How To Get A Cheap Holiday With A Unique Twist

Summer – us Brits love it! Well, we love it when we actually get to enjoy glorious sunshine on a beautiful summer’s day. With the warm weather fast approaching, AshleyPark Financial Solutions have decided to give you a few tips for ways to find a cheap holiday.

Over the last few years you could easily confuse our summer wardrobe with our winter one – big coats, wellies and umbrellas – the weather has certainly not been on our side.

Although the British tourist board fought valiantly to endorse holidaying on our own fair isle, the sun worshipers that we are headed for the nearest cheapest deal for a dose of sun, sea and sangria!

 However, what happens when funds are low and we can’t afford to get away to exotic destination?

Well, house swapping has been around for decades but, until recently, it was a niche market. The economic climate has changed all of that, forcing many families to reconsider their options in order to have a holiday without breaking the bank.

The scheme involves allowing a stranger to stay in your home for a weekend, week or fortnight and in return, you stay in their home during the same period. There is no cost involved – other than the plane tickets – and both parties agree in advance what will be included in the price. For example, you may negotiate to borrow each other's cars, but if you are uncomfortable with that arrangement, you simply have to specify what is excluded.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you might be wondering how you get started and no, you don't have to find random strangers yourself to swap homes with! There are several agencies who offer the service, the majority of which charge a membership to join. However, in many cases, the fee is just nominal and charities such as the National Childbirth Trust even have a house swap scheme, which has been running since 1976.

To register your home on the site, you need to take photos so any prospective guest will know exactly what your property looks like and where it is. If successful, you will need to be prepared to clear some of your personal belongings away temporarily, to make space for your guests' stuff when they arrive.

UK home insurers as a general rule are very supportive of the initiative, as it prevents properties being left unoccupied during the holiday season, but the majority will ask to be kept informed.

This could be a totally new holidaying experience for you – you could end up somewhere you ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen as a holiday destination and love it!

The best idea is to stick with affordable destinations if you’re desperate to get away – just make sure that you can really afford it.

If you have any money worries, please visit the Ashley Park Financial Solutions website for our full range of services. For regular updates, follow us on Twitter. 

Ashley Park Financial Solutions on Swap Parties

In the current climate, keeping fashion fresh can be costly. But never fear! These days it’s perfectly acceptable to hold what’s known as a Swap Party. Swap Parties are a great way to mix and mingle with friends and loved ones, and acquire a few new numbers for your wardrobe. Ashley Park Financial Solutions are here with the lowdown on how to host your own!

Decide on a date

Make sure you start planning well in advance. If you don’t let people know in good time, you might end up on your lonesome, surrounded by bags of your own clothes! It’s a good idea to create a Facebook event, especially if you’re going to invite a lot of people. They will be automatically reminded of it as the time draws nearer, and you can keep all the details in one place. This is an especially good idea if you’re inviting lots of people from different friendship groups – they have the opportunity to converse with one another on the group page and maybe even swap fashion tips!

Who to Invite

Get a good mix of people with fairly similar fashion tastes so no one is going to go home empty handed. And bear in mind that people come in all different shapes and sizes! If you invite a shorter person to a party made up entirely of taller people, they probably won’t feel great and vice versa.

Make value tickets

While the main purpose of the event is to swap clothing, you may not want to part with something that was once very expensive, in exchange for a cheaper item. Make value stickers with rough estimates of how much the item is worth and suggest that your guests do the same thing.

Designate value spots

There should be three types: inexpensive; mid-price and expensive. You can sort your garments into these categories and ask your guests to do the same before they arrive.

Arrange the room

Obviously you don’t have to turn your living room into a stylish boutique, but it’s fun to create an atmosphere. If you can get your hands on some clothing racks that would really help to organise the clothes. You can also utilise coffee tables as folding spaces for trousers and bulky sweaters.

Bags

Remind your guests to bring along some carrier or tote bags for taking their items home – this will save you from having to rush around finding a bag for everyone at the end of the party!

Food

You might want to prepare for snacks for everyone to enjoy, but obviously the aim of the game is to save money, so don’t go too overboard. You can advise people to eat before they come. Snacks to start are a great way to mix and mingle though, so if you’re inviting lots of people who don’t know one another it’s usually a good plan to offer something.

Make Suggestions

As host, you can pick out items and suggest them to your guests. This will help to get things started if people are a little shy to get going!

At the end

When everyone is swapped out and has headed home, you’re left with your pick of the spoils. You may already have acquired a ton of great new clothes, but there’s nothing to stop you from picking out something else – this could be the perfect time to try a new style! After that you can head the leftover items to a local charity shop and be satisfied that you’ve done a good deed. 

So there you have it! Remember, if you throw a great swap party, you're bound to be invited to others - make it an annual event and you could make some huge yearly savings on your clothing budget! 

If you're struggling with money worries, visit the Ashley Park Financial Solutions website, where you'll find our full range of services.