As soaring prices make it harder for families, or indeed anyone, to enjoy a holiday abroad, Mirror writer Jackie Annett shares her experience of trying a family home swap holiday, where she saved thousands by using Home Exchange to arrange her holiday. Prices soared after the pandemic closed destinations for months during lockdown and are still yet to return to pre-pandemic costs. Last year, travel expert Paul Charles said: “ Prices are rising by an average of 10 per cent for hotels , airfares and tour operator holidays yet we are still splurging, mostly to get away from bad weather .
“The bulk of us booking will still be paying much more in 2024 than we did in 2023, due to higher costs and price rises put through by travel firms.” Families hoping to travel during half-term or the summer holidays find that travel and accommodation can cost up to 20 times more during those weeks, making it an impossible luxury for many of us. And parents trying to avoid those costs face a fine of £60 per parent for each child if they take them out of school for a holiday.
This rises to £160 after 21 days, and then after 28 days parents can be taken to court. These figures will rise to £80 and £160 from August. So while home swapping isn't a new phenomenon, it's become more attractive to many of us as we search for cheaper options to enjoy a week abroad.
Daily Mirror features writer Jackie Annett travelled to Croatia - and ended up with a luxury villa after spending £488 on return fl.