Travel inland for a 'very traditional and very Spanish' experience

Cheap holidays in Spain and Portugal can be enhanced by venturing inland where a distinctive experience awaits visitors, travel guides publisher Lonely Planet has said.

According to Tom Hall, travel editor at the organisation, people need not go completely off the beaten track to experience this as a totally different atmosphere exists just ten miles from any one of the Costas in Spain.

Holidaymakers exploring these areas will often find a different environment where things are "still very traditional and very Spanish", stated the expert, who noted that "a world of choices" awaits them.

"If you are looking for a distinctive Spanish or Portuguese experience then you should try and do a little bit of exploring inland rather than just sticking to beaches," he recommended.

According to the fifth annual Holiday Money Report, published by Post Office Travel Money, prices in Spain are at a record three-year low thanks to sterling gains against the euro and other factors.