Despite fuel prices and living costs rising, holidays don’t have to cost a fortune

As fuel prices have climbed amid the conflict with Iran, airfares have followed. Meanwhile, with more people facing a cost of living crisis, the rates for hotels, experiences and even airport sandwiches seemingly creep up every time you look. This means that for many the idea of travelling in 2026 feels like a luxury the budget may not stretch to accommodate.

So we ask four travel and finance experts for their best advice on making your money go further this year, without sacrificing your trips.

Set a total budget before you book anything

The single most important step happens before you book anything. “Research consistently shows that people spend more when they commit to a purchase first and calculate later,” says personal finance coach Carol Glynn. “Booking flights before setting a full trip budget is one of the biggest drivers of overspending.”

Before confirming anything, she advises calculating a realistic total: flights, accommodation, insurance, transfers, food, experiences, shopping and a 10 per cent to 15 per cent buffer. “That buffer is important,” she adds. “Unexpected opportunities are part of travel, but planning for them stops them becoming debt.”

Open a dedicated travel fund – then start filling it

Once you have a budget, the goal is to save for the trip in advance rather than paying it off afterwards. “The most effective way to reduce the cost of travel is to remove interest from the equation,” says Glynn.

“As soon as you return from a trip, calculate what you actually spent. If you’d like to travel in a similar manner again, start saving immediately in a separate account.”

Automate a monthly transfer into a dedicated fund, ideally one that earns interest, because carrying a credit card balance at typical rates – often 35 per cent to 46 per cent annually – can make a holiday 20 per cent to 30 per cent more expensive over time.

Book smart

Dubai travel agent Ipshita Sharma urges travellers not to fixate on the headline price of a flight. “Book early, but don’t just grab the cheapest flight and pray. Right now, with route changes, delays and random price hikes, it’s worth checking layovers, baggage and how chaotic a route actually is.”

Oman travel specialist Sabine Reining adds that the standard round trip isn’t always the best-value option. “Open-jaw tickets and smart one-way combinations can unlock surprisingly good fares,” she says. “Departing midweek – especially on a Tuesday or Wednesday – also often comes with noticeably lower fares.”

Stay informed, but don’t panic-book

With so much noise around travel disruption, the temptation is to lock everything in immediately. Sharma says: “Don’t let scary headlines bully you into panic-booking. Prices can spike, but they also change fast. Sometimes waiting a little and watching trends saves more than stress-booking.”

That said, staying informed matters. If you’re going to spend more on any part of the trip, it should be to build flexibility into your itinerary. This can save you a lot of money in the long run if things go awry, says Reining, as “delays, rerouted flights and short-notice cancellations are more common than usual right now”.

She also advises registering with your embassy’s travel notification system. “It makes communication much easier in case of sudden disruptions or evacuations.”

Sort visas, insurance and paperwork early on

Admin may be the least glamorous part of travel planning, but leaving it until late is expensive. “Sort your visa early,” says Sharma. “Nothing hurts quite like paying extra because you left it too late, or realising your ‘cheap’ flight has a transit visa surprise.”

Insurance deserves equal attention. Reining warns that many travellers underestimate what their policy actually covers. “Make sure your travel insurance covers political unrest, medical emergencies and unexpected trip interruptions – many standard policies don’t.”

Your credit card may already include travel insurance as a benefit, saving you the cost of buying it separately. So check before purchasing any expensive insurance policies.

Use credit cards strategically – then pay them off in full

A well-chosen credit card can offset genuine travel costs, but only when managed correctly. Glynn recommends looking for cards with air miles or travel reward programmes, cashback on overseas spending, no foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access. “This benefit not only provides comfort at the airport, but also saves in costs as the food is free in the lounge.”

Interest wipes out rewards quickly, though, she warns. “If you carry a balance for even a few months, the value of the points is often overwritten by the interest charged.”

She also suggests reducing your credit card limit before departure. “Behavioural finance research shows that people spend more when their available credit is higher. Reducing your credit card limit before travelling creates a natural spending cap.”

When using air miles and points earned via credit cards, travel industry data consistently shows better redemption value on big-ticket items such as flights, hotel stays and long-haul upgrades, adds Glynn. “Lower-value redemptions, like gift cards or merchandise, often give reduced return per point. Think strategically. Use points to eliminate large expenses, not small treats.”

