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A budget holiday expert has revealed how to save money on your summer holiday – from free hotel upgrades to flying business class for less than it would cost for an economy ticket.
Chelsea Dickenson, from North London, who runs cheapholidayexpert.com, joined Holly Willoughby and Craig Doyle on This Morning to advise holidaymakers how to save money this summer.
The 33-year-old revealed a clever way to beat being charged for overweight baggage and offered advice on getting the best deal for booking a hire car on a budget.
She started off with some advice on how to budget for their holiday saying ‘daily costs’ are often overlooked.
She said: ‘I found this website called Numbeo.com and it’s a cost of living index of 11,000 cities from all over the world. It will tell you the average price of milk, a taxi and most importantly a pint of beer.’
She explained that Porto is currently the cheapest city for a beer at around £1.40 for a pint.
Next the expert said to keep in mind ‘the triangle of cheap travel’ which is accommodation, transport (including car hire) and daily costs before booking any destination.
Car Hire
She said: ‘I always use comparison websites like Travel Supermarket to find the best price, but sometimes it is too expensive.
‘There is a website called Turo.com. It is like the Airbnb of cars. So it’s like peer-to- peer lending of cars. If you’re not using it, whack it on Turo, someone makes money and you get a cheaper car.
‘So you can opt for insurance as you go along, exactly the same as if you were hiring a car. I have used it quite a few times and I have saved hundreds of pounds.’
Fly Business Class
Chelsea revealed she once flew home from Rome cheaper in business class than economy, advising that it’s always worth checking.
She said: ‘If you’re someone who’s going to be checking in two bags anyway it is worth checking because you normally get that included in the business class flights.
‘You also have things like the lounge, you get a meal on the flight, some champagne, honestly it could end up cheaper.’
Free Hotel Upgrade
The expert, who has 194,000 followers on her Instagram, revealed people shouldn’t be afraid to simply request a free upgrade in a hotel.
She claimed you don’t have to wait for a special occasion because going on holiday is a special event.
She said: ‘I have an email template on my website so people use that and I get a message every day from people saying, “I am now in a suite” or even I” have come to my room and there is a bottle of prosecco”.
‘Email ahead, be really nice, say you are excited to stay and what’s most important about this trick is once you have sent that email forget about it. Nobody owes you that upgrade, it’s a cheeky little bonus.’
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Self Catering
Although self-catering could be seen as the cheaper option when aboard the expert said costs rack up when you have to stock up on all the essentials for cooking.
She said: ‘The hidden costs are when you need to go out and do your shop and you haven’t checked if the place has olive oil, salt and pepper you have to buy the whole thing for a few days.
‘So what I use is little stacking pots, you know what you normally put your toiletries in. Take it with you, pop it into your hand luggage and it just saves you, even like £10.’
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