British holidaymakers don’t take enough sun cream on holiday – and the extra cost of stocking up abroad could be more than £100 for a family of four.
In our own survey of 2,000 holidaymakers, 25% said they take no suntan lotion on their holiday and 44% take just one bottle per adult, well below NHS recommendations.
And with sun-lotion costs significantly higher than the UK in many popular package holiday destinations, British families are bumping up their spending by buying extra protection when they’re on their break.
How much sun lotion should you use? The NHS recommends two tablespoons of lotion to cover an adult body, applied five times each day – that equates to four bottles for every adult during a seven-night holiday!
In our survey, almost 90% of people said they take two bottles or fewer – well below NHS guidelines.
According to the Post Office Holiday Costs Barometer, Britain is one of Europe’s cheapest locations to buy suntan lotion, with an average price of £4.50 for 200ml of branded factor 15 sun cream.
That compares to a sizzling £17.45 for the same product in Ibiza; £13.15 in Halkidiki in Greece, and £12.71 in Limassol, Cyprus.
So a family that takes just four bottles of sun lotion on holiday will need to top up – and they could be paying an eye-watering amount to do so. Here’s how costs compare across Europe:
| Location | One bottle: Average cost of SPF15 sunscreen (200ml) |
Eight bottles: Total cost at holiday destination |
Eight bottles: Difference in cost with 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 |
Cost is one of the most important considerations for any holiday and going All Inclusive can definitely help. But if you underestimate how much sun cream you need, you could waste hundreds by stocking up abroad.
Buying enough sun cream at a UK supermarket is one of the most effective money-saving holiday hacks there is, even if you’re going on a Last Minute holiday!
Check out the full infographic below and click to enlarge it if needed.
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