Plan ahead and pay in instalments

For bigger trips, travel content creator Yvonne Mtengwa swears by organising well in advance. “My favourite hack is to plan several months ahead. A lot of travellers don’t know that most hotels allow you to make payments for your stay and activities via instalments, with last payment due 30 to 60 days before travel.”

Having a plan for your time also prevents impulse spending on the ground, she adds. “Adequate research and assistance with activity bookings at your destination helps you stick to a plan. We end up spending money unnecessarily if we don’t have a hit list already in place for things to see and do.”

Be flexible about where you sleep

A hotel isn’t the only option – and often not the best-value one. “With the rise of Airbnb and private home rentals, you can save on your stay while enjoying bigger, often more aesthetically pleasing spaces than a traditional hotel room,” says Mtengwa.

For hotel stays, Reining says: “If you’re staying more than a few nights, always ask about weekly rates. Many hotels offer discounts that aren’t advertised online.”

For those open to something different, she suggests swapping a night in a hotel for one under the stars by camping. “It’s cheaper – and far more memorable.”

Cut daily costs on the ground

Some of the most effective savings happen not before the trip, but during it. Reining’s first stop in any new destination is the supermarket. “Water, snacks, and breakfast basics from there can easily cut your daily food costs in half,” she says.

She also steers clear of restaurants on famous squares. “Ask locals where they eat. The spots away from the mainstream are often cheaper, more authentic and way more delicious.”

Sharma has a similar take on souvenirs. “Don’t buy your souvenirs right next to the biggest tourist attraction. Walk a little, explore a bit and you’ll usually find better prices, better stuff and a much better story.”

Or do what Mtengwa suggests and “avoid shopping” altogether. “It’s only going to cost you more in extra luggage to ferry your items back home.”

Another way to cut costs on the ground is by researching discount options ahead of time, says Glynn. “Are there offers like Groupon or The Entertainer-type companies operating in the country you are travelling to? Do your research and utilise these offers on food, drinks, activities and even accommodation.”

Spend for meaning, not for the feed

“Research shows that comparison increases discretionary spending,” says Glynn. “Ask yourself: ‘What would make this trip genuinely meaningful for me?’”

When spending reflects personal values rather than the pressure to post something impressive, the total cost tends to fall – and the satisfaction tends to rise.

Avoid the ‘holiday upgrade effect’

Behavioural economists call this “present bias”, says Glynn, “when we prioritise immediate pleasure over future consequences”. For example, a slightly better hotel, a premium flight, an extra excursion.

“Each decision feels small, but combined they can inflate the cost significantly. If those upgrades are funded through credit, the cost rises further with interest added.”

Decide in advance what matters most to you and allocate your budget there deliberately, she adds.

As Glynn puts it, the biggest travel savings in 2026 “rarely come from cutting the trip short; they come from preventing credit card interest, reducing hidden fees and making conscious decisions before and during the experience.” That, more than any flight deal, is where the money is.

The pastel houses of Portofino climb up from a working fishing harbor in Italy’s Ligurian northwest. The whitewashed conical-roofed trulli of Alberobello fill an entire hillside town in Apulia at the heel of the country. Castelmezzano hangs from a sheer rock face in the Lucanian Dolomites. Each of the nine towns ahead has built something distinct over centuries (a harbor, a fortress, a settlement of stone huts, an Olympic ski village) and each carries genuine local hospitality without the headline-city crowds of Rome, Venice, or Florence.

Portofino

Portofino’s tight working harbor opens onto the Piazzetta, a cobbled square ringed by pastel facades that stack up the hillside above the water. The town counts roughly 400 year-round residents and almost no through traffic. Roman legionaries built the original fishing settlement here as a stop along the Ligurian coastline. The town then passed between Genoa, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Republic of Genoa before falling into its present role as an upscale yachting harbor.

