Holiday expert Rob has shared the four ‘best’ places to visit in March, saying the destinations offer the same level of sunshine as your usual July to August getaways but at lower prices
He has shared his favourite holiday spots for March (Image: Getty Images/Universal Images Group)
It’s no secret that jetting off during the summer months can set you back nearly twice as much, prompting savvy holidaymakers to shift their breaks earlier in the calendar. Lending a hand, travel guru Rob has revealed his top four destinations to visit this March, promising sunshine levels that rival your typical peak season getaways.
In an Instagram clip, Rob, who goes by @rob.onthebeach online, explained: “I’ve seen loads of people asking me recently, where’s hot in March? But the better question is, where’s hot and cheap this March? Because March might just be the perfect month for a holiday. We’re coming out of winter at home, the mornings are brighter, but it’s still freezing and wet. And in March, holiday demand is still relatively low, which means some destinations really fly under the radar on heat and price.”
To compile his recommendations, he examined multiple countries based on their March climate, booking patterns and current prices.
Kicking off his rundown, he revealed: “In fourth place, I’ve picked Fuerteventura, because March is one of my favourite months for the Canaries, and Fuerteventura is probably my favourite island.”
“You’re getting heat in the 20s, loads of sunshine, and it’s warm enough all day without feeling sticky like it can do in summer. Plus it’s quieter, calmer, and everything just feels easier.”
Moving along, he spotlighted Paphos, declaring: “March in Cyprus is criminally underrated”. He remarked: “It’s not roasting, but it’s still really warm. Sun on your face, lunches outside, pool days when the sun’s out, and it’s way less touristy than summer.”
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Egypt claimed his runner-up spot thanks to its pleasant climate, with him adding: “High 20s to low 30s most days. Wall-to-wall sunshine, and seawater that’s perfect for swimming in, snorkelling in, or just floating in doing absolutely nothing.”
Topping his list, he crowned Las Vegas as the ultimate March getaway destination.
He explained: “I know it’s a bit of a wild card, but hear me out. March in Vegas is bang on. Hot days, cooler evenings, loads and loads and loads to do. And prices that are way softer than people expect.
“Now if you don’t believe me still, check out this deal I found. For four nights in March at the Strat Hotel with flights from Heathrow, it’s coming in at only £563 per person.
“For maybe the US’s best ever city break with sunshine, entertainment, pools, food, shows. This is seriously strong value in March.
“It’s warm, it’s unrivaled when it comes to fun, and it’s way more holiday than you’d expect to get at this price.”
Ask for one of the recently refurbished rooms if you can.
We were on the ground floor but slept soundly with no road noise, despite the easy road links in the area.
Room rates start from £76 per night, or £92 with breakfast.
What is there to eat and drink at the hotel?
While it is a 15-minute drive into Oxford city centre, the hotel restaurant serves up big portions at decent prices.
Fish and chips, curries, pizza and burgers are among the options. Save room for a triple chocolate brownie or Belgian waffle for dessert.
Breakfast is available until 11am on weekends, so you can enjoy a lie-in before your full English.
What else is there to do?
The hotel sits in between the city centre of Oxford and the Cotswolds with its rolling hills and charming villages.
Gorgeous landmark Blenheim Palace is only a 10-minute drive away or spend a day exploring Oxford’s famous university buildings and visiting a pub on the banks of the Thames.
Discount designer shopping complex Bicester Village is another good local draw – also a 15-minute drive away.
If the hotel family friendly?
Family rooms that sleep four and connecting rooms are available, as well as cots on request.
Is it accessible?
The hotel has wheelchair accessible rooms, which include accessible door locks as well as bathrooms with grab bars, tall toilets and adequate clear turning space.
Rooms include family and accessible ones as wellCredit: Holiday Inn
TREAT the kids to a fantastic half-term day out this week without breaking the bank.
There are superb free and low-cost events across the UK promising a lot of laughs at festivals, farms, forests, castles and animal parks. Trisha Harbord has selected a dazzling dozen.
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Treat the kids to a fantastic half-term day out this week without breaking the bank, including a stay at ButlinsCredit: supplied
FESTIVAL FUN
WITH a name like Super Duper, it is bound to be a great family festival.
For four days in half-term, Manchester is transformed into a giant playground with free activities in public spaces, cultural venues and landmark destinations such as the Central Library and Great Northern Warehouse.
There is storytelling with CBeebies, crafts, dancing, music workshops, shows and sports. Get a photo beside a Formula 1 car, or try the Lego workshop.
There will also be a carnival with a Victorian carousel and stalls, in St Ann’s Square.
Pick up a pass from Portsmouth Historic Quarter’s Visitor Centre to access heritage sites for freeCredit: PR Supplied
EXPLORE 300 years of fascinating maritime heritage for free.
Pick up a pass from Portsmouth Historic Quarter’s Visitor Centre to access the boathouse, exhibitions and beautiful gardens.
Fantastic artwork installations include the new Standing With Giants — silhouettes of military figures, including Winston Churchill — to celebrate wartime sacrifice.
You can also see iconic vessels including the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, currently docked here.
THERE’S a new destination for Lego fans — Longleat Safari Park.
The Wiltshire estate is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a Brick Week, including tiny versions of animals, from lorikeets to giraffes.
Families can build creatures, structures, trees or plants, to become part of the brick safari.
Longleat’s Scott Ashman said: “It’s 60 years since the first drive-through safari outside of Africa.
“The brick safari will grow throughout the week.”
Enjoy adventure playgrounds, the railway or lake’s jungle cruise before driving to meet the real animals.
GO: Until February 22. Adult from £39.95, children £29.95, under-threes free. See longleat.co.uk.
FABULOUS FORESTS
RAIN or shine, get the kids outside with Forestry England.
There are trails, cycle courses, play areas and stargazing in woodlands across the country, including Hicks Lodge, Leics; Gisburn Forest, Lancs; and Kent’s Jeskyns Community Woodland.
A highlight is the Room On The Broom trail, based on Julia Donaldson’s famous story, at sites across the country, with themed activities to help the witch find her hat and wand.
An adventure pack costs £4 and includes a lanyard, stickers and spell cards.
Many forests also have a Gruffalo orienteering course, with giant sculptures littered among the trees.
Falkirk boasts the biggest steel horse heads in the world, standing at 100ft tallCredit: Alamy
MARVEL at the magnificent 100ft horse head sculptures that are the pride and joy of Falkirk.
The Helix: Home Of The Kelpies offers tours to learn about the engineering and how they represent the country’s history and industry, with horses having played a huge role in the development of the area.
There are exhibitions about the steel horse heads — the largest in the world.
And the surrounding Helix parkland has an adventure zone and splash play.
GO: Tour for adult £8.50, child £3.50 (free with an adult ticket), under-fives free. See thehelix.co.uk.
