9 top tips to make your holiday £££ go further

Most of our trips include breakfast each day, but many include additional meals too. Some of our treks, such as Toubkal Long Weekend and the Inca Trail Trek, have several meals included - as well as boat trips like our Maldive Dhoni Cruise. On trips like these, there are often no alternative meal options. Where there are, we like to give travellers the choice. However, often we’ll discover a restaurant or eatery that really adds to the experience of a destination – and then we just have to include a lunch or a dinner! Have dinner with a local family just outside Tirapsol on our Moldova Short Break, or join the locals for breakfast in a souk in Lebanon.

If you choose a destination where the pound is performing well against the local currency, there are real bargains to be had. We continuously monitor exchange rates, and regularly amend our prices accordingly. Keep an eye on our Discounted Trips page, which highlights our weekly price drops. Don’t wait till the airport to get your holiday cash. If you’re savvy, you can save £££ by changing your money when the pound is strongest, even if that’s several weeks or months ahead of your trip.

If you’re travelling solo on one of our small group trips, we’ll never charge you a supplement if you’re happy to share with another solo traveller of the same sex. Otherwise, keep an eye out for trips with low single supplements, where it can cost from as little as £55 extra to have your own room for the whole trip. If you’re considering travelling solo on an Explore trip for the first time, read our answers to the most-asked questions.

If you’re planning to bring back souvenirs from your holiday, avoid department stores and airport souvenir shops and instead visit markets and stores where the locals are doing their shopping. Be prepared to haggle, but within reason – an additional dollar or two might not be much to you, but can make a big difference to the vendor.