Above the Piazzetta, the medieval Church of San Martino and Castello Brown anchor the headland. Castello Brown started as a 16th-century Genoese fortress, then served as a private home from 1867 under the British consul Montague Yeats-Brown, who gave the fortress its present name and its current museum exhibits. The Faro di Portofino lighthouse sits at the headland’s tip on a 20-minute coastal walk past the Church of San Giorgio, where local tradition holds that relics of Saint George are interred. Baia Cannone and Paraggi Bay handle the cove diving and snorkeling about a mile and half east, along the protected coastline of the Portofino Natural Regional Park.

Alberobello

Roughly an hour south of the port of Bari, Alberobello holds about 1,500 of the conical-roofed dry-stone huts called trulli. The technique itself reaches back to prehistoric Apulian pastoral building, but the trulli that fill Alberobello date mainly to the 17th and 18th centuries. Tradition credits the Counts of Conversano with encouraging the dry-stone method (and the roof tiles that locked together without mortar) so peasants could quickly dismantle the roofs whenever royal tax inspectors arrived and avoid the property taxes that the count would otherwise have owed on permanent structures.

The Rione Monti district alone holds about a thousand of the structures, with the smaller Aia Piccola district preserving a quieter cluster. The town’s UNESCO World Heritage listing covers both districts in full. The Chiesa di Sant’Antonio at the top of Rione Monti is itself a trullo, built in 1927 with the conical roof rising 21 meters above the floor. The Trullo Sovrano, the only two-story trullo in the town, runs as a small museum showing the layout of an 18th-century trullo household. Locals serve the Apulian standards (orecchiette pasta, burrata, focaccia barese) at restaurants along Via Monte San Michele and the surrounding streets.

Castelmezzano

The jagged Lucanian Dolomites form the backdrop to Castelmezzano, a hill town clinging to the rock face at about 750 meters above sea level. About 750 people live in the village proper. The Volo dell’Angelo (Flight of the Angel) zip line connects Castelmezzano to its near-twin village Pietrapertosa, running 1,415 meters across the Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Natural Park at speeds approaching 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour). The riders hang prone in a harness and travel along a single steel cable strung between the two peaks.

The Path of the Seven Stones traces an old peasant footpath between the villages with interpretive markers covering the local Lucanian folklore that the writer Mimmo Sammartino set down. The 13th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Olmo anchors the historic center, with the original Norman castle walls climbing the rock above the town. The town reads best at dusk when the houses glow orange against the gray Dolomite spires behind them.

Pietrapertosa

Pietrapertosa shares the Lucanian Dolomites with Castelmezzano, 25 minutes by road or two minutes by zip line. At 1,088 meters above sea level, it is the highest village in the Basilicata region. The Arabata quarter at the top of the village preserves the layout of the original Saracen settlement, with the ruins of a bell tower, an old fortress, and a Norman castle carved directly into the bare rock face. The Norman castle itself sits at the highest point of the town, with a section of its outer wall built from a hollowed-out boulder.

The other end of the Volo dell’Angelo zip line runs from here back to Castelmezzano. The Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Natural Park surrounds both villages and runs marked hiking trails as well as via ferrata routes along the rock spires. Local restaurants serve the Lucanian standards (peperoni cruschi, lagane e ceci, fresh lamb dishes) at small family-run trattorie along the narrow village streets.

Cortina d’Ampezzo

About two hours north of Venice, Cortina d’Ampezzo sits at 1,224 meters above sea level inside the Ampezzo Valley, ringed by the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomite peaks of Tofana, Cristallo, and Sorapis. The town hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and co-hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside Milan in February. The Dolomiti Superski area connects 12 ski resorts and over 1,200 kilometers of pistes accessed directly from Cortina’s lift system.

The 1956 Games left an architectural footprint that includes the Olympic Ice Stadium (rebuilt for 2026), the Eugenio Monti bobsled run, and the disused Trampolino Italia ski jump, abandoned in 1990 after the Italian Federation withdrew support. The Open-Air Museum of the World War I covers nearby battle sites including the war tunnels at Lagazuoi, the trenches of the Cinque Torri, and the restored fort at Valparola. Local Ampezzan dishes (canederli dumplings, casunziei ravioli stuffed with red beetroot, Tirol-influenced cured meats) reflect the town’s century under Austrian rule before Italian unification in 1918.

