Money latest: These are the most in-demand holiday destinations this year (2024)

By Emily Mee, Money team

Scroll through GoFundMe and it won't be long before you see them.

There's a widow left with her husband's financial struggles. Three young siblings trying to raise funds for their mum's send-off after her sudden death. A 25-year-old domestic violence victim whose family want to give her the send-off she deserves.

There are scores of pages like this as an apparently increasing number of Britons struggle with funeral costs.

These costs have risen 126% in the last two decades, according to a recent report from SunLife.

Where families would once have paid £1,835 for a basic funeral, they are now looking at costs of £4,141 on average.

"People can't afford to bury their dead," says Pastor Mick Fleming, who runs the charity Church On The Street.

He frequently spends his time helping families pay for funerals and providing his services as a minister for free, although he says there is simply too much demand for his small charity to help everyone.

Government or local authority grants are available to help families with funeral costs, but Pastor Mick says these can come too late as undertakers will often require a partial payment upfront.

There's an even darker side to this, too.

"What we're now seeing is people who are poor can't walk into the bank and get a bank loan - the economy's tough at the minute," Pastor Mick says.

"They can't get legitimate access to money so they can't borrow it and pay a decent standard rate back, so they have to go to loan sharks."

Many then find it impossible to pay the loan back and face threats from the criminals who lent them the money, says Pastor Mick.

He recalls an incident: "There was a middle-aged lady, she had to borrow the money to bury her son.

"She couldn't pay the money back so then she started to get threatened and intimidated. People turning up at the house.

"It was pretty horrendous. She was getting suicidal. She was heartbroken already and she just couldn't get the money together."

The pastor says he was able to negotiate on her behalf - something he is now having to do as part of his charity work - but "you can't do that for everybody".

A funeral without a service

The number of funeral-related fundraisers increased by 22% on GoFundMe last year, figures shared with Sky News reveal.

Individual donations to these fundraisers increased by almost 400,000.

Many of these are trying to avoid their loved one being given a public health funeral, which is what happens if families are unwilling or unable to pay.

Local authorities are legally obliged to carry out funerals in this case, but they are given little guidance from the government on what this should entail - meaning each council will have its own policy on what is or isn't included.

In some cases, a service will not be offered and a person will be cremated or buried without the presence of family members.

Other times, the family may be allowed to attend but they might not be able to get involved in the service.

Generally people will be cremated, unless they have asked not to be for religious or cultural reasons.

Those who are buried will often have a grave with no marker, or they may be placed in a communal grave.

"For someone that's lost a child or a husband or a wife or any loved one where you just haven't been able to provide closure, there's a sense of guilt that goes with it," Pastor Mick says.

As long as funeral costs remain eye-wateringly high, families across the country will be dealing with that guilt.

This week will see the Bank of England announce its latest interest rates decision - and experts believe borrowers will have to wait longer to see rates come down.

Policymakers appear set to hold out for stronger signs the cost-of-living crisis has abated, with economists widely expecting the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to keep rates at the current level of 5.25%.

Rates have been held at this level since August last year.

At the last meeting in March, just one member of the MPC voted for rates to be cut by 0.25 percentage points, but the remaining eight members voted for no change.

Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec, said: "This broad direction illustrates that collectively the committee is moving gradually towards a rate cut.

"It seems unlikely though to be ready to bite the bullet just yet and the Bank rate looks set to remain on hold at 5.25% for the sixth consecutive meeting."

Andrew Goodwin, chief UK economist for Oxford Economics, said data on services inflation and private sector regular pay growth has "likely extinguished any remaining hopes of a move in May".

As for whether rates could be cut in June or August, he said it is likely to be a "close call".

Economists at HSBC are also expecting the first rate cut to come in June.

Interest rates are used as a tool to help bring down UK inflation.

The brewing giant has announced it will invest £39m in revamping 600 of its pubs across the UK - a move that will create more than 1,000 new jobs.

