The holiday hotspots to avoid due to plummeting pound – and the one to visit NOW

BRITS planning their next holiday should be careful where they choose to go, as the plummeting pound as made some destinations much more expensive.

The poor performance of the pound means buying currency for some vacation hotspots is incredibly expensive for Brits at the moment.

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A new study by travel money specialist FairFX found that the worst of those places is Costa Rica, where exchanging pounds for local cash could cost Brits hundreds more than it did not long ago.

The pound is currently down 18 per cent against the Costa Rican colon, meaning significantly less for every £1,000 exchanged, which equates to £219 less in the local currency, compared with April 2022.

The Dominican Republic is also a pricey place for Brits to visit at the moment.

The pound is down by 17 per cent against the Dominican peso, which means £207 less for every £1,000 exchanged, compared with six months earlier. 

Cuba is a destination worth dodging at the moment, as the pound is down 16 per cent on the Cuban peso.

That amounts to £188 less for every £1,000 exchanged.

And travellers headed to Jamaica or Mexico should also monitor the pound’s movement closely, as the pound is currently down 15 per cent on both the dollar and the peso.

That equates to £182 and £180 less respectively, for every £1,000 exchanged.

This means holidaymakers heading to these popular winter sun destinations will be getting a lot less for their money.

However, it’s not all bad news for Brits looking to go abroad this winter.

Anyone wanting a cheap break should look to Turkey, where holidays are even cheaper than pre-pandemic.

The study found that the pound is up 8 per cent against the Turkish lira, amounting to £70 extra for every £1,000 exchanged.

Jack Mitchell, Head of Travel Money at FairFX, said: “Of the 34 countries we analysed, the pound is performing worse in 27 of them compared to April 2022, highlighting the impact the weak pound is having on holiday budgets.

“Travellers should be warned that the pound is down 15 per cent against the US dollar compared to April 2022.

“Brits planning trips to the US should keep a close eye on the exchange rate to ensure they get the best value for money, and potentially consider whether it’s worth locking in rates on a prepaid currency card ahead of planned trips. 

Anyone heading to Turkey will have to pay attention to strict new passport rules.

Extreme weather has also hit the country already this month.

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