Holidays may be all about a touch of extravagance and not worrying about money for a few days, but in reality, nearly everyone operates on a budget during a holiday.  The secret is to make that budget stretch as far as it can and still have some left over for special gifts, unusual excursion, night of fine dining or whatever special indulgence takes your fancy.

So you’ve found the ideal cheap holiday, a great deal on flights, or a handy hotel discount, this is all well and good, but if you end up spending a small fortune on eating out then the hard work will be ruined.  After travel and accommodation, food is the next biggest holiday expense. If you eat out for every meal, it could easily set a family back several hundred pounds over the course of a week.

One simple way around this is to book hotel accommodation that includes breakfast in the price.  It may not be the most exciting cuisine, but it can set you up well for the day and is one expense you won’t have to worry about.  Picnics are a good option for lunch. Many tour operators also offer package holidays with all meals included, so these are worth investigating too.

The other option is self-catering accommodation and buying all your food.  This may take some of the fun out of your holiday, but it could also give you the extra funds to splash out on a very special meal.