not got it yet, get it now – or at least as soon as you have done with this article.

Hopefully you’ll never it but if something goes wrong, a simple travel insurance policy that could cost you less than €50 might really help you out. Without being alarmist, a heart attack in the US could set you back €250,000, while having surgery in a private hospital in the UK could handily cost more than €20,000. And while your health insurance or a European Health Insurance Card will cover your care overseas – depending on where you are – neither will be of much use if your trip is cancelled or curtailed or if your bags or wallet are stolen. They won’t be of much good if you need an air ambulance to bring you home either.

2. When taking out travel insurance, consider an annual policy if you’re likely to leave the country two times or more over the next 12 months – it works out much cheaper than multiple single-trip policies. And don’t be too penny-pinchy about it either – the difference in the level of cover you get for €30 and €50 can be big.

3. Before you pay anything pay attention to what is on offer. Cheaper policies may not cover the cost of rearranging travel or accommodation or cancellations caused by “natural disasters” outside of weather, for example. If you want travel disruption cover you will pay more, although not much more. Paying for disruption cover today might mean you are less savagely penalised in the weeks ahead if, for example, an airline goes on strike and leaves your holiday plans up in the air.

Be aware of the rules – the insurance company will know them and will inevitably use them against you if it can save them a few bob

4. It is also important to know what is not covered under your policy. Travel insurance terms and conditions can run to 30,000 boring words and contain all manner of hard-to-find get-out clauses for companies – they don’t get rich by being overly generous with their payouts after all. You won’t have to read the full terms and conditions – nobody has time for that – but do a word search for things like “excluded”, “not covered” and other variations of that to get a sense of the cover you don’t have

5. Be aware of the rules – the insurance company will know them and will inevitably use them against you if it can save them a few bob. If, for instance, you are only covered for the theft of valuables from your hotel room if they are in a safe when the theft occurs, put them in the safe. And make sure to document the scene of the crime using your phone and always report crimes to the police as soon as you can. Don’t forget to get documentation showing you have done that. Make claims early and make sure to document everything clearly and carefully.

The packing

1. Bringing suitcases on holiday can be wildly expensive, adding hundreds of euro on to the price of air travel depending on where you are going and who you are going with; so make it your mission to pack light. The trick when it comes to being a suitcase ninja is ruthlessness. The old cliche about laying everything you want to bring out on your bed and packing half actually works. So does rolling rather than folding clothes as that method allows you to fit more stuff into small spaces – and there are fewer creases too. And remember bulky shoes are the enemy of a good packer – if you are going somewhere sunny you definitely do not need more than two pairs of shoes (including one pair of flip-flops).

2. Liquids are heavy so pack them sparingly and decant what can be decanted into small plastic bottles or contact lens cases. Contact lens cases are the magic bullet – they make for excellent liquid and cream holders and carry a whole lot more than you think. Now, you might not have any contact lens cases lying about and if you don’t a quick trip to a big chain of opticians should sort you out.

3. Use Google to see if it makes sense to buy bulkier, heavier items – towels, shower gels, sun creams – overseas. If travelling to southern Europe, they will most likely be cheaper too.

4. Work out the rules of the airline you are travelling with and then obey them. There is little point in arguing the toss about the size of your bag or what you have paid for while at the boarding gate or at check-in.

5. Never go over your allowance as even a kilo more can cost you more than a tenner. There are travel scales you can buy to keep track of such things but just stand on a regular scales with and without the case and do the maths. If you are – or at least if your suitcase is – a couple of kilos over, move the heaviest – non-liquid – items into your carry-on bags and consider deploying a neck pillow as a secret case. Don’t overstuff it if you want to get it past eagle-eyed flight attendants.

The travelling

1. The airport is often where everything from parking to eating to shopping is apparently designed to be financially ruinous. So we will start with the parking. It has been problematic at Dublin Airport in recent years with demand frequently outstripping supply, They have an irritating feature known as dynamic pricing which sees prices climb as spaces dry up. With that in mind, it is essential that you book your parking spot online and well in advance. Better still, consider taking a cab or bus to the airport. It is more often than not cheaper than even the long-term car parks. And it can be a lot less hassle too, at least until you’re standing in a queue in the freezing cold of an Irish summer night wearing nothing but shorts, sandals and a tan waiting for a taxi to bring you home.

2. For as little as €7.99 you can buy a fast track pass that allows you to avoid the worst of the security queues in Dublin. Similar passes can be bought for return airports. These passes won’t save you money but they will reduce your stress levels and a less stressed traveller is a less spendy traveller in our experience.

