Brits encouraged to book long winter sun holidays to beat soaring energy bills

UK tour operator launches ‘The Heat is On’ campaign aimed at Britons worried about winter bills

Could getting away to a beach help with living costs? (Getty Images)

As the cost of living crisis bites and energy bills begin to surge, one UK travel agency is encouraging Britons to get away on a long winter sun holiday to beat rising costs.

The independent TravelTime World agency in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire unveiled a new campaign called “The Heat is On”, which aims to show people worried about winter’s living costs how comparatively cheap staying abroad can be.

As part of the campaign, the agency is highlighting costs-per-day in sun destinations such as Malta, Portugal, Thailand and Florida, as well as offering advice about travel admin such as visas and Covid requirements.

“After staying at home during the two years of the pandemic, as we head into the winter the country faces another challenge, that of an energy crisis. The cost of electricity and gas is expected to rise six fold, with bills expected to climb to over £6,000 per household by next spring (around £500 per month),” says the travel firm.

“When it’s warmer abroad during the winter, why not take advantage of that, and possibly even lower your cost of living by living abroad for part of the year?”

Ashley Quint, travel agent at TravelTime World, told The Independent: “One of our colleagues has a smart meter that is showing £10 a day at the moment, and she lives on her own. There are some places in Europe you can go and it costs you £20 a day, if you know the right places to go.”

He says many clients are looking for “places that are warm during the day but not necessarily long-haul. Spain, Portugal, Malta - the Canaries are a little bit more expensive as it’s peak season there.

“Further away, Thailand and Malaysia are particularly good. You can stay somewhere reasonable for £15 a night in Thailand.”

Of the expensive flights required to get to southeast Asia, Mr Quint says: “But you average that flight out over a longer period, if you’re going for a month or more. You can go out to Thailand for up to two months, visa-free.”

He says that long-stay holidays will appeal most to retired people, but also remote workers and those who can work flexibly. He points to two clients who have taken a sabbatical to travel around South America over winter 2022 with their two children.

While travel to winter sun destinations can be a large outlay, the average cost of living on the ground can be far preferable to the UK’s.

Research published in January by money exchange firm Clear Currency showed that the average total spend per month on living costs such as household services, food shopping and fuel in Costa Rica was £203.10, while in Malta it was £227.86 and in Mexico it was £277.56.

The living cost average was based on spend on living essentials after rent or mortgage. In the same study, the UK came out as second most expensive, with a total monthly average spend of £485.97.

On Friday, research by online travel agent Travel Republic showed that the majority of Brits still plan to go on holiday during the next year, despite 92 per cent of respondents saying they harboured anxiety about the UK’s economic situation.

Over two thirds of those surveyed (68 per cent) stated they still plan to head for the sun in the foreseeable future, with many saying they planned to spend less on that trip. Just 10 per cent have no plans to travel in the next year due to concerns about household bills.

The chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, Julia Lo Bue-Said, agreed with the sentiment on Twitter.

Last week, she wrote: “With energy prices rocketing working from home during the winter may not be as appealing, but I’m convinced for those that can, there’s a market for packing up with laptop to warmer climes to save money!”