FIND RESORTS WITH BEST PRICES IF YOU’RE GOING ON HOLIDAY

JULY is usually the month when families get ready to jet off for a well-deserved fortnight in the sun.

This year things are different. The decision whether to travel abroad at all, and if so where, is a huge one.

Destination decision-making is a bit confusing right now.

The Government published its list of 60 destinations approved for overseas holidays a fortnight ago – but now it has come to light that only 25 of these are free of restrictions for UK travellers, according to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.

In Europe, Portugal and Bulgaria – two of the best-value destinations – are off limits for now, and so are Greece and Cyprus.

Given the situation can change quickly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, you need to do your homework and check Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice before booking to avoid nasty surprises about quarantine and entry regulations.

Once you’ve come up with a destination shortlist, your decision may be swayed by where you’ll find the best value. And with this we can help.

We’ve teamed up with Post Office Travel Money to put together a barometer of the prices families will face on trips to top resorts in the countries where no travel restrictions for Britons apply.

Many favourites are on the ‘can-go’ list – Spain for a start, together with France, Malta, Italy, Turkey and Croatia.

We examined the prices for a family of four spending a week at a resort, including meals, drinks and typical holiday essentials such as sun cream, insect repellent, ice creams and a bucket and spade.

Costs vary dramatically – even between resorts in the same country – so it is wise to check how prices compare before booking.

The cheapest destination is Turkey, where the lira has collapsed in value in recent years. Since last summer alone the lira has fallen 17% so Britons changing £500 into lira will get the equivalent of £72 more to spend.

Local prices remain low and Marmaris, Turkey’s most popular resort, is by far the best value of the nine resorts we compared.

The cost for our basket of essentials in Marmaris is just £381 for a week’s holiday for a family of four. That works out at 13% lower than last summer and prices are less than half the price of some of the most expensive resorts.

Spain’s Costa del Sol is best value for the eurozone destinations surveyed at £640, but that is still two-thirds pricier than in Marmaris.

But the Costa del Sol compares favourably to the other Spanish resorts such as the Costa Blanca (£675), Majorca (£730) and Ibiza (£1,014).

If you want to keep costs low, the Costa del Sol is definitely the best Spanish option.

In Croatia, a country that has become popular with Brits in recent years, prices vary across regions. Prices have fallen nearly 3% in a year to £882 in Zadar on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, but Porec further north in Istria costs £806.

The priciest places to visit are the French resort of Nice (£1,030) and Puglia in southern Italy (£1,022).

Puglia so far has had only a fraction of the Covid-19 cases suffered in Lombardy in the north. And rates are 9.6% cheaper than last year’s price Sorrento on the Neapolitan Riviera.

Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money, says: “Get the best value for money by doing some homework and checking prices for meals, drinks and other staples because it is important to add resort charges to the package price to see what a holiday will really cost you.

“Our latest research shows you can save hundreds of pounds by picking a destination where the cost of living is cheaper. Even if the package price is low, high resort costs can bust the budget.

“Before leaving home, make a list of money-saving holiday rules and stick to them so you don’t overspend.” for insurance is buying travel you tell you that than ever. If

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You can save hundreds of pounds at a destination with a lower cost of living