Families Should Play A Rating Game To Find The Best Value Half Term Break
Families planning a half term break will be quids in this February as the latest exchange rate research from Post Office Travel Money shows that sterling has strengthened against all the main European holiday currencies in recent weeks – reaching a 15 month high against the euro in January. Holidaymakers heading to Europe could get almost 11 per cent more for their pounds than a year ago – and sterling has even steadied against the Swiss franc, by far the strongest of the European currencies.
Two-thirds of the holiday currencies that have slid against sterling are European ones – and the only European currency to have strengthened in the past twelve months is the Swiss Franc – by just 0.9 per cent. However, sterling has surged against the Swiss currency by five per cent over the past fortnight, spelling good news for skiing families.
City breaks may prove to be the best bet for families taking a half term break on a shoestring – particularly to Eastern Europe’s historic capitals. Holidaymakers will get the best deal in Budapest where the pound will stretch almost 11 per cent further than in 2011 (10.7 per cent). People visiting the Polish cities of Krakow or Warsaw will have 7.3 per cent more zloty to spend and families on a trip to Prague will have 6.9 per cent more Czech koruna in their pocket. Costs are cheap on the ground too: all four were rated best buys in the Post Office City Costs Barometer survey last spring.
Holidaymakers heading to Europe for a sunshine break will do best in Spain, where resort prices are three per cent lower than a year ago, according to the Post Office Holiday Costs Barometer2, which puts the eurozone favourite at the top of its best value list in Europe. Prices have dropped even further than last year’s record low in the Costa del Sol, thanks to the weakening euro exchange rate and are now 42 per cent lower than just three years ago.
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