eurosBarry Batchelor/PA Archive/Press Association Images

UK tourists are being urged to plan their finances to avoid a holiday hangover after a study found more than half of people end up blowing their budgets when they go away.

Some 56% of those surveyed said they regularly overspend when they go on holiday, with eating out the most likely area they will veer off budget in, by nearly £75 on average, Post Office Travel Money found.

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A third of people also said they strayed into the red when buying drinks, spending nearly £70 more than they bargained for.

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Eight out of 10 people surveyed complained about poor exchange rates or hidden charges imposed when changing their pounds into foreign cash.

The biggest single annoyance was in using overseas ATMs, which was a source of irritation for two in five parents, while a third said that changing money at their hotel or in the resort cost them more than expected.

The second biggest grievance was poor foreign currency rates at UK airports, although researchers estimated from their findings that around 1.7 million holidaymakers will wait until they get to the airport to buy a foreign currency this year.

Using the results of pricing surveys at seven UK airports, researchers calculated that holidaymakers waste an average of £13.18 buying euros to the equivalent of £266 because of poor airport exchange rates and commission charges on lower value transactions.

Andrew Brown, Post Office head of travel money, said: "Our research shows that far too many families take a pounding by paying out more than they budgeted on trips abroad.

"The message has to be to plan all expenditure carefully."

Other items of expenditure that helped to break the family budget were found to be sightseeing (by £75 on average), souvenirs (by £70), supermarket food (by £61) and visits to a water or theme park (by £60).

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