Spending lottery of taking kids abroad

Holidaymakers urged to do their research before flying with the family.

Families are facing a spending lottery by taking their children abroad on holiday. Experts warn parents desperate to keep costs down are hit with a multitude of hidden fees at the airport and when hiring cars.

It’s already known that many budget airlines charge for putting bags in the hold and even choosing a seat. But some also levy a fee of up to £30 for babies to sit on their parents’ laps and to take essentials such as baby seats and travel cots on board. In some cases the cost of taking a baby on board is more than the price of an adult ticket.

On top of this, families may get a nasty shock when hiring cars abroad, with some firms charging as much as £10 a day to rent out baby or child car seats. In one example, it worked out £40 cheaper to hire a car seat in Spain for a week with Budget rather than Avis.

Travel experts recommend families consider the cost of add-ons before they book.

Bob Atkinson of TravelSupermarket.com said: “You can pay less as an adult than an infant sitting on your parent’s knee.

“Holidaymakers really need to check the fine print to make sure what they are entitled to.

“They also need to make sure that, if they do have to book accessories such as car seats, they do so before getting to the airport as they could be charged more.”

Only a handful of airlines, including Virgin and British Airways, offer any hand luggage with an infant ticket. While Easyjet and Flybe allow two baby essentials such as a car seat, pushchair or travel cot in the hold for free, Ryanair charge £10 for anything other than one pushchair. That increases to £20 if paid for at the airport.

In terms of hiring children’s car seats abroad, many of the major rental firms also have vastly different prices depending on the destination.

We found that Hertz charge £62.93 for a week’s hire in Majorca but only £29.70 in Corfu. There were also huge variations with Avis, Budget and Easy Car.

Dan Plant, of MoneySavingExpert.com, added: “I’d recommend families don’t pay for a car seat from the car hire firms, there are much better ways to save money.”

He recommends hiring one from the airport, where they can be half the price of the hire companies, taking one with you, which could work out cheaper even if the airline charges, or buying one while there.

Sarah Crown, of parents’ website Mumsnet, added: “There are lots of discussions on Mumsnet about hiring car seats abroad, with parents concerned about the safety and cost of car seats from rental companies. Many resort to bringing their own car seats with them.

“With parents already feeling stung by the rising price of travel during school holidays, the wide variation in prices for the hire and transport of baby equipment from airlines and car hire companies can mean that a week in the sun ends up being eye-wateringly

expensive.”