You walk into your Caribbean resort’s lobby and see a promotional sign: “Free suite upgrade for newlyweds.”
Do you and your mate tell a white lie and snag the cheap trip?
Plenty of travelers would.
According to a recent survey, 5.5% said they’ve pretended to be on honeymoon or celebrating a birthday or anniversary to get a room upgrade while on vacation.
Others admitted to sneaking into the swimming pool of a resort where they weren’t staying. In an effort to save some coin, a few skinflints have gone so far as leaving a bar or restaurant without paying the tab.
These are just some of the outrageous things British holidaymakers admitted to doing while on vacation in order to cut costs, according to a March survey commissioned by the London-based International Currency Exchange to mark the launch of the company’s new Travellers Cashcard.
Conducted by market research company OnePoll, the survey also revealed a number of ways that Brits have saved money prior to going on vacation.
Dine and dash
Pocketing food from the breakfast table in order to avoid having to pay for lunch is the most popular way to save money, with close to 39% of those surveyed admitting to pilfering from the breakfast buffet.
Of survey respondents, 1.4% said they’ve left a restaurant or bar without paying their tab.
If stealing isn’t enough, 11.2% admitted to lying about the age of their children to pay less for theme park admission.
To get a five-star holiday on a two-star budget, you could follow the lead of 11.65% of respondents who have “borrowed” the facilities of a nearby resort or the 7.65% who have used another hotel’s shuttle bus services.
Others simply avoided tipping at bars and restaurants or bought food and drink from the supermarket.
Most worryingly, perhaps, is the more than 27% who admitted to using “other” money-saving methods, leaving us to ponder what nefarious techniques they might be employing to skimp on costs.
How about you? Ever dined and dashed? Lied about your marital status or stuffed breakfast muffins in your pockets on the way out the door?
Share your money-saving shame and secrets in the comments section below. We know you’re not as wholesome as you look.