Bosa

Bosa sits on the banks of the Temo, the only navigable river on Sardinia, on the west coast about an hour north of Oristano. The Castello Malaspina on Serravalle Hill was built starting in 1112 by the Tuscan Malaspina family and held the local seat through the medieval period. The castle chapel preserves a rare cycle of 14th-century frescoes that show stylistic links to Catalan and southern French painting of the period.

The Sas Conzas district along the river holds the ruins of 19th-century leather tanneries that marked Bosa’s role as a major leather-export center to Genoa and Naples during the same period. The houses along the Sa Costa quarter climb the hillside in tightly packed pastel facades. The Cattedrale dell’Immacolata Concezione anchors the lower town. Bosa Marina sits about two kilometers west and runs as a quiet beach village at the river mouth. The Malvasia di Bosa, a sweet fortified wine produced under DOC since 1972 from grapes grown on the surrounding hills, marks the local table-wine tradition.

Civita di Bagnoregio

Civita di Bagnoregio sits on an eroding tufa pinnacle in northern Lazio, reached only by a 300-meter pedestrian footbridge from its sister town of Bagnoregio. The current footbridge was built in 1965 to replace the original donkey path, which collapsed in landslides during the 1920s. Only around a dozen people live in the town year-round, though that number swells to several hundred during the summer tourist season. Civita earned the nickname la città che muore (the dying city) because the pinnacle itself is actively eroding, with the surrounding cliff face losing material to landslides every few years.

The main gate, Porta Santa Maria, was cut through the tufa by the Etruscans around 2,500 years ago, with the surviving Romanesque arch above it dating to the 12th century. Across the Middle Ages the town passed through the hands of the Roman Empire, the Goths, the Lombards, and the Frankish empire under Charlemagne before settling under the Papacy. The town was the birthplace of Saint Bonaventure (born Giovanni di Fidanza around 1217), the Franciscan scholar who served as Minister General of the Franciscan order from 1257 until his death in 1274. The Church of San Donato in the main square sits on the site of an Etruscan temple repurposed as a Christian church in the 7th century.

Staiti

Staiti perches on the side of Rocca Giambatore above the Bruzzano stream in southern Calabria, with about 220 residents recorded in the most recent census. The village preserves a Byzantine and Italo-Greek cultural heritage that has largely disappeared from the rest of southern Italy. Italo-Greek monks settled here during the iconoclastic controversies of the 8th and 9th centuries, fleeing Byzantine imperial persecution of icon veneration.

The Museum of Italo-Greek Saints of Staiti covers the area’s Eastern Orthodox traditions and runs a small permanent collection of Byzantine artifacts. The Sentiero delle Chiese Bizantine (Path of the Byzantine Churches) connects the surviving Byzantine sites across the Calabrian interior, with bas-reliefs marking the most important. Three churches anchor the village. The Chiesa di Sant’Anna and Santa Maria della Vittoria date to the medieval period. Santa Maria dei Tridetti, an 11th-century Italo-Byzantine church about two kilometers outside the village, stands on the foundations of a much older temple that the original Locrian Greek inhabitants dedicated to Poseidon. Staiti sits inside the Aspromonte National Park, which opens up the high country to the north.

Roccascalegna

Roughly three hours east of Rome in the Abruzzo region, Roccascalegna is anchored by the Castello Medioevale di Roccascalegna, a fortress that rises more than 100 meters above the surrounding Sangro Valley on a vertical limestone outcrop. The Lombards built the original fortification in the 6th or 7th century to hold off Byzantine incursions during the early medieval period. The structure was later expanded under Norman rule, then reinforced again under the Aragonese in the 15th century. A 1985 restoration opened the fortress to public visits.

Local legend ties the castle to Baron Corvo de Corvis, who supposedly exercised jus primae noctis (the right of the lord’s first night with newly married peasant brides) in the 17th century. The handprint on the upper tower window ledge is said to be his bloody mark after a newly married bride dressed as her husband and stabbed him to death on her wedding night. The story is almost certainly a 19th-century fabrication but it brings visitors. The Maiella National Park sits about an hour west and covers much of central Abruzzo’s biodiversity, including small populations of Apennine wolves and Marsican brown bears.

