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I’m from Yorkshire, and we like to penny pinch a little, so if your like me, hopefully this blog post will help you save a some money prior and whilst you are on holiday.

Currency

If you’re exchanging a few hundred pounds then I wouldn’t waste your time penny pinching, just head to the local post office or travel agent and get your currency. On the other hand if you’re taking a ton of money, then I’d recommend visiting a few places to compare prices.

My dad’s bought Euros and US Dollars, and the best rate he has found has been with Marks & Spencer’s so you might want to head there, and compare this with a few travel agents and the local post office to get the best rate for your money.

Getting around

Rather than renting a car, why not use the local public transport system. It’ll be cheaper, and it’s much more environmentally friendly. The best way to get to know the holiday destination is to jump on a bus or tram and find out where all the attractions are.

Another good form of transport to find your where around is your legs! Just be careful where your walking and don’t wander around alone at night. It’s free and much healthier for you than sat in a car or a bus.

Mobile telephone

My advice to save money is, leave the damn phone at home. If you need to speak with a family member or a friend then use a local telephone box, which is much cheaper. A friend received his mobile phone bill this week, £80 for a few phone calls back home – he didn’t realise that he paid for people calling him on his mobile!

Sun tan oils etc.

It’s not called Rip off Britain for no reason. Sun cream, deodorant from my own experience has been much cheaper to buy abroad. Once you’ve checked into your holiday accommodation, head to a supermarket where the locals shop and you’ll find it’s much cheaper.

Additional costs for your holiday

When you book a holiday you have with most airlines and travel operators, the option of in-flight meal and airport transfer. Don’t assume that it’s cheaper to get to your holiday accommodation by the tour operator – compare it with local taxis, and in resort airport transfer companies.

Bear in mind that on a tour operator coach you’ll have to visit all of the hotels in the resort, so it might be quicker and less hassle to find your own way there. With regard to in-flight meals, if it’s only a few hours flight, take your own food.

Do you have any money saving tips for travel consumers? Well leave your tips in the comments form.

For those of you travelling during the Summer on short or long haul flights my advice would be to get to the airport as early as you can – I took a flight from Leeds & Bradford airport to London Heathrow this week, and only had ten minutes to spare before the gate opened.

I had actually arrived at the airport two hours before the flight, even though BMI quoted an hour, because I knew it would be crazy with the recent weather problems and terrorist attack on Glasgow airport, and it took me much longer than expected to get through security.

My advice is;

- get to the security check-in as quickly as possible, and make sure you adhere to the up-to-date baggage rules, i.e. liquids in a see-through bag, one piece of hand luggage etc.

- don’t wear shoes that have metal on them, as this will only delay you getting through security, how do I know this, because stupid me forgot to take my shoes off so I went through the metal detector, it beeped, they searched me, took my shoes off and had to go through the detector again.

- be prepared to queue in security, even at Leeds & Bradford which is usually very quick, I had to queue for nearly 40 minutes, so bear this in mind when working out what the best time to arrive at the airport.

- all UK airports aren’t allowing taxi’s or cars to drop people off near the departure terminals, and will have to drop you off in the cark parks or near the airport, so be prepared for a walk.

July and August are the busiest times of the years, so expect delays, both checking in and going through security, be organised, keep your passport and flight tickets with you at all time, and check the airline and airport websites before travelling.

Yesterday, I was supposed to be going to the Twenty20 Yorkshire Vs Lancashire cricket match at headingley, but it was rained off. I’ve never seen it rain like that before, and it got me thinking this must be good news for travel companies offering holidays abroad.

With no distractions like the Football World Cup and wet weather in the UK, this will mean a sudden rush to the travel agents to pick up a last minute deal. Don’t let the thought of a cheap holiday make you loose your head though and book a holiday without researching the accommodation and destination.

No matter how good the deal is do you really want to have a nightmare holiday because the accommodation is poorly run or rundown? Worst still the holiday resort describes itself as offering excellent gym, swimming pool and facilities but really it has a rowing machine and paddling pool.

Make sure you visit sites like Trip Advisor, Holiday Watchdog, and ask questions on holiday forums like the Travel Supermarket travel forums and Yahoo Answers. Taking ten minutes to do a bit of research on the internet can save you from having a nightmare holiday experience.