Sunday, 22 March 2009

Skiing - Can it be a budget holiday?


Short answer - No - especially for Brits with a weak pound at the moment.

However there are ways to cut costs:-

1. All inclusive holidays - Action Outdoors is a good place to start. The food, accommodation and ski equipment is a bit basic but often cheaper than you can arrange independently.

2. Last minute/off-season deals - If you are flexible with dates sometimes there are last minute bargains for flights and accommodation to be scooped up using sites like lastminute.com and Expedia.

3. Discounted ski passes - A huge part of the expense of a skiing holiday is the ski pass. However certain resorts offer discounted passes. For example Val D'Isere offer a VIP pass or Eco pass which if booked online 15 days prior to departure gives you a 10% discount.

4. Packed lunches! - Eating up a mountain comes at a premium. Prices are often eye-watering and if the weather is fair there are plenty of spectacular spots on the sides of pistes to picnic.

5. Take food with you - If self-catering, supermarkets in resort know they have a captive market so you might find yourself spending £5 on some Weetabix or £2.50 on a tin of beans! It seems over the top but this can make a real difference to your total spend.

6. Cheap resorts - How about Bulgaria or Slovenia...? A good option particularly for beginners but make sure you do your research. You don't want to get stuck somewhere that is a combination of building site and no snow...!

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