A UK company is encouraging travelers to book winter holidays to avoid high energy bills.

TravelTime World launched a marketing campaign last Friday called “The Heat Is On” highlighting the low cost per day of long-term vacations.

Ashley Quint, a vacation designer with the company, said the idea came about after reports that the energy price cap in the UK could reach £7,000 (€8,120) a year by April 2023.

What is the cost per day to spend this winter abroad?

An 80% increase in the energy price cap has been confirmed from October, which could take the average UK household’s gas and electricity bill to £3,549 (€4,116) per year. The next rise between January and March could send it skyrocketing to £5,000 (€5,799).

Forecasters are now predicting that it could hit £7,700 (€8,931) by April.

“£7,000 equates to around £20 (€23) a day worth of energy – and in our own experience, every second my colleague’s smart meter at home costs £10 (€12) a day , and that’s without the heater. on,” Quint told Euronews Travel.

By comparison, off-peak destinations like Malta, southern Spain and Portugal, he says, are very good value for money in January and February. The weather is also always pleasant and warm.

“Having researched over the past couple of weeks, it is definitely possible to get a hotel and apartment (including flights and transfers) for around £20-25 (€23-29) per night , based on a four-week stay.

Warmer destinations like the Canary Islands are likely to be more expensive. Despite even lower daily costs, flights to more distant locations can also drive up the overall price, but there are still ways to make it work.

“Long-haul flights are more expensive, but accommodation and Cost of life is cheaper, so you need a reasonably long time to make it similar,” says Quint.

“Certainly in places like Thailand it’s doable for not much more once you spread it out over a month or two, certainly less than £50 (€58) per person per night.”

Are people already moving abroad to avoid rising energy costs?

The initial idea was that the campaign would appeal to retirees, but with more remote workers these days, there are more opportunities for people to spend more time abroad.

This still requires a bit of flexibility that the majority of people don’t have and the money to pay for the cost of accommodation and flights up front – a tough ask during the escalating travel cost crisis. life. Spending the winter in another country is certainly not a silver bullet to rising energy bills.

However, some travelers are already taking advantage of the opportunity.

“We have had customers for a long time Caribbean cruise for six weeks in November, a client traveling Australia for Christmas and New Years for a few months and a single woman going on a Caribbean cruise for Christmas and New Years, which is also six weeks,” says Quint.

He adds that the cruises are great value for money – they include food and sometimes even excursions – as well as escorted tours, especially in Asia.

“I’m also helping a family taking a gap year with arrangements to travel to South America during the winter.”