spending money?

[Michaela0216]

Were going on our first family holiday in 4 months time (ds1 7 and ds2 20m) to Paphos in Cyprus, were also getting Married there and have sorted money for all those bits already but I'm stuck on how much spending money to take having never been on a family holiday before.
The place were staying at has lots of activities for children and were all inclusive, we'll go on a few days out but not everyday. Any ideas??

normally you don't take spending money, you draw it from an ATM as needed - just warn your bank that you will be abroad so the card will work.

Check where the nearest ATM is and take a float of E100 at most.

BUT this is Cyprus. I think the recent cash problems have abated but check the situation nearer the time to ensure cash machines will work and to see if cards will be accepted.

Ah okay we were going to get one of those currency card things from thomson, just thought it would be safer than taking our usual cards as my sil used her bank card abroad recently and had £600 stolen out of it! just can't think of how much to put on it was thinking £1000 will this be enough though?

How long are you going for?

I used and still use my debit card in Europe, Asia and the US, DH even more and we never had issues with our accounts.

I would be more worried if a pre-paid card is stolen and I don't have any funds available.

You can get a currency card from Thomas Cook as well, I have one of those. You can use it just like a debit card and pay for meals and purchases rather than withdrawing cash all the time. You only have the amount available to spend that you put on the card, so it's wise to keep a running total of what you've spent/withdrawn.

My DH has a credit card which you can specify the maximum amount of money available on, he uses this on holiday and it carries the same benefits as a normal card should it be lost or stolen. It's a Halifax card and was recommended last year in the Guardian. You need to make an appointment to see them and do form filling, proof of identity etc. If you ask in a branch they will supply you with a leaflet.

I haven't had any bother with cards, but it's always a good plan to have different sources of finance, even if that means taking your usual credit card and keeping it in the room safe 'just in case'. Also take some cash to start with.

oh sorry yes were going for 2 weeks, i think ill put some on a currency card a little bit of cash and take a card just in case and leave it in the safe.

1000 sounds fine as you are all inclusive

what do you spend money on if you are all inclusive and have all the activities paid for too?

(although you might want to go out of the resort to get a good meal...)

For an all inclusive holiday we usually take about 300 euros for when we are out and about or souvenirs and then put any bigger trips on the credit card.

On our last AI holiday we spent £70 in a week for family of four. You shouldn't need £1000!

If you do go on any excursions, you often find that meals aren't included (Thomson often do this and don't make it clear that lunch isn't included in the price) so it's best to take cash on these in case you find yourself at a taverna that doesn't take cards.

Having said that, £1000 sounds a lot unless you are going to be buying jewellery/ presents for family members at the wedding. It doesn't matter really, as you can withdraw money from the currency card at the travel agent and convert it back to sterling. We usually leave some money on our card and top it up every time we go on holiday. The maximum time you can leave the card inactive is around 15 months for the Thomas Cook one, which is great if you usually go to countries where euros are accepted, but you need a dedicated card for sterling, euros, dollars etc.