ANIMAL KINGDOMS
Zoo tickets are discounted at top attractions around the country – with a variety of eventsCredit: PR Supplied
LET the kids play at being vets, with a third off zoo tickets.
Vets In Action runs throughout this week at London Zoo and Whipsnade, Beds.
Youngsters will be shown how to do a health check on real animals while practising on cuddly toys.
At London, they will join a rescue mission to save precious Darwin’s frogs from extinction.
And at Whipsnade — a 600-acre site with 11,000 animals — kids can learn about the conservation and well-being of the chimpanzees.
GO: Until February 22. Adult tickets from £29 and children £20.30, under-threes free. Use code WEB30 at londonzoo.org and whipsnadezoo.org.
ADVENTURE TRAILS
NATIONAL Trust properties have a huge selection of events for little outdoor adventurers.
Croft Castle, near Leominster in Herefordshire, has a Wildlife Detectives trail where kids track down clues among the trees.
The 17th century manor house, complete with turrets and towers, has a secret garden and play area with rope swings and balance beams among 1,500 acres of parkland.
There is a welly hunt at Charlecote Park, Warks; orienteering at Wentworth Castle, South Yorks, and a Winnie the Pooh exhibition at Nymans, West Sussex.
GO: Croft Castle family ticket costs from £42.50. Detective trail with a prize costs £3. See nationaltrust.org.uk.
MAGICAL RESORT
HAVE a spell-binding time in Blackpool as the resort bursts into life for the February Festival of Circus and Magic.
There are free spectacular shows, live performances and hands-on workshops for four days at venues including the Blackpool Tower.
Street entertainers roaming through the town centre include singer Elton
Wrong driving a white piano. Try your hand at puppetry and circus skills.
Last year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner, magician Harry Moulding, headlines a show at the Pleasure Beach Resort.
The Jorvik Viking Centre in York provides a fascinating journey back in time for visitorsCredit: PR Supplied
PACK in a host of attractions in York, there is something for all the family.
Most famous sights are just a short walk from one another and you can take your pick from 35 with a one-day pass.
They include the 7th century Minster — one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals — the Jorvik Viking Centre, which is a fascinating journey back in time, and The Cocoa Works — a yummy lesson in chocolate-making.
Why not take a sightseeing tour down the River Ouse to hear about York’s history with City Cruises?
GO: A day’s Visit York Pass costs from £65 per adult, child £40. See yorkpass.com.
BARGAIN GARDENS
HERE is an offer you can’t refuse — pay what you can afford to enjoy a major attraction.
Throughout February, Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan, which normally cost £28 an adult and £12.50 a child, are letting families choose their own admission price.
The Neon Jungle roller rink is a highlight this half-term — skate to a playlist of retro hits.
Meet the Home Farm animals, including piglets, goats and donkeys, take part in question-time sessions and try horse tail-braiding. There’s a shop and cafe, too.
BUTLIN’S is slashing day visit prices until February 26. There is 20 per cent off at Minehead and Skegness, and ten per cent off at Bognor Regis.
Families have access to the Skyline Pavilion at all resorts, with a packed schedule of shows and activities including Dino Expo, where kids come face-to-face with pre-historic predators.
There are fairground rides, Splash Waterworld pools with slides and flumes, football, plus arts and crafts sessions.
Bognor Regis has a four-storey soft play centre for 200 children, and the sister parks have playgrounds with climbing towers and trampolines.
GO: Adult day pass now costs from £29, child £12. See butlins.com.
CUDDLY ENCOUNTERS
Visitors to Park Hall will get an early taste of spring at a lambing festivalCredit: PR Supplied
IT always feels like spring is on its way at a lambing festival.
Get up close to the cuddly newborns at Park Hall Countryside Experience, Shrops, and, if you are lucky, see a birth.
The team will be on hand to educate youngsters on the new arrivals.
There are lots of other animals too including ponies, pigs, alpacas and chinchillas, on the farm near Oswestry.
And there are fun activities galore, with indoor play areas, science and music rooms, tractor and barrel train rides, go-karts, an adventure course and a 130ft zip wire.
Feb. 13 (UPI) — The Department of Homeland Security will shut down indefinitely at 12:01 a.m. EST Saturday after Senate Democrats opposed a bipartisan fiscal year 2026 budget .
While Congress is on break, some congressional lawmakers are planning to attend a security conference in Munich, Germany, while most others are returning to their home districts for the week.
She is among the federal lawmakers who are expected to make the trip to Munich next week.
“It doesn’t look great,” Murkowski said of the apparent ease with which the Senate allowed the pending shutdown to occur without doing more to overcome their differences.
The Senate voted 52-47 in favor of the department’s House-approved funding on Thursday, but the measure required 60 votes to overcome the Senate filibuster rule. Instead of returning for another go on Friday, lawmakers left the Capital.
The only Senate Democrat to support the department’s funding was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota changed his vote to “no” to make it possible for the measure to be reconsidered quickly when the Senate resumes session.
Congressional Democrats have called for defunding the department after the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.
They are demanding that all immigration enforcement officers end broad sweeps, wear body cameras, remove their masks and use more judicial warrants instead of administrative warrants when undertaking targeted arrests, among other demands.
Border czar Tom Homan on Thursday said the surge has ended and most of the federal officers are leaving Minneapolis.
ICE and Customs and Border Protection will remain on duty amid the pending shutdown due to receiving three years of full funding in the recently One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, but Homeland Security’s remaining funding ends Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown affects the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Science and Technology Directorate, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes visa applications.
It also affects the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday. The Trump administration has announced the finalization of rules that revoke the EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution by ending the endangerment finding that determined six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
The new route will start from June 2026 although flight prices are yet to be confirmed.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, CEO, London Gatwick said: “The new daily service will provide excellent opportunities to visit the city or onward connectivity across the region – ideal for holidaymakers, businesses and the many British‑Malaysian families who will now have even better options for visiting friends and relatives.”
One of the biggest new additions to London Gatwick is Jet2, which is launching its first ever flights for London Gatwick.
The first take taking off next month, with flights to Tenerife on March 26.
However, this is just one of 29 new routes from the airline connecting to Europe.
This includes flights to Spain, Greece, Portugal, Malta, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Cyprus.
One of the longest new Jet2 flights will be to Turkey, flying to Antalya.
Britannia Hotels has been named the UK’s worst hotel chain for 12 consecutive years by Which? So I decided to book a stay at Britannia Hampstead to see if it really is as bad as everyone says
The Britannia Hotel in Hampstead
There aren’t many hotels that slap a £10 charge on opening windows or appear completely deserted in the run-up to Christmas. And there’s just one hotel chain that’s been crowned the worst in Britain for 12 years running.
To sample such treats, you need to book yourself into a Britannia.
The chain has become the stuff of folklore. Half a century after launching its first property, the Country House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester, it has expanded to roughly 60 locations spanning the UK before acquiring Pontins.
