Family holidays are expensive. This is not only because of the fact that families mean the cost of a holiday for several people and all that entails, flight, accomodation, spending money, clothes, car hire (bigger car) etc. On top of this, when you have children, you are obliged to book your holiday in the most expensive times of the year, the school holidays. So you are already paying premium prices. Here at Indigo we are committed to help you cut down on those expenses as far as possible. We have families too, and we have sourced some great ways of saving money on car hire optional extras.

Following on from our recent blog about child seats, if you are hiring a car and you have children with you, car booster seats are not optional they are essential. Car hire companies normally will rent out these items for what is at first glance a nominal daily rate, but when added up over say a 2 week holiday can cost as much as 140 pounds, ie 10 pounds per day.

Much more cost effective is to simply take your own. Something you may not be aware of is that most airlines allow you to take 2 items of child/baby equipment per child onboard extra to your normal baggage requirements and at no extra charge. These could be car seats, booster seats, buggies, push chairs or travel cots with EasyJet.

Alternatively with Monarch infants are allowed 10 kilos baggage allowance and travel cots are weighed as part of it but any other items are free. However they do allow you to combine the 10 kilos with your own allowance. Ryanair doesn´t give any checked or hand baggage for infants, and only allows one fully collapsible child travel item free of charge, every other item has to be either within your allowance or paid for separately.

Therefore it is essential to check with the individual airline for their policy, probably before you book your flight as you are calculating the total cost of your holiday. Although the flight might be cheaper with another airline, when you have calculated other costs you may find it is better to go with the more expensive flight with the more relaxed baggage allowance.

Another option is to buy one while you are there. In most countries there are hypermarkets, shopping centres etc where you can pick up items much cheaper than the cost of renting. Here are a few options for sale here in the UK to take along:

Fisher-Price Safe Voyage Infant Carrier Moonlight – £51.99.
Perfect for carrying infants in the car who are up to 13kg, the seat also has built in impact protection in the sides for extra safety. Also within the seat is a body support cushion that is suitable for new borns.

Pampero Plus Cosisafe Baby Car Seat – £31.49.
This baby car seat is suitable for new borns up to 12 months old, it offers extreme comfort with deeply padded fabric and ensures that every journey is comfortable. It’s also very lightweight with a comfy carrying handle and several safety features.

Britax Baby – Safe Car Seat Chili Pepper – £69.99.
Ensuring comfort and security is the main aspects of this Britax baby car seat model, it has soft padded wings and is also compatible with Britax Push chairs with a click and go feature. Safety is a main priority in this baby seat and its evident with the collision padding and head support.

As far as foreign countries are concerened, a little investigation online beforehand is all you would need to find the local hypermarkets, but of course you will need your seats from leaving the airport so you will need them with you on the plane. However, maybe other items such as travel cots etc could be bought there.

Basically we can see that a little bit of research prior to booking your flights and car hire for your holiday can help to save you money and make your life easier. Although it is great to go on holiday with the family, the travelling part is probably not the best bit!! Children get bored and restless at airports etc when they are waiting around so taking along entertainment, drinks and snacks is also a good idea. Buying food and drink at airports normally requires a second mortgage so just a little bit of planning and a picnic bag can help you save that money to spend on better things when you get there.

If you are interested in hiring a car and need some guidance in terms of baby seats then our reservation agents will be happy to assist you. Contact us directly by calling +44 (0)113 880 0748 or emailing us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and we will get right back to you.