The investment plan will also see pubs in its retail arm, Star Pubs & Bars, revitalised to appeal to those working from home.

Sixty-two pubs will be reopened this year and 94 sites are set for full refurbishments.

The remaining pubs will receive varying upgrades.

Heineken said it wanted to "broaden each pub's use and appeal" in response to an increase in people working from home, giving customers more reason to visit throughout the day.

The refurbished pubs will have dividing screens to create separate areas for different types of customers.

Lawson Mountstevens, chief executive at Star Pubs & Bars, said: "Fundamentally, the changes in people's working habits means that in a lot of these suburban locations, you've got more people who are around those areas a lot more.

"It's not rocket science. Those people are looking for pubs of a certain standard."

Aldi remained the cheapest supermarket last month, new analysis shows.

The retailer has won the crown of cheapest supermarket every month so far this year, according to research by Which?.

An average basket of 67 popular groceries cost £112.90 - more than £30 cheaper than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.

A basket of comparable items in Waitrose would cost £144.13 on average.

Here is the breakdown for each supermarket...

• Aldi - £112.90
• Lidl - £115.23
• Asda - £126.98
• Tesco - £128.17
• Sainsbury's - £131.02
• Morrisons - £134.87
• Ocado - £136.86
• Waitrose - £144.13.

Food price inflation has slowed to 4.5%, its lowest level since February 2022.

Despite being the most expensive, Waitrose and Ocado were the only grocers to win new shoppers in the first three months of the year, according to research by Kantar.

Every Monday we get an expert to answer your money problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

"My daughter recently bought a flat and has since learnt there is an extra £600 a year management fee that was not declared by the vendor during the sales process. We have been told that the vendor was heavily involved in negotiating the management contract. Can we complain?"

J Mills

Serena Amani, managing director at Monarch Solicitors, has this advice...

The general principle when buying a property is "buyer beware", which means the onus is on the buyer to perform their due diligence before contracting to purchase.

The buyer's conveyancing solicitor interrogates the contractual documentation and raises relevant enquiries to ensure the full facts and obligations are available to the buyer to make an informed decision.

In this situation, it appears the seller has failed to disclose the management fee - we assume relating to the services provided to the estate.

We can't give specific advice as we don't have access to the contractual documentation. However, we would suggest:

1. To check if the obligation to pay a management fee is set out in the lease if it is a leasehold property, or the transfer deed if it is a freehold property. These documents should contain what services are provided and what the related charges are. The most common scenario is that of a leasehold flat. In this situation the services shall be set out under the service charges section. Generally, there is a provision that allows a management company to charge a management fee as a percentage of the overall service charge bill which is shared among all the leaseholders based on the size of their apartment.
2. If the obligation to pay the management fee is in the contract and your conveyancer failed to notify you of this obligation, there is a potential negligence claim against the conveyancer which can be pursued through their complaints process and escalated to the legal ombudsman.
3. In the rare instance that the management fee is not stipulated in the contract, then you may wish to contact the management company to obtain certified accounts for the services provided and ask them on what contractual basis they are charging a management fee. Management companies are obliged by statute to provide this information.
4. If there is no contractual basis or the fees are unreasonable then you may consider bringing a claim before the property tribunal. The tribunal has the power to make a ruling on the reasonability of the management fees. It should be noted that it can be a long and arduous process and legal fees are not always recoverable even if successful.
5. Where a seller has supplied misleading information about a property that materially influenced the decision to purchase the property, this could give rise to a claim for misrepresentation. Likewise, intentional concealment of this information during the sales process could constitute a breach of contract or misrepresentation.

For more specific advice, you may wish to contact a property lawyer experienced in the conveyancing process and service charge disputes.

This featureis not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via - and please leave your contact details as we cannot follow up consumer disputes without them.

• The form above - make sure you leave a phone number or email address
• Email news@skynews.com with the subject line "Money blog"
• WhatsApp ushere.

The long-awaited arrival of the sun in the last few days may have got you thinking ahead to the summer... which for many means holidays.