Yet, the tale isn’t entirely rosy. Britannia has faced severe criticism over the years from disgruntled guests who claim it has transformed once-magnificent buildings into grubby, disagreeable, and uncomfortable accommodation that fails to deliver value, even at rock-bottom prices.
My initial encounter with Britannia occurred back in 2022, during those heady post-lockdown months when I caught the train to Bournemouth to stay at a hotel that has since been converted to accommodate asylum seekers. The jammed-shut windows and overpowering paint fumes made for a sweltering and clammy evening, whilst the empty outdoor pool, abandoned underwear in the courtyard, and scattered laughing gas canisters only heightened the overwhelming atmosphere of abandonment, reports the Mirror.
Have you had a memorable hotel stay, either good or bad? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
With those troubling images fresh in my mind, I approached my local Britannia with considerable apprehension, eager to discover whether Britain’s most criticised hotel chain had made any improvements.
It hadn’t.
The Britannia Hampstead proved to be a dispiriting experience, though in distinctly different ways to its coastal sister property. Here’s how it stacked up against a recent stay at The Manor in Blakeney, North Norfolk. The Manor belongs to the Coaching Inn Group, which Which? readers crowned the UK’s best large hotel chain of 2025, whilst Britannia languished at the very bottom. This is what distinguishes excellence from mediocrity.
Atmosphere
During my Bournemouth expedition, there was considerably more activity. The hotel felt inhabited.
I was acutely aware of this because I could hear bickering couples and other guests’ television programmes seeping through my bedroom walls. I’d have gladly welcomed even the faintest sounds of human presence during this visit.
The six-floor London establishment, spacious enough to accommodate a 350-capacity conference suite, felt utterly deserted. The fairy lights twinkled away, yet the place seemed abandoned entirely.
By contrast, The Manor radiated energy. Despite being a solid hour’s bike ride from the nearest railway station, even during the depths of November, it bustled with life, warmth and friendliness.
Staff members were keen to engage in conversation, as were the patrons gathered at the bar, savouring special weekend breaks or enjoying a swift beverage in what doubled as their neighbourhood watering hole.
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Accommodation
My stay at the Hampstead Britannia, while not award-winning, was a marked improvement from my experience in Bournemouth. In Bournemouth, I was greeted by a lone dead fly on the windowsill and a heavily stained armchair.
A protruding screw from a picture frame added to the room’s charm. For several hours, we were left in the dark as all lights, except for the bathroom’s, were non-functional. The only source of noise was the ear-splitting extractor fan until a friendly receptionist revealed that the main electricity switch was cunningly hidden beneath the kettle.
In contrast, my North London accommodation was simply… uninspiring. It was so spotless that my UV torch couldn’t detect a speck of dirt.I suspect the overpowering smell of cleaning products played a part in this. The decor consisted of dated, predominantly brown furniture, but it wasn’t offensive.
At times during the night, the absence of windows made me feel like I was serving time. However, I managed to sleep, wake up, and escape to share my story. Meanwhile, over in Norfolk, the situation is quite different. The Manor boasts 36 rooms, with the most affordable option available for £99 next week.
It offers typical budget hotel amenities, but with a touch of quality. There’s a cosy double bed, a decent-sized telly, and a tastefully decorated bathroom. Everything is sturdy, clean, and inviting.
Staff
Regarding the staff at the Britannia hotel that evening, I honestly can’t grumble too much. They appeared pleasant enough, though perhaps somewhat preoccupied during our brief exchanges.
The person on reception couldn’t quite explain why the restaurant and bar had shut up shop. Beyond that, my contact with employees was largely confined to curious glances thrown my way as I sat with my book in the deserted foyer.
By contrast, the Manor is entirely staff-focused. A significant number have clocked up well over a decade of service there.
Roughly half appear to belong to the Hill family, including Tore, Karen, Sophie and Wayne. Throughout my visit, they were consistently available to check everything was as it should be and to share local knowledge.
For myself, and the talkative regulars who greeted staff by their first names, this genuine friendliness is a huge selling point. It elevates the establishment from merely somewhere to kip and grab dinner, into a welcoming retreat where you actually want to spend time.
Location
This ought to be where Britannia excels. In my view, guests put up with substandard accommodation because of the ease of stumbling back to a city centre location following a work trip or lads’ weekend.
The Hampstead property delivers none of that convenience. It’s not close enough to either the Heath or Camden to genuinely claim either neighbourhood, and it’s an absolute trek from central London.
I can only picture the letdown awaiting tourists who hadn’t done their homework before making a reservation. Blakeney, by contrast, is a delightful destination.
The hotel sits just metres from the River Glaven, which meanders through the National Nature Reserve. The nearby Blakeney Point is famous for its seal colonies, with Beans Boat providing guided tours year-round.
Most Coaching Inn Group hotels occupy similarly picturesque and secluded rural settings.
Price
According to its website, windowless rooms at the London Britannia start from £55. However, mine came to nearly £90 including breakfast. Had I chosen the coveted window option, the cost would’ve reached the £100 mark.
Rooms at the Manor average £128 per night. Whilst that’s hardly bargain-basement, the Which? survey saw the hotel achieve four out of five stars for value for money – one of only two establishments to do so.
The other was Wetherspoons. I stayed at the Spoons Hotel in Canterbury last November, where overnight accommodation costs just £55, with an average price of £70.
Spoons comfortably wins the value crown in my opinion, with Coaching Inn Group trailing close behind. Britannia, though, delivers precious little for what represents a substantial price tag.
According to Which?, the average room rate across all its hotels stands at £84. Even in today’s money, that’s disappointing.
Nothing during my Britannia stay persuaded me that it’s improving or likely to shake off its unwanted ‘worst in class’ reputation any time soon. I’m confident it’ll claim the bottom position for a thirteenth consecutive year.
Britannia’s business model appears to involve acquiring impressive historic buildings and offering rooms at budget-friendly prices. Given the sheer scale of these properties, undertaking comprehensive modern refurbishments would represent a substantial financial gamble.
It seems the company’s leadership has calculated that maintaining minimal overheads is preferable, even if profit margins remain modest. The consequence is a chain comprising numerous dilapidated establishments that routinely disappoint guests.
By contrast, Coaching Inn Group demonstrates how things should be done. For virtually identical rates, guests can enjoy stays at its delightful properties, complete with cosy, welcoming rooms and employees who appear genuinely passionate about their roles.
Frankly, there’s simply no comparison between the two.
L.A. County voters will be asked this June to hike the sales tax rate by a half-cent to soften the blow of federal funding cuts on the region’s public health system.
The county Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to put the sales tax on the ballot. County officials estimate it would generate $1 billion per year to replenish the shrinking budgets of local hospitals and clinics. The tax, if approved by voters this summer, would last for five years.
The supervisors say the increased tax — a half-cent of every dollar spent — would offset major funding cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to slash more than $2 billion from the county’s budget for health services over the next three years.
