Get a taste of first class travel - on an economy ticket

Economy travellers can now enjoy many of the perks associated with business class - at a fraction of the cost. From pay-per-use airport lounges, pre-booked priority lanes at security, and even gourmet meals that can be ordered by economy passengers, experts say these luxuries are proving more popular than ever.Gideon Hedley (pictured) chose to pay to use an airport lounge when he travelled to Turkey with his family from London Gatwick.

While you can't control the fact that it may have rained every day on your holiday, you can get your money back if your airline, train firm or ferry company let you down.

How to avoid monumental bills if if you are taken ill or injured abroad

For most holidaymakers, their break will be nothing but fun...but what happens if you fall ill or are injured while abroad? Here, LIZ PHILLIPS explains the steps you should take.

Every year, holidaymakers cancel around 450,000 overseas trips. But it is often impossible to get a refund, and sometimes the cancelled holidays go back on the market and are sold a second time.

Data from payment systems operator Epos Now covering retailers and hospitality firms across the UK - such as pubs and restaurants - show they were stocking up ahead of the long weekend.

One in ten, or 8 per cent of holidaymakers, said they could only afford to make the minimum payment on their credit card each month, according to comparison website Money.co.uk.

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British travellers woke up to the fact that their holidays in the sun this year have just shot up in price following the vote to leave the European Union.

The four great holiday rip-offs making foreign trips unaffordable for British families

Families are being hammered with a £250 holiday tax - plus a triple whammy of stealth fees. Taking a family of four to Spain means handing the taxman £133.20 - 30 per cent up on 2008. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is set halve air passenger duty between 2018 and 2021 in a bid to boost business. Tory MPs are privately putting pressure on Philip Hammond, the new Chancellor, to cut VAT in the autumn statement to provide a post-referendum shot-in-the arm to the economy. Last night, they went public with calls for air passenger duty to be cut.

Travellers purchasing foreign currency ahead of their trips are getting a lot less for their pounds than they were this time last year. Here's how you can secure the best deals possible.

Thousands of holidaymakers left in the lurch after website Lowcostholidays went bust last week could be facing up to the prospect of minimal compensation, the administrator has warned.

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Hundreds of thousands fear they have lost every penny of the cost of their trips after Lowcostholidays collapsed, while a coup attempt in Turkey has also worried many. So what can you do?

Leisure companies are already reporting an upsurge in business since the referendum. Searches for flights to the UK from EU countries shot up 31 per cent.

How car hire firms take you for a ride - sneaky rip-offs to watch out for

Ruth Lythe heads to Malaga to investigate the cash-grabbing world of car hire, where firms use every trick in the book to milk extra money from customers. From demanding extra excess insurance with threats of sky-high charges for damage if you don't take it, to charging in pounds over euros and identifying dubious damage on return, we reveal the tricks.

Leisure companies are already reporting an upsurge in business since the referendum. Searches for flights to the UK from EU countries shot up 31 per cent.

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From getting down and dirty bog snorkelling in rural Wales, to enjoying some fine dining in Rome, our brilliant guide will ensure your holiday goes off without a financial hitch.

Millions of holidaymakers who are set to travel to Europe for their holidays this year may be caught out by an expired EHIC card as we reveal that just over seven million cards are set to expire in 2016.

Amy and Marcus Gault from Cropredy, Oxfordshire, with children Dotty,13, and George, 11. For piece on rip off fees to change names on flights. Pictured with dog 'Turnip'.
For Money Mail.
Picture by Damien McFadden: 07968 308252.

When Amy Gault needed to change the name on a plane ticket, she expected to pay a small admin fee. However, Flybe tried to charge her £329 - more than double what she had paid for the flight.

Can you beat a Kindle? Six best e-readers to take on holiday this summer

It will soon be time to get ready for the summer holiday and to pack a few books to help you unwind while on the beach sipping cocktails. The problem is that when it comes to packing light to beat baggage restrictions, that pile of books adds up. We take a look at six of the best e-readers, including the Kindle's chief rivals.

Thomas Cook under-occupancy charges ate up half our £1,900 Florida villa discount

It was only after I had booked the Florida villa holiday with Thomas Cook that I was made aware that while the price quoted was what I would pay, it included an under-occupancy fee that I hadn't known about. When the booking confirmation came through, I had been charged six under-occupancy fees totalling £984. Is this fair?

Tiffany Brien pictured at Helens Bay beach after winning the Miss Northern Ireland competition...Picture by Mark McCormick..Mark McCormick..Tel +447917891331..marxphoto@gmail.com..www.markmccormickphotography.com..

The Mail on Sunday looks at the cost-cutting steps you can make - everything from buying foreign currency and airport parking, to even sending your bags ahead.

A general view of Phang Nga Bay at Ao Phang Nga Bay National Park, Krabi Province, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia.


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The sale of currencies such as the South African rand and the Thai baht have shot up by 20 per cent in the first three months of the year compared to the same time in 2015.

A thief with a love of loos, a neighbour armed with a blow torch and weather wild enough to take out a motor home - the oddest insurance claims that have prevented caravan owners from hitching up.

The world's local bank should hang its head in shame over the lousy rates it offers customers sending cash overseas. HSBC has been found to be the worst high street bank for forex transfers

Week in the Mediterranean sun gets more expensive for British tourists as pound dives

The pound has fallen to €1.24 yesterday, the lowest since June 2014, amid growing uncertainty in the run up to June's referendum over the UK's membership in the European Union. This means that having a meal, a drink or buying a tub of suncream in many European destinations has become more expensive for British holidaymakers, according to the Post Office Travel Money's latest holiday costs barometer.

