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& Cheryl Imboden'sEurope for Visitors europeforvisitors.com |
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ABOVE: "Drip dry" takes on a new meaning for penny-pinching holidaymakers. Package holidays are out, "packed lunch holidays" are in· 32 million holidaymakers take own food on holiday to save travel money · One in five will take Marmite in their suitcase · Packed meals and snacks could reduce the 2009 UK holiday food bill by just over £1billion Forget package holidays. This year, 72 per cent of people in the UK will take "packed lunch holidays"--packing food in their suitcases--to make their travel money and foreign exchange go further. According to the study conducted by Post Office Travel Money Card and Foreign Exchange, 30 per cent of cash-strapped holidaymakers say taking food from home will be their number one way of saving money, compared to just 18 per cent who will be drinking less alcohol. The study predicts that the average saving made by taking basic food supplies is £34 over the course of your holiday, which can help travellers get more for their money, considering the current foreign exchange rates and a weak pound. The most popular items stashed in suitcases include tea bags (58 per cent) and crisps (36 per cent). Over a third (35 per cent) will be carrying cornflakes as they head to sunnier climes and one in five (20 per cent) won’t leave without their jar of Marmite. More than one in four (43 per cent) holidaymakers also admit to lifting items from the hotel breakfast buffet and stashing in their beach bags to eat later in the day. 55 per cent of under 25s admitted to this. Post Office head of travel services Sarah Munro said: "While the majority of us plan to reduce our summer holiday spending this year, some are going to extreme lengths to reduce their food bills while away, possibly at the expense of their luggage allowance. By using the Post Office Travel Money Card, which allows you to lock your holiday cash away at a favourable exchange rate, there’s less need for cheap food and more room for suncream and souvenirs in our suitcases." The Post Office Travel Money Card allows holidaymakers to preload a card with foreign currency for use in shops, restaurants and at ATMs abroad, helping save on costly foreign exchange rate conversion fees. With no credit or debit facilities, it’s impossible to overspend and money can be loaded on to the card in instalments making it an ideal budgeting tool for holidaymakers keen to save on foreign currency exchange. For more information, visit the
Travel Money Card pages at
www.postoffice.co.uk. Photo: Squareplum.
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