What These Nine Have In Common

The nine towns span at least seven Italian regions including Liguria, Apulia, Basilicata, Veneto, Sardinia, Lazio, Calabria, and Abruzzo. None of them sits on the main tourist circuit, which is precisely the point. The Lucanian villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa share a Saracen-and-Norman past and a zip line. Civita di Bagnoregio and Staiti both run on a population of fewer than 250 year-round residents. Cortina d’Ampezzo holds an Olympic legacy from 1956 and the 2026 Games, while Bosa preserves a rare medieval river-port economy on Sardinia. Each rewards an unhurried visit with food, architecture, and a slower pace than the headline cities offer.

Discover 5 incredible places around the world where travellers can experience four seasons in a single day, from snowy mountains to sunny coastlines and sudden rain showers.

From sunshine and snowfall to mist and rain, these breathtaking destinations are famous for weather that changes dramatically within hours.

Queenstown’s alpine setting often shifts from bright sunshine to rain, mist, and snowfall within hours.

Iceland’s unpredictable climate makes sudden weather changes a part of daily life, especially around Reykjavik.

In Ladakh, clear blue skies can quickly give way to snowfall, chilly winds, and dramatic cloud cover.

Surrounded by the Alps, Interlaken is known for rapid weather shifts that can feel like multiple seasons in a day.

Denver’s location near the Rockies creates dramatic swings between sunshine, storms, and chilly mountain weather.

Landing at a remote Himalayan airstrip is the first real step in any journey towards Mount Everest.

Reaching Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, is not a typical travel experience. There are no direct roads or large international airports that take you straight to the mountains. Instead, most journeys begin with a dramatic flight into a small airstrip tucked deep within the Himalayas, surrounded by towering peaks and unpredictable weather. This airport has long been associated with Everest expeditions and trekking routes. For many travellers, landing here is not just about reaching a destination; it marks the beginning of one of the most iconic adventures in the world.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport Is The Closest Airport To Mount Everest

Located in the town of Lukla in Nepal, Tenzing-Hillary Airport is the closest airport to Mount Everest. It was earlier known as Lukla Airport and was officially renamed in 2008 to honour Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Everest in 1953. The airport sits at an altitude of around 2,860 metres and serves as the main gateway for trekkers and climbers heading towards the Everest region.

Why This Airport Is So Famous Among Travellers

Tenzing-Hillary Airport is known not only for its proximity to Everest, but also for its challenging runway and high-altitude setting.

Some reasons why it stands out include:

• A short runway built on a steep incline
• Surrounded by mountains and deep valleys
• Considered one of the world’s most thrilling airport landings
• Serves as the starting point for most Everest treks

The terrain and weather conditions make flight schedules highly unpredictable, adding to its reputation.

How Travellers Reach Mount Everest From Lukla

After landing in Lukla, travellers continue towards the Everest region on foot, as there are no direct roads to Everest Base Camp.

Popular trekking routes from Lukla include:

• Everest Base Camp Trek
• Gokyo Lakes Trek
• Three Passes Trek

Trekkers usually spend several days acclimatising while passing through mountain villages like Namche Bazaar and Tengboche.

What Makes The Journey So Popular

For many travellers, the experience goes far beyond reaching the mountain itself. The journey from Lukla is considered a highlight in its own right.

Visitors are drawn to:

• Panoramic Himalayan views
• Suspension bridges and scenic trails
• Sherpa culture and monasteries
• Trekking through Sagarmatha National Park

It combines adventure, culture and natural beauty in one unforgettable route.

Best Time To Visit The Everest Region

The most popular seasons for trekking are:

• March to May (spring)
• September to November (autumn)

These months typically offer clearer skies and more stable conditions. Monsoon and winter months may lead to flight delays and harsher weather.

Important Things Travellers Should Know

Before planning the trip, travellers should keep a few practical points in mind:

• Flights are often delayed due to changing weather conditions
• Proper acclimatisation is necessary because of high altitude
• Travel insurance covering trekking and evacuation is recommended
• Physical preparation is important for longer treks

For most travellers heading towards Mount Everest, Tenzing-Hillary Airport is more than just an arrival point, it serves as the key entry into one of the world’s most iconic trekking experiences.