Priced out of holidays at home

Inflation and the soaring price of accommodation make staying in Britain feel like much less of a bargain than going abroad. Tom Haynes does the maths

Amid last year’s confusing and ever- changing travel restrictions, 2021 became the year of the staycation. But with inflation now soaring at home, bargain flights to Europe available and outrageously expensive holiday lets in Britain, has holidaying abroad become the better – and cheaper – option?

Years spent almost trapped in Britain has created an explosion of demand: summer bookings for holiday lets in some European countries last month were tracking 200pc higher than last year, according to AirDNA, a data company.

Analysis by Telegraph Money has revealed how holidaymakers could make massive savings on their summer holiday by shunning Britain and going abroad.

We created itineraries for two similarly luxurious self-catering holidays for a family of four in Cornwall and Andalucia. After adding up the costs of flights to Spain, car hire, fuel, shopping, and attractions, and taking into account the weak pound, the foreign holiday won out. A five- day August staycation in Cornwall came in at just over £2,990, while a similar stay in an Andalusian villa cost around £1,980 – a difference of more than £1,000.

TRAVEL

One of the main appeals of a staycation is not having to get on a plane – which looks all the more enticing as travel chaos unfolds at airports. But domestic holidaymakers have to contend with the high price of petrol, which is currently hovering at around £1.70 per litre, according to the RAC. That means for a typical car, such as a BMW X3, which has a 67-litre tank, three full tanks – enough for the drive there from the Home Counties, the drive back, and travelling around – costs around £350.

Deals for car hire in Andalucia shift around constantly and at the time of writing a five-seater car would cost around £ 239. Filling its 44l tank, according to globalpetrolprices.com, would set you back £75 – meaning you would be spending £314 in total.

But you have to pay for flights, too. Flight prices are still relatively low, even in high season. The cheapest return flights between London and Malaga in August are £100 per person, according to travel price comparison site Skyscanner, bringing the overall travel budget for Spain to £714.

Skyscanner’s Gemma Jamieson said the pandemic had caused flight prices to fluctuate. “We’re seeing these pockets of amazing value for flights... Summer holiday prices are still quite low.”

ACCOMMODATION

Despite a rush to travel abroad in the first summer without Covid restrictions, prices of British holiday lets are higher than ever before. Cornish Airbnbs cost 8pc more to rent out this August compared with 2021, according to AirDNA.

The three- bedroom property we selected currently costs £308 a night to rent. For five nights, you will be paying £1,801, slightly higher than the local average of £1,500.

The equivalent stay in a villa in Andalucia, meanwhile, will cost less than half that amount – at just £141 a night. While the Cornwall property offers a garden, the three-bedroom villa nestled in the Torrox mountains has a pool.

‘We’re seeing pockets of amazing value for flights over the summer’

WEEKLY SHOP

In April, inflation reached a 40-yearhigh of 9pc, putting increased pressure on households already grappling with soaring energy bills. When we filled an Ocado basket with enough food and alcohol to get a family of four through the week, it came to £250.

Despite inflation in Spain reaching similar highs of 8.7pc in May, food shopping there proved far cheaper. Filling an equivalent basket in Spanish supermarket Mercadona would cost £127, according to website International Living.

HAVING FUN

Attractions in Cornwall also proved vastly more expensive than their equivalents in Andalucia. In both cases, we picked five Telegraph- recommended destinations.

Five Cornish attractions, including the Geevor Tin Mine (£54.75 for a family ticket) and a Little Women showing at Minack Theatre (£105, with children paying half-price), totalled £332.

Spanish tourist draws, such as Seville Cathedral (£19.55) and a Guadalquivir

River cruise (£48.41), were far cheaper on average, totalling £242 for five different activities.

Cornwall is known for being a foodie hotspot, but prices are steep. At Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Port Isaac, you will be paying £ 80 a head. A tapas dinner at Casa Bigote, meanwhile, will only set you back £100 for a family of four.