How do you reduce the cost of your vacation in an era of inflation, high prices and energy? Advice from Fanny Ginochet.
franceinfo: This year, it is difficult for me to take the vacations we used to take.. How can we reduce the expenses on this item?
Fanny Ginochet: The first thing is to choose the destination. A vacation in the country is less expensive in the summer than a vacation by the sea, so look for less popular vacation spots. So what’s weighing down the vacation budget is accommodations. If you can go to friends or family, the solution is to rent: leaving with several people can cut costs.
Look at Abritel, gîtes de France, there are interesting formulas. You can also offer your services for animal husbandry, doing odd jobs when there are no owners, whether at home or taking care of pets. With nomador.com, which is a bit like a sit-at-home airbnb, or even Départtranquille.com.
We also talked about it in a previous column, but you can also trade in your apartment or house.
To reduce transportation costs as well, are there any tips?
Yes, the best thing now is to avoid car and fuel costs. If you can’t do otherwise, look up the road in search of the cheapest gas stations near your vacation spot. With the site created by the government, for example, prix-carburants.gouv.fr that gives you points of sale where gasoline is most useful.
Carpool, and if you have a seat left in your car, offer it. The leading site in France is blablacar. And if you can take the train or public transportation, try to book in advance. For coaches, it’s flixbus, Ouibus. Please note that TVGs to summer destinations are filling up quickly, even if SNCF announces that it has offered additional places this weekend.
Sometimes it is worth getting a debit card. Also, do not forget that if you are an employee, craftsman or home worker, you are entitled, under certain conditions, to a “paid vacation ticket” that gives you a 25% discount. Find out more on the SNCF website.
Sometimes employers help…
There are holiday vouchers, ask for them. Municipalities can also sometimes lend a helping hand to families, and family benefit funds, which can give mobility aids to very humble people with children.
Finally, scholarship students or interns under the age of 25, who declare taxes less than 17,000 euros, can turn to the National Agency for holiday vouchers and receive assistance in the amount of 250 euros. Find out more at service-public.fr.