New analysis sent to the Money team has revealed the holiday resorts that Britons have been searching for over the last few months - although it's not a particularly sun-soaked destination that has come out on top.

Amsterdam is the most in-demand holiday destination for the UK, according to a study by Desert Safari Dubai Tours.

The company looked at Google search data over the past 12 months to find which holiday destinations were most popular in the UK, using terms such as "holidays to", "flights to" and "trips to".

Some 57,507 searches were carried out each month for trips to Amsterdam.

The second most in-demand was Dubai, with an average of 52,544 monthly searches.

Here is the rest of the list...

• New York - 51,169
• Paris - 43,326
• Tenerife - 43,305
• Barcelona - 41,664
• Dublin - 38,801
• Gran Canaria - 33,907
• Milan - 28,549
• Istanbul - 28,097

Meanwhile, data from holiday booking site Expedia suggests Britons are chasing the sun over the summer.

Its trending destination data shows a 50% increase in searches for mainland Greece - while its islands of Santorini and Corfu remain popular.

Interest is also surging in Mediterranean gem Malta (up 25%), seen as a more affordable destination.

Searches are also up 50% for Albania, which has seen a surge in interest due to social media.

The short-haul hotspot of Tunis has seen searches rocket by 130%.

We're back for another week of consumer news, personal finance tipsand all the latest on the economy.

This is how the week in the Money blog is shaping up...

Today: Every week we ask industry experts to answer your Money Problems. Today, a Money blog reader believes they may have been misled when buying their flat - but what can they do?

Tuesday: This week'sBasically...explains everything you need to know about the Bank of England, ahead of Thursday's base rate decision.

Wednesday: We speak to the chef at Tom Kerridge's two-starred pub The Hand And Flowers in Buckinghamshire for his Cheap Eats.

Thursday: It's decision day for the Bank of England, and while interest rates are expected to be held at 5.25%, we may learn more about when a cut will come.Savings Championfounder Anna Bowes will be back with her weekly insight into the savings market.

Friday: We will be getting the latest GDP figures on this day - which could signal the UK is no longer in recession. Plus, we'll have everything you need to know about the mortgage market this week with the guys from Moneyfacts.

Running every weekday, Money features a morning markets round-up from theSky News business teamand regular updates and analysis from our business, City and economic correspondents, editors and presenters -Ed Conway,Mark Kleinman,Ian King,Paul KelsoandAdele Robinson.

You'll also be able to streamBusiness Live with Ian Kingweekdays at 11.30am and 4.30pm.

Bookmarknews.sky.com/moneyand check back from 8am, and through the day, each weekday.

The Money team is Emily Mee, Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young and Ollie Cooper, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. The blog is edited by Jimmy Rice.

You filled out the job application, got the call (they're interested, phew!), but now... it's interview day.

If the thought of selling yourself to a stranger brings you out in a cold sweat, you're not alone - but you can help yourself by not making the following common mistakes...

1. Not dressing appropriately

Paul Webley, managing director of Blaze Media Digital Marketing Agency in Merseyside, says: "If you are coming for an interview in a marketing agency, dress smart. No need to be in a suit. It's cute if you are but just dress how you would expect to dress in the job and, if in doubt, err on the side of being slightly smarter.

"With us, there are loads of photos of the team in the office on the website and socials (which you should have looked at) so there is no excuse."

Tell us your interview mistakes/stories/tips in the comments box

2. Handshake mishaps

Paul's second interview mistake is: "This one is a real pet hate and probably doesn't matter as much in the current world but... learn how to shake a person's hand. You have to do this within every job from time to time.

"There is nothing more off-putting than a limp shake. Having a firm, polite handshake is a basic human skill in business and beyond."

3. Complaining

This is another one from Paul: "We had someone a few months ago tell us that they didn't think they should have to come into the office for an interview. This was for an office-based role. If they don't think it's worth coming in then the job is not going to be for them."

