Save money and MAKE money while travelling

Jasmine Birtles 11th Aug 2015 No Comments

Reading Time: 5 minutes

If, like me, you haven’t been on holiday yet this summer (not fair…everyone else seems to be on a beach somewhere!)…take a look at these ways to save and make money when you do finally go away.

It’s all about protecting what you’ve got and keeping an eye out for money-making opportunities!

Save money on holiday

1. Get some cheaper insurance

Did you know that last year, insurers paid out £370million in 581,000 claims made by travellers? That’s according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) who say that by far the greatest section of the claims was for medical bills. In fact, the average cost of a claim for medical expenses on a travel insurance policy has increased to £1,022 from £930 last year. However, an annual travel insurance policy costs an average of just £32.

So if you haven’t grabbed yourself some cheap travel insurance DO IT NOW!

Generally speaking, if, as a family, you’re making two or more trips abroad in the year then an annual family policy will be cheaper than getting a few single trip ones. But it’s worth looking at both options.

Ooh…and if you have step-children or your kids are going on holiday with your ex or the grandparents, make sure your policy covers that. A lot of them don’t so CHECK!

And another ooh…even if you’re doing pretty mild stuff on holiday like golf, fishing or banana-boating, those could be classed as ‘dangerous sports’. Yes, really! So check you’re covered for those…particularly if you’re in the States where medical bills are astronomical and you really need to be covered for those.

To find the best insurance for you, compare here

60+? You can still get good insurance

Even if you’re 100 or a lot younger but with pre-existing medical conditions, you can get insurance on holiday and the prices are getting better.

See our article here about travel insurance for the over-65s and fret not.

There are more and more specialist insurers around who are dealing with people in your situation and also you could get it sorted with an insurance broker. Find your nearest one through BIBA.org (the British Insurance Brokers’ Association).

Vaccinate and protect

If you’re going somewhere a bit exotic, check at least six weeks beforehand whether or not you’ll need any vaccinations or specific medical precautions for your destination. You can find out how to get information on vaccinations and other health advice for whichever country you are travelling to on the NHS website.

The Government’s ‘Know Before You Go’ advice is also really helpful with advice on how to stay safe when abroad and cut the cost of problems and emergencies.

Also see our article here about how to protect yourself and your home before you go away.

Protect your cards

Did you know that the majority of credit card fraud happens abroad?

The ideal is to keep most of your cards at home and only go out with one credit card and a prepaid card that you have loaded with the currency of the country you’re visiting.

See our article here on prepaid cards and why they’re a great idea.

Helpfully, if a prepaid card is lost or stolen the fraudsters don’t have access to your account or to the credit limit on your card. You can also stop the card the moment you realise it has gone. Prepaid card companies like Skrill offer cards in various currencies including Euros and Dollars.

If you take your other cards with you, consider signing up to a card protection service such as the ones run by Citymain, CPP and Sentinel. You pay a small fee – usually about £20 – and register the details of your cards and other important personal documents such as your passport. Then, if anything does happen, they will do everything needed, like cancel the cards and order replacements.

Get an EHIC

If you’re travelling to an EU country, get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to take with you. It’s free and will entitle you to State-provided health care should you need it.

Remember that this card is NOT a substitute for travel insurance, you must get that as well. With your EHIC, you should be able to get the same treatment as a resident of the country you’re visiting – which is, of course, not necessarily the same as the level of treatment you would get in the UK.

We have a LOT more information on what you should do before you leave for your holiday here.

MAKE money on holiday

Yes it is possible.

In fact we have a whole article here about how to make money on holiday.

It includes information on how to sell your photos, how to get paid to do reviews and (cheating a bit) how to make money from your home while you’re away. Check it out!

Get flight compensation

Another way to ‘make’ money is to make sure you get compensation if your flight is more than three hours late when it arrives at your destination.

I was on Sky News at the weekend talking about this. According to a Which report around 900,000 passengers were potentially eligible to receive compensation for delayed flights last year but only four in ten actually claimed.

Passengers travelling from a European Union country who are delayed for more than three hours could be entitled to up to €400 in compensation. This goes up top to €600 if the journey is over 3,500 km.

Not bad eh?

Apparently…

The worst UK airport for delays of three hours or more was Gatwick, with 2,134 flights
Passengers on short haul flights are most likely to experience delays of over three hours if travelling with Vueling, Monarch or Thomas Cook
For long haul flights, you’re more likely to be delayed by three hours or more with Pakistan International Airlines, Air India or American Airlines

Which? Actually has template letters you can use to claim compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight.

Here’s the one for delayed flights.

Here’s the one for cancelled flights.

Keep ’em handy!