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Britons abroad stung by sun-cream changes

Cost of stocking up on sun cream abroad could be more than £100 per family. UK is one of Europe’s cheapest locations to buy suntan lotion.

British holidaymakers are being stung by sun cream charges abroad. If Britons fail to stock up before they travel, research shows a family of four will spend over £100 more on sun cream for a seven-night stay when compared with prices in Britain. 

In a survey of 2,000 people by online travel agent Holiday Hypermarket, 25% of those surveyed said they take no suntan lotion on holiday at all, while a further 44% only take one bottle per adult. This falls well below NHS guidance* and means that Brits are having to bump up their spending money by purchasing extra protection while away.

How much sun cream should Britons take? 
Holiday Hypermarket’s survey** found that almost 90% of respondents said they take two or fewer 200ml bottles of sun cream on their holidays. This is despite the fact that the NHS recommends taking four bottles per adult. This is the amount required to apply the equivalent of two tablespoons of lotion five times each day. The NHS says that sun cream should be applied twice before going out and after EVERY swim. 

This means that a family of four should take 12 x 200ml bottles for a week-long holiday. 

How much are Britons paying abroad? 
According to the Post Office Holiday Costs Barometer***, Britain is one of Europe’s cheapest locations to buy suntan lotion. Here, 200ml of branded factor 15 sun cream costs an average price of £4.50.

Brits who don’t buy at home are likely to feel stung when they go abroad. In Ibiza, a comparative bottle costs £17.50. At this price, a family could buy eight bottles in Britain for £103 less than they would pay in Ibiza. 

The table below shows the average cost of sun lotion in package holiday destinations across Europe, plus the extra cost of buying eight bottles in that destination compared to the UK.

Location

One bottle: average cost for   200ml SPF15 branded sunscreen

Eight bottles: total cost of buying at holiday destination

Eight bottles: difference in cost compared to buying in UK

UK

£4.50

£36

n/a

IBIZA, Spain

£17.45

£139.60

£103.60

HALKIDIKI, Greece

£13.15

£105.20

£69.20

MAJORCA, Spain

£13.15

£105.20

£69.20

LIMASSOL, Cyprus

£12.71

£101.68

£65.68

ALICANTE, Spain

£12.28

£98.24

£62.24

BENIDORM, Spain

£11.93

£95.44

£59.44

SLIEMA, Malta

£11.51

£92.08

£56.08

ZADAR, Croatia

£9.23

£73.84

£37.84

POREC, Croatia

£7.29

£58.32

£22.32

LISBON COAST, Portugal

£7.02

£56.16

£20.16

MARMARIS, Turkey

£6.67

£53.36

£17.36

CORFU, Greece

£6.31

£50.48

£14.48

PAPHOS, Cyprus

£6.25

£50.00

£14.00

CRETE, Greece

£6.14

£49.12

£13.12

TORREMOLINOS, Spain

£4.82

£38.56

£2.56

ALGARVE, Portugal

£3.94

£31.52

-£4.48

SUNNY BEACH, Bulgaria

£2.34

£18.72

-£17.28

Craig Duncan of Holiday Hypermarket says: "Cost is one of the most important considerations for any holiday, yet Brits are underestimating the amount of sun cream they need and then wasting hundreds by stocking up abroad.

"A British family can spend an eye-watering £200 to buy extra lotion for a two week holiday in Ibiza. That could easily cover a few delicious family meals, a room upgrade or new holiday clothes.

"Buying enough sun cream at a supermarket in the UK is one of the most effective money-saving holiday hacks there is!"

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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