A £49 flight can be dangerously persuasive. It appears on your screen, you picture yourself sitting somewhere sunny, and ten minutes later you are entering your card details.
There is nothing wrong with chasing a good travel deal. The trouble starts when the cheap flight becomes the entire basis for deciding whether a holiday is affordable.
Flights and hotels are easy to price because the numbers are right in front of you. The costs that hurt are usually the ones hiding around them. PayingTooMuch is built around comparing travel insurance rather than accepting the first option available, and that same habit of checking before buying is useful across the rest of a holiday too.
Here are some of the mistakes worth catching before they start spending your money.
Booking the bargain flight without doing the maths
Imagine two return flights to Spain. One costs £85 and another costs £120.
Easy choice, right?
Not necessarily. The £85 flight leaves from an airport that costs £35 more to reach. You need to pay for a cabin bag, and the late arrival means public transport is no longer running at your destination.
Suddenly the £120 ticket could have been cheaper.
Before booking, work out the realistic cost of getting from your front door to your accommodation. Baggage, airport parking, transfers and seat charges all belong in that calculation.
Treating travel insurance as a last-minute purchase
Travel insurance often ends up somewhere between charging the phone and finding the passport on the pre-holiday checklist.
That can lead to people choosing a policy quickly without properly comparing what it covers.
Using a comparison service such as PayingTooMuch gives you the chance to consider different policies and levels of holiday cover before making a decision.
It is also worth arranging cover soon after booking your trip rather than automatically waiting until departure is close. Depending on the policy and circumstances, cancellation cover may be relevant before you ever reach the airport.
Assuming your health history will not matter
This is one shortcut that really is not worth taking.
Travellers with pre-existing conditions should make sure they provide accurate information when looking for medical travel insurance. Leaving something out because it seems minor could affect whether a related claim is covered later.
This can be particularly relevant for older travellers or anyone managing an ongoing condition. PayingTooMuch caters for travellers looking to compare cover where age and medical conditions may need to be taken into account.
The sensible approach is simple: answer the questions accurately and read the policy details.
Buying the wrong cover for the way you travel
If you have three or four holidays planned, repeatedly buying single trip insurance may not always be the most convenient choice. Annual travel insurance can cover multiple eligible trips within the policy period, subject to its terms and limits.
Then there are holidays that need a little more attention.
Cruises can involve risks and situations that are different from an ordinary city break. If you are heading to sea, it makes sense to check whether you need specific cruise cover. The same principle applies to winter sports and other activities that may require additional protection.
PayingTooMuch offers different travel insurance categories, making it easier to compare options according to the type of trip rather than treating every holiday identically.
Forgetting that £10 expenses become £100 surprisingly quickly
Most holiday budgets are not destroyed by one dramatic purchase. They disappear through small transactions.
Breakfast because the hotel does not include it. A taxi because everyone is tired. Another £8 in card charges. Drinks at the airport. Mobile data. Tourist taxes. Luggage storage.
None feels particularly serious on its own.
A useful trick is to create a separate pot for these unexciting extras before travelling. If you do not use it, you have money left when you get home. If you do need it, the expense was already part of the plan.
Assuming the cheapest policy offers the best value
Comparison should not stop when you find the lowest number.
Look at the excess, cancellation limits, medical cover, baggage protection and relevant exclusions. A policy costing slightly more may suit your circumstances better, while paying extra for benefits you do not need makes little sense either.
When comparing through PayingTooMuch, the useful question is not simply “Which one is cheapest?” It is “What am I actually getting for this price?”
Keep the bargain in your bargain holiday
Cheap holidays are great when they genuinely stay cheap.
Spend a little longer checking the costs around the headline deal. Know what your airline charges, check what the hotel includes, budget for daily extras and choose insurance that makes sense for your circumstances.
A comparison through PayingTooMuch can take care of one part of that preparation.
Then that £49 flight has a much better chance of remaining the bargain you thought you booked.
