Travelling over to Europe for a vacation is becoming increasingly expensive due to exchange rates. This is resulting in more people choosing to spend their holidays at home in the UK.

If you are not one for relaxing on a sun-bed and much prefer adventure and exploration, then a sight-seeing holiday around the UK would likely appeal. This could turn out to be one of the best holidays you have ever had, with our country home to some of the best art galleries in Europe and being unique in maintaining many gothic and Victorian styled buildings in most of its major cities.

However, if you decide to take this option you could still be crippled by expenses; with fuel prices escalating at an astronomical rate. Research by MoneySupermarket.com recently revealed that 12.3% of motorists currently struggle to meet the running costs required to keep their vehicles on the road. Thankfully, unlike exchange rates, this is something over which you can exert some influence:

Bring down your fuel bill

One of the key things to consider before setting off on your holiday is the state of your tyres, with Michelin claiming that its latest ‘Energy Saver’ range could result in 10% less fuel being consumed than what would be the case with cheaper brands. These tyres could therefore pay for themselves in fuel savings, especially if you are going to be travelling the length and breadth of the country.

Tyre pressures are even more significant, with road safety organisation TyreSafe claiming that having the incorrect tyre pressures will result in your vehicle consuming 12.5% more fuel than expected. It is normally recommended that you check that your tyres pressures comply with those recommended by the vehicle manufacturer at least once a month; but this should be done more frequently if you are going to be travelling extensively. You will find your vehicles recommended pressures either in your vehicle handbook or by using the TyreSafe iPhone app.

In addition to tyres, your driving technique will also have an impact on fuel consumption. Ensuring gentle acceleration and braking as well as smooth gear changes (before you engine reaches 2,500 rpm) will help to significantly improve your fuel consumption. Always bear this in mind when driving!

Of course, you should also consider where you get your fuel from with discrepancies of up to 20p per litre present between different filling stations in the UK. Petrolprices.com is a website which you should use to aide you on this quest as it is designed to help find the cheapest filling stations in every area of the UK.

Things to consider with insurance

You wouldn’t think deciding to go on a road going trip within the UK could have an impact on your insurance. Unfortunately this is an inaccurate assumption, as you will be asked to specify a mileage limit with your insurer prior to them calculating a premium. This is due to the fact that the more miles that a driver completes each year, the more likely it is that they will be involved in an accident and potentially make a claim.