Over the years, we’ve all heard stories about this or that holiday destination which promises to be the next big thing purely because it offers such great value for money. We’re told effusive tales by enthusiastic friends about the wonderful food in the restaurants, the superb standard of hotel accommodation and the amazing landmarks that are all to be found nearby, and all at prices which are easily affordable.
The problem for many of these claims, however, is that once a resort ceases being a hidden gem the prices soon start to increase. Where once you could find a luxury hotel room for thirty euros, for example, you might now find the same accommodation costing sixty euros. These places eventually become victims of their own popularity, and as such they are no longer able to represent such a wonderful bargain any more.
And it seems that once a resort is managing to attract large numbers of tourists, the restaurants stop operating as rather charming family-run establishments and turn into homogenous versions of other eateries throughout the region, all serving the same food and all charging the same prices. It’s a sad yet inevitable fact of life that the frugal tourist has to constantly keep looking for good deals.
Do-it-yourself arrangements are the way forward for many
Thankfully, the old days when we had to be told by a travel agent when and how we could travel, where we had to stay and what type of accommodation we would need are long gone. It’s no longer necessary to even book through a third party anymore unless you really want to, because all the necessary arrangements can be done by yourself on the Internet.
If you hear through the tourist grapevine that there’s a particularly wonderful resort in Turkey, for example, it’s now so easy to arrange flights, hotels and even car hire through the web. Comparison sites give you all the details of available air travel options, for example, so if you’re looking for the least expensive carrier you can find it in no time at all.
Similarly, even if there are only two or three hotels in the vicinity, you can soon find the best possible prices simply by looking online. A growing proportion of travellers are choosing to arrange these things for themselves before they fly out, and in the process many of them are saving a significant sum of money.
If they plan to drive while they are away, they can compare the prices of major car hire companies as well as some of the local operators, so they know they will be able to find a great deal on anything from a Smart car to an off-road behemoth of the tarmac.
David Showell lives in the UK and is a regular visitor to Europe. He works for http://www.carhiredirect.co.uk.