“Millions of people look to us to step up even when the federal government has walked away,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who introduced the ballot proposal along with Supervisor Hilda Solis.
The tax was pushed by Restore Healthcare for Angelenos, a coalition of healthcare workers and advocates, who argue it is necessary to ward off mass layoffs of healthcare workers and keep emergency rooms open.
Mitchell said she was trying to make sure supervisors learned their lesson from the closure of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in 2007, which ripped a gaping hole in the health system for South L.A. residents who had to travel farther to more crowded emergency rooms.
“People died as a result of that,” she said. “I don’t want to go back there.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger cast the lone no vote, saying she believed the county should look to the state for help rather than taxpayers. She also said she was concerned the tax money was not earmarked for healthcare costs but rather would go into the general fund, giving officials more discretion over how it gets spent.
“We are not, as a whole, credible when it comes to promises made, promises broken,” she said.
Members of the audience hold up signs inside the county Hall of Administration, where supervisors discussed how to replenish more than $2 billion in federal funding cuts to the county healthcare system.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
As part of the tax hike, voters would be asked to also approve the creation of an oversight group to monitor how the money is spent. The supervisors also voted on a spending plan for the money, which would have the largest chunk of funds go to care for uninsured residents.
Los Angeles County currently has a sales tax of 9.75% with cities adding their own sales tax on top. If the healthcare hike passes this summer, the sales tax would be more than 11% in some cities. Palmdale and Lancaster, some of the poorest parts of the county, would potentially have the highest sales tax of 11.75%.
County public health officials painted a grim picture of what life looks like for the poorest and sickest residents if new money doesn’t flow into the system. Emergency rooms could be shuttered, they warned. Contact tracing and the daily testing of ocean water quality could slow down. Tens of thousands of health workers could lose their jobs, they said.
“The threat is real already,” said Barbara Ferrer, the head of the county Department of Public Health.
Some on Tuesday condemned the measure as well-intentioned but ill-formulated. The California Contract Cities Assn., a coalition of cities inside Los Angeles County, argued a larger sales tax would “disproportionately burden the very residents the County seeks to protect.”
“My phone has been blowing up,” said Janice Hahn, one of two supervisors who said the Citadel Outlets, a large shopping mall in City of Commerce, called to say they were worried shoppers were going to start crossing county lines.
With the effects of the federal cuts expected to be felt across the state, other California counties have already started to look to consumers to replenish government coffers. Last November, Santa Clara County voters approved a similar sales tax measure to raise money for the public health system.
FOR striped houses that look like giant beach huts and beautiful stretches of coastline – head to Aveiro.
The city in Portugal sits on the west coast and is much less known than its neighbour and is considered to be the country’s ‘Venice‘.
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One beautiful village in Aveiro, Costa Nova, is famous for its bright buildingsCredit: AlamyIn Costa Nova is Farol da Barra, the tallest lighthouse in PortugalCredit: Alamy
Along with its waterways, Aveiro is known for its beautiful waterfront houses, bars and boat tours along the waterways.
The city is built around water including the Ria de Aveiro which is a shallow coastal lagoon – and throughout Aveiro are lots of canals.
The largest is Canal Central de Aveiro, right in the city centre and it’s here where tourists can hop onto a boat and take a river cruise.
Dotted along the water are the brightly coloured Moliceiro boats which were historically used to collect seaweed.
Now, these are used for leisure tours which you can book from €13 (£11.22).
These start on the Central Canal of Ria de Aveiro before working their way through the waterworks to Canal de São Roque in the north of the city.
On the banks of the canal are lots of bars, restaurants and cafes.
Some of the most popular include Boteco Aveiro, Taberna do Canal, andLuxor Lounge.
A popular drinking spot is Neighbourhood Alavarium Bar which has deckchairs in the courtyard.
A local pint will set you back just €2.75 (£2.38).
Just a short trip from Aveiro is the Bairrada Region Proximity, which produces plenty of sparkling and red wine, so the city is also perfect for wine lovers.
It is an excellent hub for exploring vineyards on reasonably priced tours, and bars and restaurants in the city centre offer glasses from as little as €2.30 (£2).
Aveiro is known for a local delicacy called ‘ovos moles’ – these traditional Portuguese pastries are essentially a sweet, creamy egg yolk and sugar mixture inside a thin wafer shell.
You can pick these up in local cafes or bakeries for around €1.60 (£1.38) each – and if you treat yourself to a coffee, it will cost as little as €2.16 (£1.87).
One of these spots along Central Canal is Café a Barrica.
One visitor even wrote on Tripadvisor: “This is the very place to try the typical local sweet, Ovos Moles. It is a small place, but I recommend a visitor to try.”
A holidaymaker who treated their fiancee to a romantic holiday to the city, told The Guardian: I told my fiancée we were going somewhere where we would drink wine on a gondola so she was a bit surprised when we got on a plane to Portugal and not Italy.
“I had to explain that I meant the Venice south of Porto – the pretty canal town of Aveiro (half the cost of the real Venice and just as nice).
“I risked being dubbed a cheapskate but we both loved it – a great romantic choice for a Valentine break on a budget.”
Ovos moles are a local delicacy – a thin wafer shell filled with creamy egg yolk and sugarCredit: AlamyOn the journey from Porto – make sure to stop by the former train stationCredit: Alamy
Around 10-minutes outside of the city centre is the coastal village of Costa Nova.
The picture-perfect spot has been described by visitors as having “the most adorable houses”.
The waterfront buildings are famous for their brightly coloured stripes.
These were originally called ‘palheiros’ and were used by fishermen and were brightly coloured so that they could see them through the mist.
Its beach, called Praia da Costa Nova, is also considered one of the prettiest in the area, although it does have strong waves thanks to its location on the Atlantic.
It runs for just under one mile and is the perfect sunbathing spot thanks to its fine, white sand.
Costa Nova is also home to Farol da Barra which is the tallest lighthouse in Portugal.
Visitors can climb up the 288 steps for incredible views across the coast.
Aveiro doesn’t have an international airport – the nearest is Porto which is just a 34-minute train ride away.
One-way tickets start from £6 and in February, flights to Porto from Birmingham start from £13 with Ryanair.
And once you get to the station, make sure to check out the former station building.
It’s one of the prettiest in Aveiro covered in beautiful blue and white tiles.
WALKING back from her daily shop Beth Maitland, 32, isn’t worried about traffic jams, beeping horns or the cost-of-living crisis.
She’s more concerned about a local elephant trying to steal her bag of fruit.
Beth Maitland, 32, has no regrets about leaving the UKBeth has been living in Thailand for the past twelve monthsThailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Brits looking to ditch our rainy weatherCredit: Getty
It’s Beth’s ‘new normal’ since fleeing Britain over twelve months ago to begin her new life in Thailand, where rent is a fifth of the price, a dinner out costs just two quid, her front garden is a beach and her backyard rice paddies overlooked by a mountain range.
