T he value of the pound slid recently to its lowest level in 14 months, the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland is rumbling and President Trump has completed the first week of his second four-year term. Hays Travel and Barrhead Travel have reported record-breaking sales for summer holidays and the adventure operator Incredible Journeys says that bookings on its best day this month were 34 per cent higher than its busiest day last January.
This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue. I compared the costs of 50 holidays in 12 European countries with the prices charged for the same trips this year.
The sample comprised a mix of beach, villa, cruise and activity holidays. Not all holidays, however, have seen such minimal rises. Eleven of those I checked had price rises of 14 per cent or more. The standouts included a short break in Portugal with British Airways BA that was up 50 per cent, an activity holiday in Greece up by 55 per cent and a luxury villa in Portugal that had gone up by 44 per cent, suggesting that some operators have either got a bad deal from their suppliers or have simply hiked the prices.
The takeaway: shop around. Recent history tells us that Italy and Croatia are expensive, Portugal, Spain and Turkey are cheap and Greece is somewhere in between. But is that still true? Dalyan is a citrus-farming town 20 miles northwest of Dalaman airport, on the river joining Lake Koycegiz to the sea. The lost city of Kaunos and its Petra-like rock tombs are on the opposite bank, and a ferry costing pennies takes you to the beach restaurants and vast sands of Iztuzu beach.
The four-star Dalyan Resort Spa Hotel is on the river bank. Turkey is the reigning king of the all-inclusive deal but is struggling with inflation nudging 50 per cent. In November room rates had increased by 60 per cent from the same month in but operational costs were up 84 per cent, making further price rises inevitable. However, for at least, Turkey is hanging on to its crown. In terms of value, deals, budgeting and getting the choice of rooms and flights, January is still the best time to book.
