Are you and your family taking a cheap foreign holiday this year or are you taking a staycation at home? The downturn in the economy has resulted in a huge fall in demand for holidays abroad, but it has also meant there are some absolute bargains to be had.

Travelling with your partner and children is anything but cheap. And if you are flying abroad, maybe taking advantage of a cheap holiday offer, you’ll have the added expenses that inevitably occur at the airport. If you have ever spent a few hours at Heathrow you will already know how the various airport restaurants can quickly empty your pockets for a little refreshment.

The trick, if there is such a thing, with budget travelling is to anticipate as many of your expenses as you possibly can and then look at ways to lessen these costs. This is easier said than done when travelling with children but there is still a lot you can do.

One key moneysaving tip is to get your money changed before going to the airport. Generally, the money exchange facilities at airports don’t provide the highest rate of exchange. Its also a good idea to find out how much it will cost to get cash from your bank while you are away. You may find that it is actually cheaper to take some of those dreaded travellers checks.

One of the biggest drains on your cash resources, while at the airport, is likely to be feeding your children. The thing to do is to take food and refreshments with you. Why not take a few special treats and have a nice picnic in the airprt departure lounge. Your children will have some fun and you will save some useful cash.

Do the same for your partner and don’t forget yourself. Whatever you do don’t be tempted to buy alcoholic refreshement from the airport bars. The prices for alcoholic beverages at the airport are always extortionate and a couple of drinks could set you back enough to buy a small house.

Travelling to the airport can be enormously expensive if you are taking public transports or a taxi. Many people travelling with their families will opt to drive their own cars. This raises the problem of Heathrow Parking limitations. The answer here is to research parking prices in advance and book early. The earlier you book your Heathrow parking space the cheaper it will be.

Another option that can be good if you have an early morning flight, or if you have to travel some distance to the airport, is to book yourself into a Heathrow Airport Hotel for the night before your flight. This may seem like a massive indulgence, but many Heathrow hotels include airport car parking into the price of their hotel rooms. You can often find a Heathrow hotel room with airport car parking for around the same price as car parking alone, without the hotel room.

So, try to anticipate the expenses that you will have to face as you head off on vacation and you will stand a good chance of finding ways to minimise these costs and have a far more enjoyable holiday, not worrying about the expense.

Visit bestflights.co.za to book a flight to Heathrow, London