Cut The Cost Of Winter Holidays

Skiing holidays don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Indeed, by going to the right place at the right time and making informed decisions about travel insurance, you can hit the slopes without breaking the bank. Moneyextra brings you six steps to a cheaper skiing holiday.

DIY

Sometimes it's cheaper to put a holiday together yourself than go on a package deal offered by a travel agent. The important thing is to factor in all the costs involved and remember that there will be no tour representative to fall back on if things go wrong.

Putting together your own package can reap rewards if you don't fit the standard four or two-sharing room requirement. For example, single travellers can benefit by opting for accommodation where there is no single room supplement.

You can also pick when you go and which airport you go to. Both flights and accommodation are much cheaper if you travel outside of school holidays and cheaper still if you fly midweek, rather than at the weekend. Avoid being away at Christmas or New Year unless you want to pay a premium for your trip.

Cheaper Flights

The good news is that budget airlines have most of the European skiing destinations covered. EasyJet flies from Luton, Gatwick and Liverpool and destinations include Geneva (for French and Swiss resorts), Zurich (for Swiss and Austrian resorts) and Barcelona (for Andorra).

Ryanair also serves 29 winter sports destinations from the UK while Jet2 offers one-way flights to some European skiing destinations for as little as £19.99. Generally, smaller, more remote airports will be cheaper to fly to than airports in major cities.

If you are going down the DIY road and opt for a more remote airport you'll probably need to hire a car to get you from the airport to the resort. It's cheaper to shop around for car hire before you set off. Using an online broker such as Holiday Autos will help you find the best deal and avoid hidden extras.

Destinations

Eastern European countries are generally quick and cheap to travel to and the cost of living is low. In Slovenia, for example, lift passes cost around £90 for a week, a three-course meal costs around £12 to £15 and a beer £1 to £1.50.

The US nd Canadaon the other hand, are expensive options. A week-long holiday to Vail in America with Crystal Ski could set you back up to £1,000 per adult, compared to £300 to £400 for a package trip to Europe. Travel insurance also costs more if you're jetting off to the States due to the high cost of medical treatment.

Travel Insurance

According to insurer esure, one in four Brits takes to the slopes without any kind of travel insurance, while 27% of people mistakenly think that standard travel insurance policies cover winter sports.

With the wrong policy - or no policy at all - skiers could unwittingly expose themselves to thousands of pounds of medical and repatriation expenses in the event of an accident on the slopes.

A helicopter evacuation alone costs around £1,500 and repatriation costs about £4,000 from Europe, £8,000 from the USA and Canada.

As well as making sure they are covered for skiing and snowboarding, adrenaline junkies need to ensure they are covered for other activities they might try, such as ice-lake diving, off-piste snowboarding and tobogganing.

Get An EHIC Card

As well as travel insurance, get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you're going to Europe. The EHIC replaced the E111 in January 2006 and entitles the holder to the same free state medical treatment as locals.

Whilst it's not an alternative to travel insurance it can help to keep costs down if you come a cropper on a black run. Some insurers like Sainsbury's and Columbus will waive your medical excess if you tell them you hold an EHIC.

Brits can get a free EHIC, usually within seven days, if they apply at www.dh.gov.uk/travellers

Debit And Credit Cards

Watch out if you use your debit or credit card abroad as a plethora of sneaky charges could hit you hard in the pocket.

If you use your debit card to withdraw cash from the ATM you could face two charges; a cash conversion charge, typically 2.75%, and a cash transaction charge of about 1.5%. So for every £100 you withdraw it could cost an extra £4.25.

If you use your debit card in a shop there is likely to be a retail conversion charge, typically 2.75%, and possibly a retail transaction charge, which can be £1.50 per transaction in some cases.

The Nationwide debit card is the only card not to charge any fees on cash withdrawals or purchases on foreign transactions - so it's worth opening a Nationwide current account just to get a debit card to take on holiday.

Credit card users are generally charged a foreign usage fee on both purchases and cash withdrawals, normally 2.75%. And don't withdraw cash on your credit card unless it's an emergency, as there is an upfront withdrawal charge of around 2.5%. You will also be charged interest from the date of the transaction at the cash withdrawal rate, which is higher than the standard purchase rate.

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