Thailand is routinely voted one of the top twelve destinations for Brit tourists where the pound goes a long way.
It’s estimated 55,000 Brits, from backpackers to retirees, have chosen to bail out of Britain, trading cold, gloomy weather for the tropical paradise and beaches known as the Land of Smiles.
Relocations have soared by a staggering 255 per cent since 2018, driven by Thailand’s Long-Term Residence or LTR visa which offers 10-year residency with tax exemption.
Beth, a former NHS maternity support staffer moved from Plymouth, Devon to the island oasis of Koh Samui in southern Thailand in March last year.
Talking exclusively to The Sun, Beth revealed: “I rent a two-bedroom cottage in the jungle, there are rice fields on one side, jungle on the other and it’s 15 minutes to the beach. From the roof I can check out the surf or plan a mountain hike in the other direction.
“If I paid the price I was paying in the UK, which was £700 for a studio flat in Plymouth, I could get a four-bedroom house with five bathrooms, a pool and a garden on the island’s outskirts with elephants as neighbours.
“The first month converting pounds to Thai currency – the Baht – was a nightmare and so was finding the perfect place to live.
“Now it’s like I have lived here all my life. I am always shocked at how cheap food, accommodation and transport is compared to Britain.
“The cost of living is so cheap I eat out for lunch and dinner every day. I haven’t had a ready meal since I moved here.
Beth can afford to eat out almost every nightBeth rents a cottage in the jungle with rice fields on one side and the beach just 15 mins away
“Everything except British food is cheaper. For the first time in a decade, I feel I have a positive future, can buy a home, and achieve my career goals.”
Millennial Beth grew up in Plymouth and loved surfing in the summer months when the weather was good enough.
She spent the next seven years working twelve-hour shifts as a nursing home assistant in Exeter before spending six months backpacking in Australia and Asia.
“I felt inspired by the Asian culture but thought I’d never be able to work or move there.
“I came back home in December 2019 to miserable winter weather and started work as an NHS maternity support staffer.”
Brighter future
When Covid hit, Beth says she found herself re-examining her life.
“Working during lockdown for the NHS was a privilege but it took its toll. I lost friends and patients.”
The cost of living crisis made Beth question if her future would be in BritainBeth and her friends slowly felt the goals they had in their twenties no longer felt achievableAfter backpacking around Australia and Asia Beth returned to the UK in 2019 – and to miserable winter weatherCredit: PA
When the cost-of-living crisis hit Beth felt overwhelmed by work and a feeling her future wouldn’t be the one she wanted if she stayed in Britain.
“After rent and bills were paid, I was saving no money at all. When I hit 30, I knew if I didn’t act, I’d been in the same place with no savings when I hit 40. I couldn’t let history repeat.
“The government wasn’t offering young people like me hope. My friends could only buy a house if their parents helped.
“Other friends were marrying and having children admitting that they felt the goals they wanted for their twenties were no longer possible.”
It was when two of her close friends left to become digital nomads in Thailand and Bali in January 2024 Beth was inspired to act, realising she had a choice – commit to miserable weather, rising prices and a job in the NHS which wasn’t offering career development, or take a gamble, pursue a new career and move to Asia herself.
“Many of my work colleagues were shocked,” she says. “They couldn’t comprehend moving overseas, let alone to Thailand.
“It was terrifying and exciting for me but having friends living and working there already kept me going.”
Beth isn’t the only millennial making the life-changing decision to flee to a new country instead of settling down and concentrating on their career here.
I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred
Beth
The Currencies Direct’s British Expat Report 2024 revealed nearly 40 per cent of Brits are considering moving overseas due to the cost of living while a fifth, like Beth, feel a fresh start in another culture would be beneficial for their wellbeing and mental health.
And it’s the young who are leading the great British brain drain, and more than a third of people under 24 are planning to leave Britain in the next five years.
Dramatic change
After a tip from a friend based in Thailand, Beth applied online as a full-time travel manager running group tours.
Just two Zoom interviews later and she was offered the job and within two months was living and working in Thailand.
Beth says even she was shocked by how quickly her life changed.
“I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred.”
She explains: “I used to work part-time at holiday camps during my teenage years. As a maternity support worker, I was good at helping people before, during and after labour with all ranges of problems.
Beth oversees organised tours for holidaymakersBeth could afford a four bedroom house on the island’s outskirts for the same price she’d pay for a studio flat in Plymouth
Now two weeks of every month Beth travels with 30 holiday makers, overseeing their organised tour of Thailand’s islands and regional areas.
“Imagine running a creche on wheels for people of all ages and from all different countries on their first overseas holiday. I love it,” she says.
“There is never a dull moment. People want to know if we are there yet, where the meet up point is, what the Wi-Fi code is, if they need sunblock, can they borrow a charger and when we are stopping for food. Or the loo.
“I must be a mother, nurse and organiser. I tell people making kittens and squirrels walk in a straight line is often easier.”
Beth then gets two weeks off and either spends time at her rented cottage or using it as a base to travel to other Asian countries.
She pays £150 a month rent for the two-bedroom countryside cottage which includes her water, electricity and air conditioning, as well as use of communal pool and gym.
“There are ten cottages and it’s full of long-term Brits based here. My phone bill is £20 a month and I share it with a friend.”
Beth says she now rarely cooks because the price of food at local restaurants and roadside food carts is so cheap.
My diet has improved dramatically. I haven’t had a microwave meal since I moved here. It’s fresh fruit and vegetables every day
Beth
“I have fruit or cereal for breakfast. I eat lunch and dinner out. It costs £2 for lunch or £3 for dinner. I usually grab stir fry, curry, Thai soup or rice dishes as well as a dessert, usually a sorbet, fruit platter or ice-cream.
Grocery shopping isn’t the weekly trek to the supermarket like it is in Britain.
“I go to the local markets and buy bags of fruit and fresh meat if I plan to cook, which isn’t often.
“A pint of milk costs the equivalent of 56p, a large loaf of white bread is around 90p, a dozen eggs are 90p, a half a kilo of red meat is £7, chicken is just £1.85 a kilo. Cheese is the most expensive item costing £7 to £8 for half a kilo.”
Beth admits she does miss her British staples and those that are available come at a price.
“HP sauce costs £6 a bottle, Heinz Baked Beans are an eye watering £4.50 while a Lindt chocolate bar sets you back a fiver,” she says.
Beth can grab all her essential groceries for around the equivalent of a fiverThailand is ranked as the 114th most expensive country in the world, making it an attractive option for people like BethBeth was also impressed by the quality of healthcare in the country
“I usually grab bread, milk, some cheese and a huge bag of vegetables and fruit for a fiver. Fortunately, good quality tea bags only cost £1 for a box here.”
