Young Children? Some money saving ideas

If your children are young, they won't care so much about where they go as long as there are things to play with. Try visiting one of the many beaches in Florida rather than opting for an expensive Caribbean cruise!

Or, if you have older children, why not check out the options for campsites, or even a cheap bed and breakfast or hotel in a city close to lots of shops and attractions? If you look around, there's no shortage of places to go and things to do nearby.

However, if it's a holiday abroad that you want you might want to consider looking into a house swap. This means trading homes with a family from another country - you stay in their home and sample the delights of hot weather in a different country; they stay in your home and sample…well, rain and snow.

The nice thing is that it's still a change from the norm, and house-swapping holidays are more and more popular in the days of increasing holiday prices. All it costs is the airfare and spending money, the accommodation is taken care of.

I agree that house swapping is not for everyone; some people either don't want to, or can't, offer their home up for a swap. If that's the case, all is not lost. Youth hostels, which were once thought of as run-down, "10 strangers to a room" hovels, are actually a clean, affordable way to have a holiday without compromising on privacy - most hostels offer private or family rooms. Youth hostels are found throughout the world, so the internet is invaluable if you think you might like this option.

Inexpensive hotels such as Formule 1, Travelodge, etc have outlets all over the world are much cheaper than most independent hotels.