I went on holiday to The Canary Islands a few months ago. I haven't been abroad for years, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience some sun, sand, sea, and sangria. It was also a good opportunity to learn how to handle money in this situation, because holidays are usually a significant drain on finances.
When booking the holiday, I looked at the www.moneysavingexpert.com website for guidance. I then went on www.travelsupermarket.com and booked the cheapest holiday which met my specifications. I chose a self-catering holiday, as I figured I would be able to buy any food I wanted when I got there, and have more variety of choice. The flight and hotel cost £355.
When I got to The Canary Islands, I had to decide how I was going to feed myself. The local restaurants were offering meals at prices that made me faint, such as £30 for one lunch! Many of the local restaurants were selling pizzas for over £20! I was worried about the self-catering aspect, but it turns out that they had supermarkets there. I simply went about doing what I love doing, and compared the prices of good supermarket food. I did things like buying pizzas for £2.
Before buying any souvenirs, I spent a few days walking around all of the tourist shops ,before buying anything. There was a massive variation in price for the same items, I saw two shops offering the same beach towel. One shop had it for £3.50 and the other for £25! I was amazed to discover that for souvenirs, the local supermarkets were cheapest and best, in terms of price and quality, and actually sold unique souvenirs that the more expensive tourist shops did not offer.
For food and souvenirs, I only spent £50 in total, yet I came back with a lot of souvenirs., a lot of change, and I had a lot of fun. When I got back to England, I discovered that one of my friends also went to The Canary Islands around the same time as me, but in a different area. Excluding travel, accommodation, and food, he spent £1500 on tourist items!! He is now further in debt.
I came to the conclusion that financially, going on holiday is a tourist trap, designed to ensnare your money. Virtually all the main souvenir shops and local restaurants sold heavily overpriced items. Just because I was in another country, I didn't lose my head and suddenly start buying all of it without thinking first. I had fun, but I didn't have to spend all of my money doing so.
A holiday should be fun, and it is a drag to stay financially motivated. The temptation is there, to lose your head and enjoy the fantasy paradise scenario that is painted, and spend all of your money on whatever you want, without thinking. The local shopkeepers are well aware of this and don't care if you go bankrupt buying their inventory.
Going to The Canary Islands was fun, but it's just in a different surroundings to my normal environment. In future I'll be taking my holidays in the UK. Maybe somewhere like Brighton or Cornwall. Wherever I go I'll make sure that I don't lose my head and I will remain cost and value conscious. I have learned a good financial lesson from this, and whenever I am presented with a situation where my peers seem to be spending money recklessly without thinking, I will remind myself to not join them by saying to myself: "don't lose your head in The Canary Islands!".
When booking the holiday, I looked at the www.moneysavingexpert.com website for guidance. I then went on www.travelsupermarket.com and booked the cheapest holiday which met my specifications. I chose a self-catering holiday, as I figured I would be able to buy any food I wanted when I got there, and have more variety of choice. The flight and hotel cost £355.
When I got to The Canary Islands, I had to decide how I was going to feed myself. The local restaurants were offering meals at prices that made me faint, such as £30 for one lunch! Many of the local restaurants were selling pizzas for over £20! I was worried about the self-catering aspect, but it turns out that they had supermarkets there. I simply went about doing what I love doing, and compared the prices of good supermarket food. I did things like buying pizzas for £2.
Before buying any souvenirs, I spent a few days walking around all of the tourist shops ,before buying anything. There was a massive variation in price for the same items, I saw two shops offering the same beach towel. One shop had it for £3.50 and the other for £25! I was amazed to discover that for souvenirs, the local supermarkets were cheapest and best, in terms of price and quality, and actually sold unique souvenirs that the more expensive tourist shops did not offer.
For food and souvenirs, I only spent £50 in total, yet I came back with a lot of souvenirs., a lot of change, and I had a lot of fun. When I got back to England, I discovered that one of my friends also went to The Canary Islands around the same time as me, but in a different area. Excluding travel, accommodation, and food, he spent £1500 on tourist items!! He is now further in debt.
I came to the conclusion that financially, going on holiday is a tourist trap, designed to ensnare your money. Virtually all the main souvenir shops and local restaurants sold heavily overpriced items. Just because I was in another country, I didn't lose my head and suddenly start buying all of it without thinking first. I had fun, but I didn't have to spend all of my money doing so.
A holiday should be fun, and it is a drag to stay financially motivated. The temptation is there, to lose your head and enjoy the fantasy paradise scenario that is painted, and spend all of your money on whatever you want, without thinking. The local shopkeepers are well aware of this and don't care if you go bankrupt buying their inventory.
Going to The Canary Islands was fun, but it's just in a different surroundings to my normal environment. In future I'll be taking my holidays in the UK. Maybe somewhere like Brighton or Cornwall. Wherever I go I'll make sure that I don't lose my head and I will remain cost and value conscious. I have learned a good financial lesson from this, and whenever I am presented with a situation where my peers seem to be spending money recklessly without thinking, I will remind myself to not join them by saying to myself: "don't lose your head in The Canary Islands!".
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