Beth says wine is expensive costing £12 to £15 a bottle but local beers cost £1-£1.20 for a half litre bottle and cocktails are between £2 and £3.50, depending on the spirits you choose.
“If you go to a five-star hotel you will pay more.
“Gym membership is £22 a month and a trip to a foreign cinema is £5.60 if you are missing home.
“I had to hunt down a good cafe for a cappuccino and it costs £1.70 for a catch up with my mates. I was paying £5.60 for a posh coffee at Starbucks in the UK, I can’t believe it.”
Beth says she doesn’t need a car and uses the local car or bike service called ‘Grab’, which is similar to Uber, to book travel online.
“A bike, which means I am a pillion passenger, is 50p and a taxi is around 78p a mile.
The standard of health care is better than Britain
Beth
“When I first moved here, I refused to use the motorbike ‘cab’ – now it’s second nature.
“If you do own or rent a car it costs 96p a litre to fill up the tank. A new Toyota Corolla sedan costs on average £19k new.”
Beth says if you have children private preschool starts at £275 a month per child and the private international primary school begins at £4,500 a year.
“I was stunned by the brilliant quality of healthcare available here in Thailand. When there was no delay to see a dentist or doctor I was gobsmacked.
“The standard of health care is better than Britain.”
Beth recently paid £50 to see a dental hygienist and £150 for a tooth extraction and filling. Back home I’d either be forced to wait one or two years to get an NHS dentist or pay more than £500 plus for the dental work.
Dinner splurges
According to financial website livingcost.org, Britain is ranked as the 11th most expensive country in the world while Thailand is the 114th most expensive.
Beth told us: “The cost of living is a lot cheaper – from shopping, to petrol, accommodation to food.
Most of her clothes shopping is done at the local marketMarijuana legalisation has made Thailand even more popular among backpackersLiving in Thailand has helped Beth feel calmer and less stressed
“If my friends and I went out for a splurge dinner, that costs us around a tenner for food and drinks all night plus the cab home.”
Beth usually buys her clothes at the local market but if she wants a retail hit H&M have stores in Thailand.
“If it gets hot, I peel off a layer. It can get cold during the equivalent of the winter months, and I pop on a sweater.
“It’s the wet season that causes problems but you learn to keep umbrellas handy.”
According to Beth, Thailand is now extra popular on the backpacking must-visit list with marijuana being legalised.
I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain
Beth
“Holiday makers are often shocked that pot cafes exist and pot is legally sold here,” she said.
Many of my thirty-something friends are moving here because Thailand is well known for its amazing spiritual and mental health clinics and holidays.
“It’s a very spiritual country. For people in their thirties moving here often means setting up wellbeing businesses or mediation and other fitness styled retreats.
“I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain,” she said.
“Everyone is meditating or trying a new yoga or healthy living trend.
“It’s a way many Brits not only embrace a new way of living, but a new career counselling or operating healing centres others move here to set up online businesses.”
The World’s 50 Best Beaches
The World’s Best Beaches consulted more than 750 judges including travel journalists, influencers, and beach ambassadors to rank the beaches.
Lucky Bay, Australia
Source D’Argent, Seychelles
Hidden, Philippines
Whitehaven, Australia
One Foot, Cook Islands
Trunk, US Virgin Islands
Honopu, Hawaii
Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland
Navagio Beach, Greece
Balandra, Mexico
Cala Goloritze, Italy
Pipe Creek, Bahamas
Pink, Indonesia
Grace, Turks & Caicos
Gardner, Ecuador
Mcway, California
Turquoise, Australia
Le Morne, Mauritius
Sancho, Brazil
Seven Mile, Cayman Islands
Lanikai, Hawaii
Maya, Thailand
Moro, Spain
Kelingking, Indonesia
Meads, Anguilla
Flamenco, Puerto Rico
Arena, Dominican Republic
Little Hellfire, Australia
Lazio, Seychelles
Vaeroy, Norway
Horseshoe, Bermuda
Myrtos, Greece
Hidden, Mexico
Grand Anse, Grenada
Xpu Ha, Mexico
San Josef, Canada
Matira, French Polynesia
Capriccioli, Italy
Pasjaca, Croatia
Boulders, South Africa
Salines, Martinique
Champagne, Vanuatu
Marinha, Portugal
Balos, Greece
Achmelvich, Scotland
Kaputas, Turkey
Radhangar, India
Varadero, Cuba
Piha, New Zealand
Pink Sand, Bahamas
Beth loves her new career path and says she is saving to buy a property on Koh Samui.
“You can spend £70k for a basic three-bedroom apartment with four bathrooms, a communal pool and a countryside view.
“When you consider that wouldn’t get me a static caravan in Britain it’s a brilliant option.”
Beth admits she misses her family and friends.
“I was homesick for the first six weeks. I try to come back to Britain once or twice a year.
“Once you make a few friends, join the various social media groups for expats and get yourself into a routine it becomes a new normal.
“I have hope again. I thought I would never feel this way. It turns out sun, surf and wrangling tourists is the perfect tonic.”
TRACY Kennedy is the Queen of Holidays from £9.50, having taken 30 of them and with even more booked to come.
In her decades of Sun holiday experience, Tracy has stayed in holiday parks all over the UK – and knows exactly how to make the most out of your £9.50 break.
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Tracy Kennedy is co-owner of a Facebook group with 290,000+ members: £9.50 SUN HOLIDAYSCredit: Paul Tonge
So whether you’re wondering when is the best time to book, or how to choose a holiday park with plenty to do for both adults and kids – Tracy’s here with all the answers.
Is it best to book super early or wait for the last minute deals?
Lyn Shephard
Definitely book as early as you can, because the popular and cheap accommodation goes quickly. And it’s better to have more choice between the holiday parks.
Not everyone is able to book something in January. Don’t worry if you’ve missed out on booking early – there’s a top-up of £9.50 holidays later in the year.
Make sure to check all of the promotions that pop up, because sometimes the cheaper options will come back. They’re definitely worth a look, especially if you weren’t able to book on the first release.
Any suggestions for parks better catered to the elderly?
Henry McCaffery
I’d recommend Parkdean Resorts’ Cherry Tree in East Norfolk. It’s in a beautiful countryside setting, and only a short drive to the beach.
It’s very much a relaxing holiday, and there’s plenty to do nearby.
You’ve got Gorelston-on-Sea a 10-minute drive away, and Burgh Castle is only a couple of minutes away. Plus there’s Lowestoft to visit in the opposite direction, if you want a day trip out.
There’s also plenty to do on the park itself, and lots of countryside walks nearby. Norfolk is very flat, so you won’t have to walk up many hills.
Tracy recommends Parkdean Resorts: Cherry Tree in Norfolk for a relaxing countryside stayCredit: Park Dean ResortsStay at the Cherry Tree resort and you could take a day-trip to Gorleston-on-SeaCredit: Getty
Lighthouse Leisure up in Scotland is another good option. It’s a smaller park, with lots of local things to do in the area.
