17 March 2023 , 11:47
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There are plenty of cheap holidays to be found for Brits - but sometimes although your hotel and flight are budget, the extra costs of meals, attractions and transport add up.
Luckily, new research has unveiled Europe's best destinations where it's cheap once you're out there, including France, Poland, Croatia and Albania.
They're not always the cheapest when it comes to flights, but if you're not going all-inclusive, overall they can help you stretch your budget a little further.
For example the research by travel money card Wise found that a flight to Albania is typically 45% more than a flight to Spain, but when you touch down, Albania is 87% cheaper. Meanwhile a meal out is 65% less and the price of a beer is around a third cheaper.
If you tot up all the requirements for a week away - including food, alcohol, flights and accommodation - two people can spend a week in Albania for £1,159 in total.
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The biggest budget destination that research looked at was Montenegro, where the same package can be hoovered up, during the height of summer, for £907.
A holiday to Albania can be a lot cheaper than a comparative trip to Spain or Italy, despite the flights costing more (Getty Images)That is half as much as a holiday for two in August in Italy, which will cost £1,814 on average.
Spain, which is the hottest hotspot among Brits with 13 million people visiting last summer, costs £1,719 on average, while a trip to France will set two people back £1,633.
While there are ample cheap flights to be bagged to destinations across Italy, Spain and France, Montenegro will cost £250 for two return tickets on average.
Despite this higher cost, a break there is far cheaper than any of the bigger hitting European destinations.
Nicky Kelvin, travel expert from The Points Guy UK, said holidaymakers on the hunt for a big deal should start looking at the less traditional destinations if they want a bargain.
"I think people will always be tied to the traditional holiday destinations, people can be tied to a specific hotel and resort," he told The Mirror.
A holiday in Spain may not be as cheap as the flights may at first suggest (Getty Images)"There will always be a place for that. But people are becoming more adventurous, it's becoming easier with Google and Instagram to dive in (to a place) and go with your eyes wide open.
"There's the ability to prepare. Right now with the cost of living crisis people are trying to squeeze every penny.
"Research shows 74% of brits are still planning to go on holiday and 50% want to try somewhere new."
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Nicky warned against opting for a place simply because the currency is weak relative to the British pound, as that doesn't necessarily mean things will be cheaper once you're there.
"Currency wise, Turkey has always been a cheaper destination, but the most popular destinations in Turkey are still where there is big money going, the high end resorts," he said.
"(Deal finders) will still be looking outside the traditional resorts. Bodrum will be as expensive as before the exchange rate fell."
Turkey trips aren't necessarily a bargain just because the currency is in a pickle (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Cheapest places for a week-long holiday in August for two:
- Romania: £874
- Poland: £897
- Montenegro: £907
- Latvia: £917
- Hungary: £1,016
- Bulgaria: £1,023
- Slovakia: £1,024
- Czechia: £1,037
- North Macedonia: £1,039
- Andorra: £1,077
- Albania: £1,159
- Estonia: £1,177
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: £1,268
- Slovenia: £1,290
- Croatia: £1,382
- France: £1,633
- Greece: £1,688
- Spain: £1,719
- Cyprus: £1,729
- Italy: £1,814
You can find out more on wise.com.