• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

Travel Magazine

Top Travel Destinations in Pictures

  • Travel Advertising
  • Make a Contribution
  • Contact

Best bargains for a New Year winter sun holiday abroad

December 27, 2018 By Travel Magazine

Post Office Travel Money advises where to get ‘more bang for your buck’

Cyprus and Canaries top the chart for best value New Year holiday bargains

Orlando is the cheapest long haul destination – despite the strong dollar

Bali is the survey’s lowest-priced long haul beach resort and the only place where sterling will stretch further than a year ago

An overload of too much turkey and wintery weather is the annual trigger for thousands of people to escape the Christmas blues by booking a bargain New Year break. According to new research by Post Office Travel Money, sun seekers will find the best winter sun bargains in a trio of European islands. It found that Cyprus, Lanzarote and Tenerife were cheapest by far in a survey of 12 winter sun resorts, while the lowest-priced long haul destinations – Orlando and Bali – were hundreds of pounds pricier.

By combining the cost of a one-week holiday package (based on two sharing a room) at the beginning of January with the weekly cost for an evening meal including wine plus coffee and beers, the price in Paphos, Cyprus was just under £382 per person – at least 17 per cent cheaper than in Lanzarote (£461.86) and Tenerife (£469.48).

Further afield, Post Office Travel Money compared costs in nine long haul resorts and found Orlando (£651.31pp) to be the cheapest option for a New Year getaway, despite the continuing strength of the US dollar against sterling. Although a week in the world’s theme park capital was 70 per cent more expensive than in Paphos, the Post Office says this is mainly because of the cost of a transatlantic air fare. When compared with its long haul competitors, Orlando was less than half the price of Montego Bay, Jamaica (£1,346.89) and Grand Baie, Mauritius (£1,600.35), the two most expensive destinations.

Bali emerges as the cheapest long haul beach resort at £785.82 per person for a week’s holiday. Its cost of living total (£176.82) was second lowest among the 12 resorts surveyed and 6.9 per cent less than in Paphos, while its currency, the Indonesian rupiah, is also slightly weaker against the pound than a year ago. UK visitors will get around one per cent more cash to spend than a year ago, compared with over seven per cent less in Kenya. Although Mombasa was rated as having the cheapest cost of living (£149.73), the higher package price meant that Kenya’s overall total of £1,141.73 per person was 45 per cent more than in Bali.

Cancun in Mexico is another bargain for UK tourists at around £829 per person and a cheaper choice than either of the Caribbean resorts surveyed. While cheaper than Jamaica, Rodney Bay, St Lucia (£1,180.26) was still 42 per cent more expensive than Cancun.

Although the cost of a holiday package to Dubai was the second-cheapest after Orlando for a long haul resort at £590 per person, the high price of meals and drinks in Jumeirah Beach – £471.80 for one week – made it 35 per cent most expensive than Bali at £1,061.80.

In the Far East, a week’s holiday in Phuket totalled £1,075.35 combining a package deal and local meal and drinks costs. This made the Thai resort over a third pricier than its Far East competitor Bali.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: “Sterling’s continuing volatility means it is more vital than ever for holidaymakers to be aware just how much the cost of their winter sun trip can escalate once the cost of meals and drinks is added to the package price. The clear message for bargain-hunters is to do their holiday homework to find the destination that will give them the best overall value once all these elements are combined.

“In places like Dubai where meal and drinks prices are high, booking all-inclusive packages will keep their costs down.”

The Post Office is the UK’s leading provider of foreign currency, offering euro on demand at over 9,000 branches and US dollars at over 3,500 branches. They can also be ordered online at postoffice.co.uk for same day ‘click and collect’ at selected branches, for next day collection at any branch or for home delivery. 1,600 larger Post Office Branches stock 30 leading currencies while up to 70 currencies can be pre-ordered at over 11,500 branches or online at postoffice.co.uk/travel for next day branch or home delivery.

Filed Under: Travel Guide

Footer

Recent Posts

  • THE ROYAL SONESTA BRAND IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FRANCHISING
  • What Labor Day Travel Data Tells Us About the State of Travel
  • Travel is a mess all over the world
  • World’s most livable cities
  • Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours Announces Athens Tour Routes
  • Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours Offers Tours of London Landmarks
  • Why do people love cruises?
  • Spain experiencing a heat wave
  • What was it like to be on a cruise ship as Covid-19 was all the rage?
  • Summer is Here: The Raft of the Medusa

Travel Market

Post-pandemic travelers flock to boutique hotels
Another Grim Year For Global Tourism
Research: US travel industry can boost recovery by addressing trust gaps in areas including price transparency and COVID-19 health and safety
The rapid rise of ‘red tourism’ in China
Travel slowly returns
Deloitte: Leisure Travel to Take Off This Summer
June U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Pass $4 Billion
Inspirato, the Innovative Luxury Travel Subscription Brand, Closes Transaction to Become Publicly Traded
The cruise industry is set for another rough summer
Amsterdam tells rowdy tourists to stay away

Media Partners

  • Travel Marketing
  • Virtual Travel Guide
Madrid poised to earn first-choice status for high-spend travellers
Hotel Meliá Madrid Princesa, Madrid, Spain
Winter adventures in the UK
Trip.com shows how transatlantic travel has taken off
Brescia and Bergamo
Where and when to see cherry blossoms in Japan
Carnival Corporation Expands Next-Generation Wi-Fi Connectivity with SpaceX’s Starlink
What is smart tourism
uin Art Travel Shoes Unveils Its Design Philosophy -“CALSEN”
First-of-its-Kind New Rides to Open in Every SeaWorld Park in 2023 Including the World’s First Surf Coaster, the Longest and Fastest Straddle Coaster, and the World’s First Launched Flume Coaster
Labyrinth pavement at Chartres Cathedral, France
Marriott Bonvoy Encourages Travelers to Switch into Vacation Mode with New Summer Openings Worth Logging Off For
What kind of ship would you choose to travel?
Exploring Provence’s Luberon Valley
Piles of lost bags in London, Paris and Toronto
Tomb of Baha ul Halim (14th Century), Tomb of Bibi Jiwindi (14th Century), Tomb of Nauria (15th Century) at Uch Sharif, Pakistan
Unique collection of classical statues is on display in Milan
The fifth bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermín Festival
A local’s guide to Madrid
Dubrovnik’s spectacular old town

Copyright © 2013 TravelMagazine.org

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT