HOW TO REALLY GET A SUN 9.50 HOLIDAY FOR CHEAP
Okay.. so we like to Couch Surf (www.couchsurfing.org) - sign up - it is a FAB idea!
but sometimes we buy the "news"paper, THE SUN and we do their special offer holidays to holiday parks/ campsites/ campings in the United Kingdom and in Europe. (www.thesun.co.uk)
From a group page about this topic - it seems that there are still some IDIOTS (I mean you would have to be idiotic to get RIPPED OFF and pay over the odds for a holiday that is supposed to cost 9.50 (GBP) per person (15 pounds GBP in the PEAK summer season - but hey that´s still cheap!),
SO.. Here is the PLEB / Blonde Bombshell GUIDE on how to book a CHEAP Sun 9.50 Holiday...
My first piece of advice is to SIGN UP to the Facebook page for 9.50 Sun Holidays - and then you will get all the CODE WORDS (needed to book a holiday online) FOR FREE - and you might not even have to buy a sun newspaper at all.. thus saving MORE money ;-)
How to REALLY get your Sun Holiday for CHEAP
YOU NEED TO TAKE OFF ALL THE EXTRAS AND NOT UPGRADE IF YOU WANT IT CHEAP....
Take off all the optional extras to start and consider which of these you REALLY need.
Instead of hiring linen (i.e. the bedding and stuff)...
... take sleeping bags..
Why would you pay so much to hire linen? How much do sheets cost to buy? How much room do they take up in your suitcase or car? (not much!)
If you are using the site as a base only and you don´t need entertainment passes...
...then remove these too.
If you NEED/ WANT entertainment passes...
....Check the number of passes that you are paying for.
Most parks don´t charge for under 5s or under 3s (check park conditions)
...so if you DO want passes - then make sure you have the correct number for your party.
Do you NEED to upgrade for Air Conditioning and Heating?
You can easily heat the caravan by using the oven and living room heater (there is almost ALWAYS a heater in the shared living area).
Put the heater and oven on and open the oven door. Leave both on for a few hours (don´t let the kids near the oven obviously) or leave the heating on for your wholes stay. Hey you have probably been charged more than enough for electricity and gas so why not use it?
If the heater or the oven don´t work or you run out of gas (some caravans are attached to the mains at some parks and some still run on gas bottles) then ASK/ TELL the park that you want the heater fixed of the gas replaced. DON´T be shy to tell them. You ARE a paying customer - even if you have booked through the Sun Newspaper.
Whilst the heating is on - leave all bedroom doors open and the heat will travel through the caravan.
If you drive to park then maybe take your own little plug in heater to warm the bedroom. NEVER upgrade for heating or AC if you want a cheap holiday.
You can always BUY a cheap heater or fan in the nearest local town PROBABLY for cheaper than you would pay to hire it from the park or pay to upgrade for heating and air conditioning
Bring your own food and drink and don´t shop in the campsite store...
...NORMALLY items in the shop are overpriced and cost more than the local supermarket.. so shop before you arrive or find out if there is a local bus service into town if you arrive without a car.
Set a Budget...
...of how much you will spend each day and STICKING to it. ie. 5 or 10 pounds (and YES that is something that CAN be done without ruining your holiday).
Look for the park´s FREE activities...
...and make sure all the kiddies are signed up to partake in these.
USE the free swing park or the nearby beach instead of paying HAven/ Butlins/ Park holidays for more expensive activities to keep the kids amused.
Normally the park issue you with a map to find your caravan when you check in - accompanied by a "What´s on Guide". Study this carefully and circle the freebies so that you don´t miss out.
ONLY go to the "amusements" for a set period of time each day (or not at all).
WARNING - the DIFFICULT thing about following this "rule" is that at most parks you NEED to pass through it to get to other parts of the entertainment complex.
GET TOUGH WITH YOUR KIDS AND YOURSELF AND SAY "NO".
A good suggestion is to save 2 pences and 10 pences BEFORE you go on holiday and put them in a money bag.
Let the kids sort out the coinage and split it between themselves.
When the coins run out - that is the END of amusements for the day.
Another suggestion to cope with this problem is to change a set amount at the cashier´s desk each day - and when those coins run out - no more coins to feed the machines until the next set time at the amusements.