If you - or your holiday - are not quite run of the mill, do not fret. It is possible to find affordable insurance for almost any trip. The Forbes were able to take their family away after help from Macmillan.

'I opened the Lloyds Premier Duo credit card around 18 months ago but haven't received any points for a year and now I can't save money on the flights I should be able to use my points for'

Sharm El Sheikh appears little more than a ghost town after attack on Russia airliner

The Egyptian resort on the Red Sea is still suffering after the downing of a Russian holiday jet. The number of tourists visiting last month has almost halved compared to the same time last year. A welcoming sign belies the reality of empty swimming pools and abandoned hotels. The UK Foreign Office is still advising against all but essential travel by air to Sharm El Sheikh airport. Travel firms including Thomas Cook have cancelled all bookings to the resort. The average number of nights tourists are spending in the country went down by 67.2 per cent in February this year compared to 2015, from 9.2 to 5.5.

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This is Money readers can sign up for a FREE FairFX card, accessing better exchange rates and dodging expensive bank charges abroad.

Money in a jar

Tourist rates updated daily, with predictions on where next for the pound. Cheap currency is also available.

Cheap days out: Use discounts and vouchers to cut the costs of keeping the kids amused this summer

British travel costs, accommodation and entertainment and can prove more expensive than going abroad. We show how to save money on home shores over the holidays.

Horrified: Richard and Elisse Anson with their daughter Emily

Richard and Elisse Anson were left bitterly disappointed by their recent summer holiday. Here we outline your rights - and how to get your money back.

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It is crucial to pack the best means of paying your way, plus an insurance policy that will cover you against potential disaster.

Dream wedding: Getting married abroad can cost much less than the average £20,000 wedding price tag

The average UK wedding carries a whopping £20,000 price tag. But savvy planners could cut a whopping £12,000 off the bill by moving their big day abroad.

Frozen card: The money, which in the case of car hire can be thousands, never actually leaves the card, but the holidaymaker cannot spend it for anything up to a month

The ring-fenced money, which in the case of car hire can be thousands, never actually leaves the card, but the holidaymaker cannot spend it for up to a month.

Passengers whose flight is heavily delayed or cancelled have the right to compensation under European law. We explain how.

Gap-year: This is Money has come up with some top tips to preparing your kids for their travels abroad.

The prospect of your teenager travelling the globe will naturally fill many parents with fear. Here's some top tips from This is Money to help avoid any gap-year disasters.

Despairing: After more than a year, the Spareys' only option is a small claims court

The Spareys, from Bideford, Devon, left at 5.47am the day after they were supposed to have travelled. They asked for compensation, but the airline refused.

Tourist rates

Currency Rate Buy now
Updated 14 Dec 2016.
Euro 1.1685 Buy Now
US Dollar 1.2344 Buy Now
Australian Dollar 1.6441 Buy Now
Canadian Dollar 1.6236 Buy Now
Chinese Yuan 8.3957 Buy Now
Croatian Kuna 8.6241 Buy Now
Czech Koruna 31.213 Buy Now
Danish Krone 8.5649 Buy Now
Egyptian Pound 16.27 Buy Now
Hong Kong Dollar 9.5519 Buy Now
Hungarian Forint 359.67 Buy Now
Icelandic Króna 131.03 Buy Now
Israeli New Shekel 4.5966 Buy Now
Japanese Yen 142.54 Buy Now
Malaysian Ringgit 6.2624 Buy Now
Mexican Peso 24.468 Buy Now
New Turkish Lire 4.2 Buy Now
New Zealand Dollar 1.7116 Buy Now
Norwegian Krone 10.341 Buy Now
Polish Zloty 5.08 Buy Now
Singapore Dollar 1.7573 Buy Now
South African Rand 16.787 Buy Now
Sterling 1.0 Buy Now
Swedish Krona 11.217 Buy Now
Swiss Franc 1.25 Buy Now
Thai Baht 43.421 Buy Now
UAE Dirham 4.5345 Buy Now

In the driving seat: Which? shares its advice to help you avoid unexpected charges when hiring a car abroad

Had a holiday nightmare and want help? Which? is offering readers free legal guidance. This week it helps readers hit with 'stealth' car hire charges.

ACGWYC Hotel in Rockingham Western Australia

Which? offering readers free legal guidance. These readers arrived on holiday to find their accommodation had been overbooked.

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Have you had a holiday nightmare and want free legal guidance from Which? It's offering readers free legal guidance, starting this week with Adrian Thompson, whose flight was delayed by 7 hours.

Battle: Belinda Smith, who went to Hydra, was shocked at the attitude of insurers

Belinda Smith, who went to Hydra, began her search for travel cover with optimism. But soon she was shocked and upset at the attitude of insurers.

Flight delays: Thomas Cook will give you cash compensation instead of vouchers, but you must specify your preference.

My family and I have been offered Thomas Cook vouchers as compensation for our flight delay. Do I have to accept therm or can I ask for cash instead?

Refund: East Coast tried to refund our reader with vouchers instead of cash.

The return journey of my London-Edinburgh train ride was so delayed that I was entitled to a full refund from East Coast Trains. They sent the refund in vouchers.