The Best Low Budget Holiday Destinations

Anyone who has lived in Britain for any length of time will understand why the summer holiday is a much-anticipated event each year. It’s June in Edinburgh at the time of writing, and just yesterday I experienced hail, thunder, and warm sun in the space of three hours. I wish I were joking, but the cliché is true; we Brits experience four seasons in one day. The promise of an escape to a more consistent climate may be the only thing that keeps us going.

The recession has been responsible for financially wounding a lot of people, but lack of funds shouldn’t mean staying at home to face the drizzle. With the huge number of budget airlines, flight comparison sites and hotel deal sites, it has never been cheaper or easier to escape the UK. It’s all about finding the right destination first, however; as I discovered this year when a cheap flight to Brussels dropped me in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

The Algarve in Portugal is a great choice for those who are looking for cheap holidays but refuse to compromise on quality. The main destination and party capital is Albufeira, and for those who don’t mind the atmosphere of a tourist resort the Montechoro strip offers inexpensive meals and drinks. It’s still possible to get pints of local beer Superbock for a Euro; far more appetising than Fosters or Tennents. Walking up and down the Strip you will notice Garrafeira shops which are similar to off licenses selling alcohol, mixers and snacks. These shops are particularly notable as you can pick up a bottle of local Port- both red and white- for under five Euro.

For those who prefer rural holidays, the Duas Quintas guest house near Silves has been recommended by both Lonely Planet and the LA Times. Rural Portugal provides gorgeous mountain scenery and trails for walking; far less expensive than a day at the beach with commercial trappings. Going off the beaten track also provides opportunities to visit restaurants which are less expensive than those on the tourist trail; and that’s saying something.

Spain has long been a favourite choice for those travelling on the cheap. Sharing a border with Portugal, Spain is famous for it’s holiday resorts such as Benidorm. Great deals can be found on the Costa Brava, with Barcelona only a short train journey away. Although it may seem counter intuitive, avoid going full board. Although you think you may save money on food and drink in the long run, in my experience the food and drink can be sub-par. In the hotel bar you may be asked to pay a premium for name-branded spirits, whilst food is often left congealing on a buffet table. The Costa Brava is bursting with fantastic ice cream parlours, restaurants, and bars run by British ex-pats all offering a good feed for meagre sums of money.

If you choose to venture into Barcelona, you can save some money and have a great time by visiting the La Bolsa Stock Exchange Bar. The prices of drinks fluctuate on a supply and demand basis; for example if everyone in the bar is drinking vodka and Coke that will shoot up in price, but if you’re savvy and stick to less popular drinks (for example gin and ginger beer) you may find that your rounds are coming in cheap.

The Balearic islands have also dropped in price in recent years, and according to Bloomberg it is now possible for couples to holiday on party island Ibiza for as little as £500. The party spirit of the 90s is still very much alive, with superstar DJ’s Tiesto and David Guetta visiting the island regularly. Ibiza is the perfect place to do some cheap celeb spotting, with Snoop Dogg, Chelsey Davy, and even David Cameron choosing to vacation there.

If you’re feeling brave, why not take advantage of unrest in exotic parts of the world? In 2011 costs to stay at 5 star resorts in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia fell due to the Libyan revolution. Keep an eagle eye on the news and on holiday comparison sites; you may just get lucky.

Jennifer Adams is a part of the digital blogging team at digitalcrosstalk.com who write about subjects like cheap holidays on behalf of a growing number of travel brands. To keep up to date with the latest in travel and destination news, check out my posts at Digital Crosstalk or visit my Twitter account, @dcrosstalk.