Go long-haul if you want a real holiday bargain

Posted on : September 23, 2023
Go long-haul if you want a real holiday bargain

Go long-haul if you want a real holiday bargain: The buying power of the pound has boomed for those who broaden their getaway horizons

  • Cheapest costs for holidaymakers were found to be in a trip to Vietnam 
  • The strong pound has proved a factor combined with low local inflation  

Forget cheap bucket-and-spade breaks in the Med, the real value for money for holidays is much further afield in the likes of Vietnam, Chile and Kenya.

The Post Office’s annual Long Haul Holiday Report, released today, has found that the buying power of the pound has boomed by as much as 44 per cent year on year for those who broaden their getaway horizons.

The cheapest costs for holidaymakers were found to be in Vietnam, where a basket of daily expenses including a three-course meal for two at a restaurant, a bottle of local lager, a glass of wine, insect repellent, suncream and a cup of coffee came to £52.66.

Next best for day-by-day affordability at long-haul destinations was Kenya (£59.57) followed by South Africa (£61.58), Indonesia (£72.39) and Japan (£73.54).

In all these countries the strong pound has proved a factor combined with low local inflation, says the Post Office, which revealed that in 23 of the 26 far-flung nations it checks annually costs had dropped during the past twelve months.

The Post Office’s annual Long Haul Holiday Report, released today, has found that the buying power of the pound has boomed by as much as 44 per cent year on year for those who broaden their getaway horizons (Stock image)

The biggest decrease was 44 per cent in Chile, where the bundle of daily expenses was now £104, while costs in Antigua had plummeted 34 per cent to £112 a day. Other savings in the Caribbean were revealed in Barbados, down 26 per cent to £169 a day, and Tobago, down 22 per cent to £125.

Experts at the Post Office pointed out that, although the pound had strengthened by about 4 per cent against the euro and 14 per cent against the US dollar annually, rampant inflation on the Continent and less so in the US had largely counteracted the benefits.

Lesley Rollo, managing director of Travelbag, which specialises in long-haul getaways, said: ‘Our customers have always been savvy about where to get the best value whilst on holiday, and we’re seeing this in our booking trends this year. Mirroring this report, the Far East has by far been our biggest booked region over the last 12 months with a 127 per cent increase in bookings year on year.’

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