It’s less than an hour’s drive to Gretna Green, or you could visit Sweetheart Abbey, its a really pretty old building. There’s even bird-watching sanctuaries up there, too.
And if you visit at quieter times of year, like during school term times, any park will be quieter. Everything winds down then, and it feels a lot more peaceful.
Where is the best place to go on a walking holiday on a small budget?
Thomas Riley
For the best walks, I’d recommend a site in Wales or a site on the Coastal Path.
One of the best would be Golden Sands in Rhyl. If you use that park as a base, you’ve got loads of walks from there.
The walking route runs all the way from the holiday park to Llandudno – you probably couldn’t do the whole thing in one day, but it depends how fit you are!
Alternatively, stay at a camp near Snowdonia, and drive out there.
If you stay somewhere like Ty Mawr in Conwy, it’s about a 10-minute drive to get into Snowdonia. And there’s not much that beats the nature there!
A good option in England would be to stay in Malvern. You’ve got the Malvern hills, which when I went I thought were absolutely stunning.
Plus, it makes for a nice walking break that’s not coastal.
Lighthouse Leisure resort in Scotland is under 15 minutes’ drive to nearby Sweetheart AbbeyCredit: Historic Environment ScotlandGolden Sands in Rhyl, Wales, has a long stretch of beautiful coastline to walkCredit: Away Resorts
Can you buy more than one discounted holiday?
Elaine Burns
Oh yes you can! You can use your codes or the Sun Club entry to book as much as you want. You could book 50 holidays if you really wanted to.
I know people in my Facebook group who have booked weeks back-to-back and gone away for a whole month.
They were free to take some time off work, so they booked this way as it was more affordable for them. It was much cheaper than booking direct, so they were very happy!
Is there a curfew at holiday parks?
I. Jones
In my experience there’s been no curfews at holiday parks.
Once you’ve got your keys to your caravan, you can come and go whenever you want.
A lot of holiday parks have entertainment and bars open until midnight and beyond, but even when they shut that doesn’t stop you going out and coming home whenever you want.
Just make sure to double check with your specific park.
Parkdean Resorts: Ty Mawr is set in a stunning location close to Eryi National Park (Snowdonia)Credit: Park Dean ResortsHistory buffs will love a trip to Hastings to see its Castle and ruinsCredit: Alamy
My kids love going on sunny holidays while my wife and I love culture and history, how can we blend both into one holiday?
New budget includes a $7.6m military spending increase and aims to cut the deficit to 5 percent by the end of 2026.
Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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France has passed a budget for 2026 after two no-confidence motions failed, allowing the legislation to pass and potentially heralding a period of relative stability for Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s weak minority government.
The budget, adopted on Monday after four months of political deadlock over government spending, includes measures to bring France’s deficit down and boost military spending.
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“France finally has a budget,” Lecornu said in a post on X. “A budget that makes clear choices and addresses essential priorities. A budget that contains public spending and does not raise taxes for households and businesses.”
Motions tabled by France Unbowed, the Greens and other left-wing groups drew 260 of the 289 votes needed to oust the government. The far-right motion secured only 135 votes.
The results appear on a giant screen of the first vote on no-confidence motions against the 2026 finance bill [AFP]
Budget negotiations have consumed the French political class for nearly two years, after President Emmanuel Macron’s 2024 snap election delivered a hung parliament just as a massive hole in public finances made belt-tightening more urgent.
The budget talks have cost two prime ministers their jobs, unsettled debt markets and alarmed France’s European partners.
However, Lecornu – whose chaotic two-stage nomination in October drew derision around the world – managed to secure the support of Socialist lawmakers through costly but targeted concessions.
Reducing the deficit
France is under pressure from the European Union to rein in its debt-to-GDP ratio – the bloc’s third-highest after Greece and Italy – which is close to twice the EU’s 60-percent ceiling.
The bill aims to cut France’s deficit to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 from 5.4 percent in 2025, after the government eased back from an earlier target of 4.7 percent.
The budget includes higher taxes on some businesses, expected to bring in about 7.3 billion euros ($8.6bn) in 2026, though the Socialists failed to secure backing for a proposed wealth tax on the superrich.
It also boosts military spending by 6.5 billion euros ($7.7m), a move the premier last week described as the “heart” of the budget.
The Socialists did, however, win several sought-after measures, including a one-euro meal for students and an increase in a top-up payment for low-income workers.
Modi’s government presents annual budget, focusing on sustaining growth despite volatile financial markets and trade uncertainty.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has unveiled its annual budget, aiming for steady growth in an uncertain global economy rocked by recent tariff wars.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for the 2026-2027 financial year in Parliament on Sunday, prioritising infrastructure and domestic manufacturing, with a total expenditure estimated at $583bn.
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India’s economy has so far weathered punitive tariffs of 50 percent imposed by United States President Donald Trump over New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil. The government has sought to offset the impact of those duties by striking deals, such as its trade agreement with the European Union.
Despite the past year’s challenges, the Indian economy has remained one of the world’s fastest growing.
The budget for the new financial year, which starts on April 1, projects gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the range of 6.8 to 7.2 percent, according to the government’s annual Economic Survey presented in Parliament. It is a shade softer than this year’s projected 7.4 percent but still outpaces estimates by global institutions such as the World Bank.
To keep growth strong, the government said it will spend 12.2 trillion rupees ($133bn) on infrastructure in the new fiscal year, compared with 11.2 trillion rupees ($122bn) last year. It will also aim to boost manufacturing in seven strategic sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, rare-earth magnets, chemicals, capital goods, textiles and sports goods while stepping up investments in niche industries like artificial intelligence.
Despite plans to prop up growth with state spending, the government is aiming to bring down the federal government debt-to-GDP ratio from 56.1 percent to 55.6 percent in the next financial year and the fiscal deficit from its current projected level of 4.4 percent of GDP to 4.3 percent.
Sitharaman offered no populist giveaways, saying New Delhi would focus on building resilience at home while strengthening its position in global supply chains, marking a departure from last year’s budget, which wooed the salaried middle class with steep tax cuts.
Before the budget presentation, Modi on Thursday said the nation was “moving away from long-term problems to tread the path of long-term solutions”.
“Long term solutions provide predictability that fosters trust in the world,” he said.
Modi’s government has struggled to raise manufacturing from its current level of contributing under 20 percent of India’s GDP to 25 percent to generate jobs for the millions of people entering the nation’s workforce each year.
It has also seen a sharp decline in the value of the rupee, which has recently weakened to all-time lows after foreign investors sold a record amount of Indian equities. Those sales have added up to $22bn since January last year.
“Overall, this is a budget without fireworks – not a big positive, not a big negative,” Aishvarya Dadheech, founder and chief investment officer at Mumbai-based Fident Asset Management, told the Reuters news agency.