3. Remember that as well as being transit hubs, airports are designed to part us from our cash. Airport operators are smart people and they know that when we are heading on our holidays we are in good form, are bored, have a few bob to spend and – crucially – are captive. So be mindful of what you are buying and always take a moment to ask yourself if you really need the thing and if it is good value in the airport? If the answer is no, then walk away.

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4. Restaurants in airports are almost always disappointing although there are exceptions – we’re big fans of Nomad in Dublin Airport on this page – and we eat in them because we are bored rather than hungry. So plan ahead and buy yourself some nice things to eat and stick them in your carry-on. You don’t actually need a sit-down meal ahead of a two-hour flight to Spain.

5. Speaking of bored, the reason most of us shop like we’re billionaires (thanks for the phrase Temu) in airports is because we have nothing else to do. Download some TV series to keep you entertained while in the airport or, you know, read a book – an occupied mind is a thrifty mind.

The car hire

1. The good news is the soaring prices of 2022 – and to a lesser extent 2023 – don’t look like they will be replicated this summer but making the wrong choices when it comes to car hire either before you go or while you are away can still end up costing you dearly. The first question to ask is if you really need a car on holidays and could you get by without it by using public transport and taxis instead? Apps make finding bus and train routes and ordering cabs anywhere in Europe pretty painless these days and even if you are spending €50 a day on alternate transport, it is still much cheaper than car hire.

2. If you do hire a car, factor in the cost of extras – booster seats, additional drivers and the like – and spend a couple of minutes reading reviews of the car hire companies you are considering to make sure they are not gougers offering the worst customer service. They are out there, you know. Remember that full-to-empty fuel policies are bad and full-to-full is the way to go. And never fill up at the last fuel station before the airport. They’re not mugs and you’ll pay a premium for being disorganised.

3. When picking up your car you’ll be asked if you want extra insurance. It might suit some people but super collision damage waiver insurance is dear – up to €30 a day. Instead, take out an annual policy at home that offers full cover with an Irish insurance company. But if you don’t take out the expensive insurance make sure you have enough capacity on your credit card to stand a hefty deposit.

4. Ask about breakdown procedures and put the emergency numbers into your phone.

5. Return the car when the rental company is open and make sure it is inspected properly. If you must return the car outside working hours, take pictures and video of it once it has been parked in the designated area. Mail the pictures to yourself – that date stamps them. And keep an eye on your credit card watching out for sneaky charges that might be added by the car hire company after you get home.

The sun protection

1. Sunscreen is essential but pricey – or at least it can be. If you apply the right amount at the right intervals you will spend about €35 on it over the course of a week and more if you use an expensive brand.

2. Before you spend anything, see what is left over from last year. Sunscreen has a decent shelf life and you can tell what it is by looking for an icon of a small jar and a number – 3, 6, 12. That tells you how many months after opening your sun cream will last.

3. British consumer group Which? frequently tests sunscreens and has repeatedly said good things about own-brand options while finding some high-priced alternatives wanting.

4. Make sure you cover yourself properly. Most people apply only 20-50 per cent of the recommended amount of sunscreen and get much less protection as a result. It should be applied thickly and evenly, with an amount about the size of a golf ball in your hand for use over your entire body. A better way of looking at it might be teaspoons. You should apply a teaspoon for the face, each arm, each leg, the front of the body and the back.

5. And do it regularly. Sunscreen should be applied every two hours and immediately after swimming – even if it is supposed to be water-resistant. It is also important to apply sun cream 20 minutes before going into the sun, as that gives it time to bond with the skin.

The actual holiday

1. Buy tickets for the attractions you plan to see ahead of time. It will most likely save you money and it will definitely save you time as you won’t have to queue. And even if you haven’t booked in advance use your phone to check out the online prices even if you are in a queue, they are frequently cheaper.

2. Do your homework. Many cities offer free access to museums on certain days and after certain times.

3. Keep an eye out for airlines offering discounts to particular attractions and if you are visiting a theme park or water park make sure to check if they offer discounts to visitors who return within a few days.

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4. Be wary of eating where all the other tourists are eating. Just as in Ireland, you will pay through the nose for it so search off the beaten track. Use your phone to find “places to eat near me” to make the best calls.

5. Download Google maps covering wherever you are so you don’t have to use your data or even have an internet connection when navigating. Just click on the map covering the place you are going to, type “okay map” into the search bar, press download and you are good to go.