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Home / Home Featured / Money-saving apps for family travel

Money-saving apps for family travel

January 10, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 2 Comments

Euros. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Euros. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Travelling with kids can be expensive, especially once they start school and you have to restrict your trips to school holidays. (You can read my post on Why families should be allowed to take term-time holidays here). And if you’re travelling by plane it’s even pricier once the kids are 12 years old and are charged the full adult fare.

There are various ways to make family holidays more affordable though and there are some great apps available to help. Legal & General have asked me to research some of these money-saving apps.

Travelling by car

If you’re going to Europe think about travelling by car. Work out the cost of a ferry or Eurotunnel crossing, fuel, car insurance and breakdown cover and compare it to the cost of flights. If you travel by car you can pack everything that you and the kids are likely to need including favourite foods, toys, books, nappies, toiletries and sun creams rather than being restricted to luggage allowances on a plane and having to go shopping when you arrive. Direct Ferries is a free app which compares ferry prices and availability.

Suitcases packed. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Suitcases packed. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Foreign currency

Avoid exchanging currency at airports as the exchange rates are likely to be less favourable than elsewhere. Exchange cash before you set off on your trip and shop around for the best rates – XE Currency is a free app which shows live currency conversion rates. There are also some very good plastic currency cards available which you preload with cash before you travel. We used the Caxton FX currency card in Europe last year and were impressed. If you want to use your debit or credit card abroad check what the fees are first.

Cheap flights

Always shop around and use flight comparison websites as well as individual airline websites to find the best flight deals. Check several different websites to compare flight prices as the comparison sites vary and don’t show all airlines. Some which I use include Skyscanner (there’s also a free Skyscanner app), Opodo, Momondo, and Travel Supermarket. Money Saving Expert has a very helpful budget airline flight checker which tells you when to book cheap European flights.

Camping

The free iCampsites app will help you to find campsites in the UK and Europe. If you invest in a family tent (September is a good time to buy one at a reduced price) you can camp very cheaply in some amazing places in the UK and abroad. I’ve not met a young child who doesn’t enjoy the adventure of camping, especially if you stay somewhere which allows you to have camp fires. Toasted marshmallow anyone?

Guidebooks. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Guidebooks. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Travel guides

Rather than buying guide books you can use free apps such as Triposo and Time Out City Guides to research your holiday – or you can borrow guidebooks for free from your local library.

Track your spending

You can use money manager apps such as Money Lover to keep track of your spending and to help you to budget and save for expenses such as holidays. You can save up for holidays by setting money aside in a deposit account or, if you’re a UK resident, an ISA.

Do you use any apps to help you to save money?

Disclosure: Legal & General sent me a Samsung Galaxy tablet in order to help me to research this post.

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Categories: Tips & ideas
Tags: apps, money, money-saving

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Sarah Ebner says

    January 11, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    Such useful stuff, Gretta! Will share as I’m sure others will think so too.
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…Super Siam Park in TenerifeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      January 12, 2015 at 3:04 pm

      Thank you Sarah!

      Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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