Jan. 30 (UPI) — The federal government mostly will go unfunded at least through Monday after the Senate on Friday approved a bill package to fully fund all but the Department of Homeland Security.
Five budget bills would fund the majority of the federal government through the 2026 fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, but Homeland Security only is funded through Feb. 13 in a sixth bill.
The two-week extension enables lawmakers to debate proposed changes regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection enforcement activities.
The six measures must be approved by the House of Representatives, which will take them up on Monday and send them to President Donald Trump for signing if House members concur with the changes made in the Senate.
While the measure awaits approval in the House and eventual signing by the president, the federal government mostly will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EST on Saturday, but lawmakers expect that lull to be short and over by Tuesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday told media that he expects to fast-track the voting by suspending the House floor rules and immediately approve the budget measures, which only require a simple majority in the House versus at least 60 votes in the Senate.
The vote to suspend the rules, though, requires a two-thirds vote of House members.
The Homeland Security budget still would need to be debated and could lapse if it is not approved and signed into law by the end of the day on Feb. 13.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told media he does not expect Homeland Security to be funded by Feb. 13.
“I believe this is a horrible bill,” he said on Friday. “I can’t believe we’re not funding ICE.”
He said he doesn’t believe it will be funded in two weeks, either.
Congressional Democrats are demanding an end to sweeps through targeted cities, want ICE and CBP officers unmasked and wearing body cameras, and want judicial warrants instead of administrative warrants issued to target and arrest individuals.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was unhappy that the Senate removed a provision approved by the House that would have enabled him and others to sue the Department of Justice for seizing his phone records during the Biden administration’s Operation Arctic Frost.
Graham was among eight Republican senators whose phone records were accessed by the DOJ, which he called illegal.
“Every Senator should make sure this never happens again,” he told media on Thursday.
Congressional Democrats generally were happy that the Homeland Security funding was separated from a six-bill package to fund the entire government.
They also successfully rejected an effort to reduce the maximum Pell Grant amount by $1,000 and blocked the president’s proposal to lower rental assistance funding and reduce the National Institutes of Health budget.
Democrats were especially pleased that measures approved by the Senate give the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program $20 million more in funding, while the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start each get another $85 million.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recently proposed 2026-27 state budget included a pleasant surprise: a deficit of about $3 billion — significantly less than analysts had estimated. But when it comes to California state budgets, good news rarely lasts. Newsom’s own estimates warn that the deficit may reach $22 billion in the following fiscal year.
It is all too common for California’s budget to careen from year to year. Between 2022 and 2024 the state experienced a $175-billion swing from surplus to deficit. This time the crunch came because spending fueled by the post-pandemic economic recovery was not sustainable when revenue plummeted just a few years later — but the state budget has long gone through similar boom-and-bust cycles.
Although California’s leaders deserve their fair share of the blame for putting the state on this budgetary roller coaster, there are three underlying factors that make effective fiscal management in California uniquely challenging: an overreliance on the state’s personal income tax; mandatory spending commitments that limit policymakers’ discretion to address challenges; and a lack of accountability for the taxpayer money that is spent.
First, California has an outdated tax system. In the 2025-26 budget, for example, the personal income tax made up nearly 70% of general fund revenue. By comparison, personal income taxes account for 38% of total state tax collections nationally. The Golden State’s extreme reliance on the personal income tax means that when incomes are high in California, revenue collections are strong, but when the economy slows and incomes fall, state revenue weakens drastically too.
The outsize role that capital gains — income from certain investments — play in revenue makes the volatility worse. High earners tend to earn a larger share of their total income this way. In fact, the unexpectedly narrow deficit in Newsom’s 2026 budget was due to what California’s Legislative Analyst Office identified as a $42-billion tailwind created by a robust stock market, which led more Californians to earn more capital gains and pay more taxes on those earnings. But when equity markets aren’t performing well, collections take a major hit. Consider this contrast: In 2021, capital gains accounted for almost a quarter of the personal income tax liability in the state, compared with just 10% in 2023.
The reliance on personal income taxes means that as the highest earners leave, so does California’s revenue. In the 20 years leading up to 2023, the top 1% of income earners in the state were responsible for an average of 45% of total personal income tax liability. That’s why policies like the recently discussed “billionaires tax” could lead to capital flight from California, jeopardizing the state’s ability to fund basic services.
The second complicating factor in California’s budget process is the amount of money tied up in spending commitments over which policymakers have little discretion. Many of these restrictions have been imposed by voters over the last several decades in ballot initiatives that have passed with significant margins. Together, these provisions — while well-meaning and politically popular in many cases — create limitations that make budgeting a challenge in California.
For example, funding for the state’s public schools is largely guaranteed by Proposition 98, a state constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1988 that establishes an annual minimum funding amount for public K-12 schools and community colleges. About 40% of the general fund budget in California, or nearly $90 billion in 2026, is committed without exception to K-14 schools through Proposition 98.
California voters have also approved tens of billions of dollars in borrowing over the last 20 years that the state’s constitution requires be paid back from the general fund. These bond authorizations create obligations to repay borrowing for priorities as wide-ranging as health facilities, water infrastructure and wildfire prevention. Repaying these “IOUs” requires policymakers to trim spending in other areas. Also, the state’s rainy-day fund, which is designed to insulate the budget from economic downturns, requires an annual set-aside of 1.5% of estimated general fund revenue.
Finally, California has no systematic way of providing accountability for and assessing whether any of its spending is producing promised outcomes. Governments at every level struggle with the concept of detailing what the “return on investment” is for public spending. But the situation in California is particularly dire. Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30-billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.
In the mid-2000s, California commissioned a unified financial accounting and transparency system known as Fi$Cal that was supposed to replace several outdated systems. Over a billion dollars and several blown deadlines later, the platform still isn’t complete and won’t be fully operational until July 1, 2032. While the state auditor, an official appointed by the governor, does a credible job of analyzing state spending, recommendations for improvements are often not implemented. And the state controller — the elected chief fiscal officer who is responsible to voters for financial oversight of state spending — hasn’t produced California’s annual financial audit on time since 2017.
It’s hard for a state to properly manage its finances when there’s confusion over how much it’s really spending, or whether that money is achieving its intended purpose. But that’s become business as usual here.
Policymakers will have a tough time addressing California’s budget and fiscal challenges unless each of these three underlying factors is addressed. Our antiquated tax code should be reformed to reduce reliance on the personal income tax and raise revenue in a more predictable way. Californians must understand that there are long-term implications of borrowing to address challenges and warily approach future bond measures and other initiatives that tie the hands of policymakers today. And voters should elect politicians willing to provide them with the oversight that’s needed for the taxpayer money that Sacramento spends.
Without these changes, Californians are probably headed for more fiscal follies in the years ahead.
Lanhee J. Chen is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and was a candidate for California state controller in 2022.
