EasyJet Holidays has launched a cost-of-living-themed package holiday which would enable Britons to escape the UK for nearly a full month and, it claims, save hundreds on their energy bills.
The 28-day trip to Hurghada, Egypt, has departures from early January and costs £650 per person, per month, on an all-inclusive basis.
As well as return easyJet flights, the package includes all accommodation and taxes at Stella Gardens Resort Hurghada, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks, drinking water, wifi and airport transfers.
You won’t need to cram everything into a cabin bag, either - the price includes a 23kg hold bag per person. The resort also has a gym, so if travellers are able to suspend their membership at home, that could prove a further saving.
The travel company says the bargain price is based on flights departing Gatwick and Bristol on 3 January, or Manchester and Luton on 4 January.
However, there’s no telling how long the package will be on sale - easyJet adds that there is limited availability, dependent on customer demand.
Research by The Independent regarding easyJet flight fares shows that the cost of the resort in this case could work out to be as little as £13 per night per person, all inclusive.
Hurghada, on Egypt’s eastern Red Sea coast, is mild in winter but far warmer than the UK, with high temperatures of around 22 degrees Celsius and lows of around 11 Celsius.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than 50 per cent of Britons are considering escaping the UK this winter to avoid the rising cost of energy bills.
Data from a recent survey shows that 40 per cent have already searched online for cheap winter holidays overseas this winter.
Calculations by easyJet showed that the average 28-day expenditure for UK citizens this winter - including rent or mortgage, utility bills, food, wifi, travel and entertainment streaming subscriptions - is £877 per person.
This was based on the average cost, per month, for gas, electricity and water bills being estimated at £85.84 per person.
EasyJet says that customers could save as much as £277 by booking the nearly month-long Egypt package, with no energy bill costs involved.
Holidaymakers who leave their home and switch off key appliances stand to make large savings on their energy bills, but bills are not usually reduced to zero just because a property’s occupants are away.
Personal finance expert and ACMA management account Lynn Beattie said of the package: “The data collected in this study is incredibly insightful showing just how much the average household in the UK will spend on the most basic of living expenses.
“While escaping abroad does not make all our financial commitments disappear, it’s startling to know that like for like, it’s cheaper to buy an all-inclusive holiday than stay in the UK this winter. For consumers who could viably sublet/Airbnb their homes and work abroad, the new package deal by easyJet holidays poses a very attractive offer.”
Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ Customer & Operations Director added: “With a growing number of Brits now searching online to see if they can escape abroad this winter, we knew we needed to try to provide consumers with a solution.
“We looked at everything an easyJet holidays package deal has to offer, and have been able to confirm that yes, comparably, our new 28-day winter escape is cheaper than staying at home this year.”
EasyJet isn’t the only company to capitalise on British fears around rising energy costs. In September a Hertfordshire independent travel agency, TravelTime World, unveiled a new campaign called “The Heat is On”, comparing the cost of staying at home in the UK with long-stay holidays in warmer climates.
