2 July 23, 2017 The Sunday Times

Travel

GREECE AND TURKEY AFTERSHOCKSAfter the earthquake that killed two tourists and injured more than 100 on the Greek island of Kos on Friday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned of the risk of aftershocks in the Aegean. The quake also caused injuries in Bodrum, Turkey. Travellers have been told to follow the advice of local authorities and their tour operator.

CREDIT-CARD FEES SCRAPPED The government has announced plans to ban charges for payments by credit

NEXT MONTHLAKE GARDA

The medieval port of Torri del Benaco is your destination on this cut-price break, departing on August 16. Your base is the Hotel Internazionale, which has a terrace and a pool, and is a short lakeside walk from Torri’s harbour and 14th-century castle. A week starts at £479pp, half-board, including flights to Verona and transfers — a saving of £310 (inghams.co.uk).

BRIEFING

HOLIDAYS WITH MY CALCULATOR

away to make memories. That’s not going to happen if you’ve been a cheapskate.”

He’s got a point. If your only preoccupation is saving, then stay at home. And if you do go away with this mindset, where does it stop? Hitchingto the Med and sleeping rough? Getting your brood to do some impromptu begging on St Mark’s Square? Going to a high-rise all-inclusive where every nightis talent-show night?

Yet there are few more stressful thingsthan doling out money hand over fist, seeing your hard-saved readies going upin smoke. A Nationwide survey found that overspending while away was one of the top causes of holiday stress, while Post Office Travel Money recently revealedthat two-thirds of families felt “ripped off” during their last overseas trip.

And savings aren’t always what they seem. An estimated 80% of us have flown from an inconvenient airport to take advantage of lower fares — only to find those savings eaten up by the additional cost of reaching it.

Phil Bloomfield, of the comparison siteCheapflights, thinks the answer lies in keeping your ear to the ground for deals and potential savings, but not to the extent that you crick your neck. “Austerity travel may sound like the name of the PM’s favourite travel agency, but we have it to thank for countless brands that have made going on holiday more accessible.

“Without coming over all Corbyn, travel should be for the many and not for the few. It’s stressful spending thousands of pounds, which explains why travellers are happy to research. And spending less on the holiday itself can allow for more spontaneity once in the destination.”

Molly Fergus, of the travel site TripSavvy, agrees. “With all the options and information now at your fingertips, it’s easy to end up in a rabbit hole when booking a holiday, obsessing about whether you really have got the best deal and whether the cocktails are cheaper somewhere else. But what good is a holiday if it totally stresses you out?

“My advice would be to know your financial boundaries, but also your priorities. For some, that may be a chic hotel, for others the food. Budgeting is essential — but it’s OK to spend a bit more to make sure those priorities are met.”

card. Airlines and online travel firms are among the most persistent offenders, with Flybe applying a 3% surcharge and Thomson and Ryanair a 2% fee.

£25,000 BOGUS SICKNESS PENALTYA woman who lied about falling ill on holiday has been ordered to pay her tour operator £25,000. Wrexham county court found that the 28-year-old from north Wales had been “fundamentally dishonest” in her claims relating to a Thomson holidayin Sharm El Sheikh in 2011.

DUNCANCRAIGAssistant Travel Editor

I t’s 5am on a wet Tuesday morningand you’re standing at Stanstedairport. Well, near Stansted airport. Parking in the same postcode as the terminal came

at a premium, so you opted to go “off site”, saving £17.68. A 15-minute wait, a 25-minute shuttle ride, and you and the family are at the terminal. From thereyou leg it to the gate to ensure you board early, so your fit-to-burst carry-ons don’t get lobbed in the hold. Quick farewell to the family — paying extra to sit together? Don’t make me laugh! — who you’ll next see on the two-hour coach transfer from the absurdly peripheral low-cost carrier hub to the half-built hotel in which you’ve bagged a car-park-view room for a saving of £26 a night.

Then you relax. Or try to.There are few more satisfying feelings

than bagging a holiday bargain — and this special issue of Travel is full of them, starting on page 4. But it’s all too easy to take things too far. At the point where scrimping and saving become just as important holiday goals as rest and recuperation, something’s gone wrong.

You can see how it happens. It’s easierthan ever to hunt out the lowest prices. There are price comparison sites, traveller reviews, affordability indices, holiday cost barometers... the list goes on. Saving becomes competitive, thrifty becomes sexy. Who cares where you went on holiday — what bargains did you get?

It has to stop, argues James Lohan,co-founder of the luxury-hotel booking site Mr & Mrs Smith, who says rampant penny-pinching is ripping the soul out of travel. “All this ekeing out of every last penny — it’s become a race to the bottom. There’s nothing worse than having a miserable experience because you weren’t prepared to put your hand in your pocket. It sounds schmaltzy, but you go

BIGSHOT

HOLIDAY PLANNER

Our pick of the breaks to book now

PLANNING AHEAD LAPLAND

All this humidity getting you down? You need to start dreaming of a family escape to Swedish Lapland. Book a stay at the Icehotel before August 31 and you’ll get free return flights for all kids under 15. Three nights start at £1,116pp, or £239 per child, including flights; the offer is valid for travel between January and March 2018 (discover-the-world.co.uk).

LAST MINUTESURREY HILLS

Jane Austen reputedly worked on Emma while staying at the Burford Bridge Hotel, at the foot of Box Hill. To mark the bicentenary of her death, the hotel is offering Austen-themed breaks, with literary walking routes and an afternoon tea that’s big on the author’s favourite Bath buns. Prices start at £149 a night for two, B&B (mercure.com).

We all love a travel bargain — but it’s possible to take penny-pinching too far

UNDERNEATHTHE ARCHESCyclists pass over the Elizabeth Quay Bridge, in Perth, Western Australia, at dawn. This shot by Tony Cowburn is this week’s winner of our Big Shot competition, in associationwith Audley Travel (01993 838000, audleytravel.com). Tony, from Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, wins a £250 photography voucher and makes the shortlist for the overall prizes, which include a 14-daytrip to Burma.

Think you can match this? Upload your pictures at thesundaytimes.co.uk/thebigshot or enter on Instagram using the hashtag #STBigShot,and tagging us @sundaytimestravel

l This week’s competition closes at 11.59pm on Wednesday. Ages 18+; UK and RoI only. T&Cs at thesundaytimes.co.uk/travelphotocomp