Instead of paying skyrocketing utility bills in Ireland this winter, how about turning off the heating and going on an extended vacation?
That was the suggestion of an Irish travel agent last week, who crunched the numbers to suggest retirees or remote workers could save on bills and enjoy winter fun in the sun by booking holidays three weeks or more.
“We have had many customers who book winter holidays because it will be cheaper to be on holiday in Spain in a four star hotel than to heat their home in Ireland,” said Paul Hackett of clickandgo.com.
“My own parents are leaving for four weeks in January after doing the math.”
The best deals are in the Algarve, mainland Spain and Malta from November to March, says Hackett.
Packages include flights and a three-week half-board stay in a four-star hotel in Fuengirola from €869 pp, Benalmadena from €949 pp or Torremolinos from €979 pp.
It’s just over €40 a day for B&B and dinner, and the cost of living and eating out can also be cheaper abroad.
“Many people have already made the decision to stay abroad for a few weeks to avoid the expense of living in Ireland,” says Hackett.
Other deals include a special over 50 on the Costa del Sol from John Galligan Travel (€878 pp for three weeks, based on two sharing a studio) and 21 nights in Tenerife in November from TUI (from €1,215 per person for an all-inclusive stay at the three-star Catalonia Punta del Rey hotel).
Atlantic Travel of Belfast, meanwhile, says it has seven weeks (49 nights) in Lanzarote from £980 pp, based on travel from January 17 to March 7.
The package, listed on the Irish Travel Agents’ Association’s special offers page, itaa.ie/offers, includes flights from Belfast International and a one-bed apartment on a self-catering basis at LABRANDA Playa Club Apartments in Puerto del Carmen.
Obviously, jumping in the sun to beat the bills isn’t a strategy for everyone (if it was, there wouldn’t be any deals). School and in-person work rules out long trips for many. Winter snowbirds should also ensure that their travel and medical insurance is appropriate and have realistic expectations regarding off-season weather, facilities and resort atmosphere.
That said, Andalusia or the Algarve will certainly be warmer (and cheaper) than Ireland in the coming months.
Flexibility is a real superpower in post-pandemic travel – those who fly outside peak hours can take advantage of lower airfares, avoid queues and the chaos of busiest times, choose their accommodations and even use long stays as leverage to ask for discounts with rentals, resorts or Airbnbs.
There’s been a direct line here since the pandemic, when destinations like the Azores and Croatia launched “digital nomad” visas and longer trips were seen as a post-Covid trend.
This month, Thailand ended its Covid travel restrictions while extending its visa waiver for American and European visitors from 30 to 45 days.
It remains to be seen how remote and hybrid working evolves, but stays of a month or more now account for 20% of Airbnb’s business, off-season stays are clearly attractive to destinations, and there’s a notable number of long vacation offers appearing this winter.
In Scotland, Ayrshire’s Thorne Travel has offered ‘Beat the Gas Bill’ deals, including a 35-night stay in Fuerteventura from £1,200 (€1,378). In Hertfordshire, TravelTime World has opted for “The Heat is On”, while Golden Club Cabanas in the Algarve say prices are as low as €19 a night for stays of 21 days or more between October and May.
“Water, gas and electricity included,” he notes.
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