4. Not checking your tech

Tas Ravenscroft, senior consultant at recruitment firm Cherry Pick People, says: "Overlooking details like the interview location or the platform being used (such as Teams), and not testing your tech beforehand, can disrupt the interview process. This is especially crucial as most first interviews are now conducted via video conferencing."

5. Bad mouthing previous employers

Tas says: "We see that candidates sometimes feel too comfortable on interview and decide to talk about their past experiences (if aggrieved) negatively, which is a big NO. Instead, my advice is to focus on the lessons learned and how you've grown from challenges in your career."

6. Not asking questions - or asking about benefits or sick pay policy

Tas says: "There are no right or wrong answers to this, but asking questions at the end of the interview is a big YES. It shows you're interested, engaged and would like the opportunity to either progress or land the role.

"I'd say in your first interview, ask about company culture, day to day tasks, expectations of this role, who's the best performer and why?

"Questions I'd stay away from are benefit-related questions, or I recently had someone ask what the sick pay policy was like in the first interview… Safe to say they didn't get invited back. If you work with a recruiter, you will have salary and benefits info before, so no need to ask on interview."

7. Not showing enthusiasm

For Mike Carlucci, managing director of Reading-based Italian-food importerTenuta Marmorelle, this is a big one: "A lot of people at the moment are applying for everything and anything. They apply for hundreds of jobs.

"The result is that you get applicants who are not enthusiastic or passionate about the role or sector as they see it just as a job. There are few people looking for actual careers at the moment. In our industry, the food industry, you need to have passion and enthusiasm."

8. Talking too much

Andrew MacAskill, founder of Executive Career Jump, says: "Sometimes this is down to nerves, other times it is down to overthinking and often it is due to the questions being too broad, which leads to them saying lots and hoping the right answer is in there somewhere."

Ian Nicholas, global managing director at Reed, says a common slip-up people make is to carry on talking after giving their answer.

"Some interviewers may purposely leave a pause just to see how the interviewee will react under the pressure - so be confident in what you've said and know when you've finished."

9. Under-preparation

Habiba Khatoon, director of Robert Walters UK, says:"This means they haven't researched the company, are unaware of the key aspects of the role they are interviewing for and can't make connections between their CV and experience and the role.

"Most interviewers can easily catch on when a candidate has turned up unprepared and when they do, they can lose interest in that candidate quite quickly."

Italian food importer Mike agrees: "It is so important to spend five minutes to go on to the website, see what the company does, how they started and any general information you can get. This really makes someone stand out from the 100s of applicants."

10. Being late - or too early

James Rowe, managing director of the Recruitment Experts, says: "I would suggest arriving 20 minutes early to give you time to prepare, but don't walk through the door too soon! Turning up five to 10 minutes prior to your interview start time shows you're punctual but won't rush the hiring manager… they need breaks too!"

By Brad Young, Money team

Almost half of Britons (45%) subscribe to two or more streaming services, according to comparison website Finder, but box office figures show the theatre-going experience is making a comeback.

The pendulum is swinging back from streaming-first to theatre-first releases, and streaming platforms like Amazon and Apple are making moves on to the big screen with the likes of Saltburn and American Fiction, or Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon.

That means movie-lovers are facing a conundrum, according to a senior media analyst: should they prioritise spending cash on trips to the cinema or on streaming if they want to see the biggest and best movies?

"People are making decisions on 'what am I going to allocate to the movie theatre experience, what am I going to allocate to streaming?'" Paul Dergarabedian, of Comscore, told the Money blog.

Cinema's revival is real, according to Philip Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association.

"Certainly the major US studios see the theatrical experience, the big screen experience, as where they want their major films to be and then benefitting from the promotional buzz that comes from that," Mr Clapp said.

Disney chief executive Bob Iger said last year that theatrically released films were "great sub drivers".

"We benefit greatly from the power of our great films, they drive so much engagement and so much interest in our platforms," he said, pointing to Moana, Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar.

Mr Clapp added this year was a "key stepping stone" to an offering similar to before the pandemic, but cinema wouldn't be back to full strength until next year.

In the pandemic, studios experimented with straight-to-streaming releases, which continued even after restrictions fell away.

Mr Dergarabedian said: "When the pandemic hit it was a real stress test on the industry because a lot of people thought theatrical was dying on the vine and that it would be going away at some point in the near future - and then the pandemic accelerated that demise in the minds of some."

But audiences have voted with their feet and instructed studios they want more variety: international films, stadium concert films, videogame adaptations, prestige films and horrors.

Smile, a Paramount horror movie on a $17m budget that could have been straight-to-streaming, had a "great result" at the box office, said Mr Dergarabedian, as did Five Nights at Freddy's.

Low and mid-budget movies have been the slowest to recover but are returning to the big screen, making the theatre offering more diverse this year, Mr Clapp added.

Mr Dergarabedian said Universal's "diverse portfolio" was the one to beat: it spent the last year putting out everything from action films like Fast X, prestige movies like Oppenheimer, animations like Migration and some spookier offerings too.

Going theatrical still comes with a risk, the analyst said. A flop on the big screen leaves studios with a big hit to their bottom line, having spent large amounts on distribution and marketing.

But films "tend to have more value" once they arrive on a streaming platform if they were released in cinemas first, including lower budget movies.

Each week, Money blog readers share their thoughts on the subjects we've been covering, and over the past seven days your correspondence has been dominated by these topics...

• Brexit rule changes
• Our feature on manifesting
• The prospect of disability payments becoming vouchers

Brexit rule changes

Britons could face higher food prices, and even empty supermarket shelves, as new post-Brexit border fees were introduced this week, industry figures warned.

These comments - while perhaps not representative of the whole country - are definitely reflective of the majority view in our inbox...

It's almost like Brexit was a terrible idea… To think our politicians would do anything but make things worse was beyond naive. People let their prejudice override common sense that most politicians look out for themselves and not the country's best interests…

Joe

Others suggested the government should be turning its eyes to the issue rather than elsewhere...

Food prices rise even though they told us they would fall and yet the priority is sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. Isn't it about time the UK started to listen to people's problems rather than a very loud minority?

Lee

Several people suggested the solution was growing all our own food - which is often talked about, but producers and importers point out the UK climate makes it less achievable to mass produce certain foods at a low cost than in southern Europe.

Disability vouchers?

Reports this week suggested disabled people could receive vouchers instead of monthly payments under proposed government changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

The story resulted in a backlash among our commenters...

Absolutely barking mad. Disabilities aren't an option. Can't be fixed with words. And can happen to anyone at anytime. Time to get a grip.

Rob

Others suggested it was a symptom of a wider failure within the system...

I don't know how the government can take away vital PIP money and say they can replace it with better mental health support. My daughter is waiting for a PIP assessment and also an assessment for ADHD - the latter's wait time is currently four years.

Matmac33

Can you 'manifest' financial success?

Moving to our manifesting feature, which prompted a lot of cynicism. If you haven't read it yet, you can do sohere...

Some of our readers are believers...

I manifest things in my life. Be it money, people or events I've had dreams about, there's more magic in the universe than most people know of.

Steve

I believe in manifestation in terms of positive thinking. You'll never get anywhere if you're always assuming the worst. But you do have to put the leg work in for what you want, it won't fall in to your lap. Jim Carrey didn't get that £10m acting job sitting under a tree!

Caroline D

Others, well, not so much...

Why are you giving space to this specious guff manifestation? Does it work for the poverty-stricken, starving millions without basic infrastructure and education, or those suffering in warzones across the world? I wonder what they want "manifesting" in their lives?

FM1

"Manifesting", what a load of rubbish! I can't believe this is one of the top stories on Sky News.

David

And finally, in our weekly round-up of your comments...

This comment section is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME. Sky NEVER publishes its readers' views.

John Hammond