After countless emails, hours of Googling, phone calls and no less than eight months of chasing, MARK MORGAN has just received a refund of £61.50, from Madrid-based company Goldcar.

In a rush to obtain holiday money before taking a flight to Corsica, travel journalist Sarah Hartley took out €200 from a Moneycorp machine. A debit card receipt showed she'd been charged £245.

You don't need to break the bank to enjoy the finer things in life - you just need to know where to look. Here, we reveal how to live a life of luxury on a budget.

We revealed how some airlines use a 'no-show' clause to cancel return flights if passengers fail to board their outbound leg. Airlines claim this prevents passengers from 'gaming' ticketing rules.

According to a damning 75-page report by the Civil Aviation Authority, there are expensive hidden catches everywhere.

Chelsea Perkins, 31, booked a family holiday with her partner, Peter, 26 and 10 month old son, Theo, to Menorca with Tui, paying just under £2,500 for the three of them.

British Airways has been accused of acting like a 'budget airline without the cheap prices' after refusing a bottle of water to a 33-year-old mother who was breastfeeding her baby.

Avios points are effectively the currency of British Airways. You can accumulate them with your everyday spending, and exchange them for first class flights. But how much are they worth?

Others have imposed a host of different rules governing the use of coins, notes and debit cards on a range of different routes. British Airways no longer takes cash for food and drink on short-haul flights.

The rules when driving abroad aren't always obvious. For example, you need to carry a breathalyser in your car in France and keep your shirt on in Spain.

The pound has now dropped to a six-month low against the euro and a two-year low against the dollar. And rates are likely to remain uncertain amid political and economic uncertainty.

The average cost of a family holiday has dropped by £76 with six out of ten popular holiday hotspots seeing a reduction in price over the last year, according to research by M&S Bank.

While soaring costs are well documented for people suffering from visible or severe illnesses a diverse group of consumers are suffering with illnesses largely hidden from view.

Unforeseen card charges have attracted criticism from a third of families travelling abroad this summer - with the average added cost coming in at a massive £120.

In the race to be named the most popular family package holiday destination, Tenerife has come out on top for the second year running, according to TravelSupermarket.

Most of us have friends who collect travel points - or 'miles' - and shame us with boasts of cheap flights in business class when we have paid full whack for economy.

Families are facing a dip in spending power for trips abroad this summer as a result of a weaker pound.

Little known Lviv in Ukraine heads up the list of the top ten cities identified by Airbnb as having the highest growth in bookings over the past 12 months.

Two insurance firms have revealed some surprising claims made by customers on their home insurance policies for thefts abroad.

The best time to book flights for Christmas is 13 weeks in advance - the last week of September - as travellers will get the best price for both flights and accommodation, according to Skyscanner.

The Civil Aviation Authority is readying contingencies, which could include having to repatriate thousands of customers if the travel agent goes bust during their holidays.

Thomas Cook went bust this morning leaving an estimated 160,000 British holidaymakers stranded abroad and all flights and holidays cancelled. We explain what this means for customers.

As temperatures in Britain drop and the dark nights draw in, many will be dreaming of a warm destination they can escape to for a winter break. We reveal where flights have fallen most.

Holidaymakers should first check whether their credit and debit cards can be used abroad for spending and withdrawing money from ATMs without extra charges.

The yen has seen the biggest increase with 2019 sales rising 42% compared with the year before - despite sterling falling against the currency.

Upon arrival the family were shocked to find the resort had a strong smell of sewage radiating from the nearby tip, swarms of ants in their bedroom, rat traps in every corner and unclean sheets.

Julie Tuck's family arrived at Doncaster Airport on Wednesday 17 July at 1pm, ready to depart to Kos at 4pm. However, at 4pm they were all advised that their flight had been cancelled.

It may surprise some but Croatia, Malta and Lithuania are all holiday hotspots appearing on Britons' 2020 wish lists, new research has revealed.

Over the past five years, around 3.8 million holidaymakers have injured themselves on the slopes as a result of consuming alcohol. Some 1.3 million of them ended up with broken limbs.

After enduring a 12-hour flight delay returning from his daughter's wedding in Corsica, Bob Feltham was eager to claim the £1,335 his family was owed.

Although the Christmas decorations have only just been put away for another year, many families' attentions have already turned to booking a holiday.

Some 80% of the top 40 holiday currencies have fallen in value against the pound, stretching holidaymakers' cash further, according to research from Post Office travel money.

The difference for a family of four travelling in May compared to August is 27%, whilst those going in June could also save 25%, according to research from TravelSupermarket.

They are two airports, in the same county, with the same holiday money company offering to change your pounds into foreign currency.

Hotel comparison sites claim to work with partners across the world to guarantee the best prices for your budget. But all too often travellers using the platforms are running into problems.

Oliver, from London, was shocked to find that his bank account and overdraft had been completely wiped out after the holiday booking site mistakenly took thousands of pounds without warning.

BA has a number of bonus partner offers which allow travellers to bag more Avios points without spending more than you usually would when sorting out your holiday.

Cruise lines keen to attract passengers in the face of the coronavirus outbreak are introducing a tempting package of offers to entice them on board.

Millions who were planning to head abroad this year to visit well known attractions, will still be able to do so from the comfort of their own home.

Some travel firms are punishing disappointed holidaymakers further, by charging excessive fees or deducting large sums in 'unrecoverable taxes'.

The main way we can cut down on our carbon footprint is changing the way we travel - if everyone made small changes to their holiday schedule, it could make a huge difference over time.

Sterling's increasingly rocky ride means holidaymakers should brace themselves for a bill of possibly hundreds of pounds on top of the amount already paid for a package deal this autumn.

With political rows and the on-off threat of a no-deal Brexit, there's no guarantee what could happen to the pound between now and 31 October - or after that date.

Andrew Wylde and his wife Danielle, of Wallasey, Merseyside booked a one week holiday to Atlantica Holiday Village Kos with their six children in June 2019, hoping for a relaxing break.

Many families travelling abroad this half term will have fallen into a common currency trap that costs British holidaymakers a fortune every day.

The 71 year-old was told by the travel insurance firm that he would not be able to claim the money back as he had not informed it straight away of pending eye surgery.

Poor exchange rates are leaving travellers in a panic, resorting to buying currency at the airport. But the Mail on Sunday found holidaymakers would be better off packing their bank debit cards instead.

While the average price per person, per night for a short-haul city break in December is £180, this goes down to just £60 in January, research shows.

Exotic locations such as Buenos Aires, Enfidha and Doha all make the top ten list of faraway places that have seen the biggest drop in costs, according to new research from Skyscanner.

Holidaymakers who have already made summer travel plans are being urged to book any 'extras' - including airport parking and renting a car - well in advance.