Bargain Prices Abroad - The Destinations For The Cheapest Beer, Meals And Holiday Souvenirs

For UK residents non-European destinations tend to be cheaper once you get there. Destinations such as: Goa, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Morocco, Gambia, and Cuba usually surprise the tourist with the low cost of living. For example, with the plentiful fresh seafood available in Goa, India, you can easily eat giant garlic prawns washed down with a chilled local beer every night and make a saving from your eating expenses at home! However, in contrast, if you are enjoying the delights of Iceland it may well become a stressful time in the evenings as you peruse the restaurants and discover the high prices on the menu. Even fast food options are around 2-3 times the price at home! Beer Prices Popular places to visit for Stag and Hen nights, such as Amsterdam and Ireland, are now being beaten on prices by Eastern Europe destinations, like Prague. Familiar beers like Guiness are around Euro 4.00 in Dublin, whereas in Bulgaria you can drink a pint of beer for under £1 and enjoy a bottle of wine for around £2 . In France, on average, prices are over 30% cheaper for canned beer and 35% for bottled beer than in the UK. Spain and Portugal also have very reasonably priced local beer and wine. However, to make the best savings you need to travel further, in Goa a pint of beer costs just 50p! Your pint in Florida costs more, around £3 and in Iceland will cost about £6. Meal Prices Again, out of Europe the prices are very reasonable with an average meal in Tunisia costing only about £4, £3.50 in Goa, a three-course feast in Morocco costing around £10 and in Cuba you would expect to pay around £13. Eastern Europe also offers bargain bites with a three-course meal on average costing only about £9 ( with a bottle of wine!) Spain, Greece and Portugal tend to fall between £9 -£13 for a reasonable feed. There s also the bonus of eating in the sunshine al fresco too, a nice change from the UK where we struggle to find decent enough weather for a summer barbeque. Iceland and Venice are destinations that tend to require a holiday loan to eat and drink! Shopping Bargains The markets in Africa are full of bargains, as long as you are prepared to haggle - start with an offer half the asking price and you ll be surprised how much you can save. Eastern Europe has great bargains to be had especially in antiques and lace work. The carpets and rugs in Turkey are a bargain buy (choose a hand-woven or knotted) - the best value is to be found at the outlying villages, rather than the main tourist areas. The US is a brilliant place to buy designer jeans and trainers, but bottled water is 3 times more expensive than in other countries. Part of the fun of a holiday is discovering the local culture - enjoying the local cuisine and experiencing the arts and crafts. These days there is much more to discover than a straw donkey, sombrero or plastic eiffel tower! Fiona Howard specializes in writing for the financial and business market, and is a well-respected city analyst. She currently advises Loansite the leading UK online site for finding a fast Secured Loan or Mortgage and a valued source of financial information, including Holiday Money Tips .