TAKE A BREAK
16 must-check rules to follow before booking a holiday – and it could save you £100s
We explain ways to cut costs when booking your getaway
BOOKING a holiday where you’ll have a great time without breaking the bank can be very stressful.
But following several little tips and tricks can slash the cost of going away by hundreds, if not thousands of pounds.
1
Even seemingly irrelevant decisions, like what day of the week you make the booking on, can make a huge difference to the cost.
The Sun has spoken to travel experts to gather all the best advice for going on vacation at bargain prices.
Book your holiday at the right time
How far in advance you should book depends on when and where you are flying.
Skyscanner has a nifty tool that lets you plug in your intended destination and when you want to travel, and it tells you the cheapest time to book.
MORE ON MONEY
For instance, if you want to go from London to Greece in May, the best time to book is 12 weeks ahead.
Booking 18 weeks ahead would cost you 80% more and leaving it to just 8 weeks ahead could double your costs too.
With the average family spending £1,828 on flights for a nine-day holiday, according to analysis by Nimblefins, booking on the right week can save you thousands.
Book your holiday on the right day
The best time to pick up a bargain is by searching for your flights as close to midnight as possible on a Tuesday or Wednesday, according to The Parent Social’s Francesca De Franco.
Most read in Money
“Both the time of day you take a flight and the timing of your online search for flights can result in huge cost savings," she said.
"Remember to search using an incognito browser so you don’t get cookied, which results in so-called 'personalised pricing'.”
Skyscanner analysis shows that Tuesdays are the best time to book, as many airlines release their sales late on Monday evening or early on Tuesday morning.
Choose what day you leave carefully
Flying internationally on a Friday would save you 26% on average, compared to travelling on a Sunday, which is the most expensive day to leave, travel agent Expedia found.
Based on the average flight costs outlined above, that would be a saving of £475.28 for a family of four.
Expedia added that flying in the morning means you’re significantly less likely to be disrupted by cancellations than later in the day.
De Franco says: “Opt for the un-popular flight times - super early flights mean getting up at crazy-o-clock, but you can save £100s.”
It’s also worth considering the length of your holiday, seven and ten days are most popular.
So, you can sometimes make considerable savings by opting for nine or 11 days, particularly if that means you avoid travel on the most popular days.
Avoid the school holidays where possible
If you’ve got school-age children, you might be tied to going away in the school holidays, especially accounting for hefty fines of up to £240 for a family with two children and two parents.
Parents can even be prosecuted, facing jail time and an additional £2,500 fine.
But if you are able to travel in term time, the savings are considerable.
Data from comparison site GoCompare found that a package holiday to Spain cost £1,179 per person in school breaks compared to £925pp in term-time – a saving of £254 per person.
In France, holiday-time bookings cost an average of £238pp more than in term time. For a couple travelling, that means you could save more than £500 by avoiding the breaks.
A spokesperson for GoCompare said: “Overall, package holidays during school breaks see an average price increase of 18% and the destination that increases their prices the most is Greece, hiking their costs by 28% - an extra £285 per person."
Pick your destination wisely
Regardless of when you travel, different destinations are better or worse value at different times of year.
For instance, looking at the four most popular destinations for half-terms and school holidays, GoCompare found that Spain was cheapest at Easter, Greece was best for budgeters in May and October, and Italy was the best value in summer and winter holidays.
By keeping an open mind about your destination and checking prices for a wide variety of countries, you could save thousands of pounds.
Keep your eyes peeled for deals
Regular offers from airlines, hotels, and travel agents can slash the cost of your holiday, especially if you’re booking last minute.
Sarah-Jane Outten, shopping expert at MyVoucherCodes, shared her top round up of offers that are currently available:
- Jet off to popular holiday spots like Crete, Mallorca, Malta and Morrocco with Love Holidays. It is offering up to £250 off selected holidays this summer
- TUI and First Choice have free child places up for grabs on selected holidays, but act fast as free child places get snapped up quickly
- If your idea of the perfect summer holiday is a staycation, be sure to check out Hoseasons. There are selected holidays available right now with up to 40% off
- Consider booking a summer holiday with Jet2Holidays. It is currently offering up to £240 off selected breaks. In addition to this, Jet2Holiday packages include a 22kg baggage allowance and return transfers. There are some free child places up for grabs too
- MyVoucherCodes has an exclusive discount code that will give you up to 35% off at Radisson Hotels up until the 14th of June 2024
- You can get 8% off Expedia bookings with a discount code at MyVoucherCodes, this offer is available until January 2025
- Disney lovers can make the most of a great deal from Virgin Holidays. It is offering £300 off per room with the free drinks and dining offer
- Until the 30th of June, MyVoucherCodes is giving away an exclusive £40 Amazon voucher when you spend £2100 at Virgin Holidays
Buy online - but not through travel agents
Mystery shoppers for consumer champion Which? paid multiple visits to Co-Op Travel, Hays, Kuoni and Tui branches and found a couple could have saved, on average, £252 on a one-week holiday in Spain by booking the same holiday online themselves instead.
In the most extreme example, seven nights in Spain was £887 cheaper online compared to Kuoni’s quote, they found.
Experts warn holidaymakers to be extra cautious of online travel agents slapping on extra fees.
Another piece of research from Which? found booking a flight through some online travel agents can be more than £100 more expensive than booking direct with airlines, once you add in the cost of luggage and seats.
That’s because comparison sites and online agents have cheaper headline prices, but then charge more for the extras.
For instance, when Which? searched for a cheap flight to Orlando, eDreams quoted £556 for a return flight from London Gatwick with British Airways - but to book directly with BA, you’d pay £558 - £2 more.
However, once Which? added in hold luggage and a seat, the price through eDreams shot up to £814. BA quoted £712 for the same flight with the same extras – £102 less.
Use comparison sites
Make sure you shop around for every element of your holiday, from flights and hotels to insurance and airport parking.
It's a good idea to check a few different comparison sites as they may have different deals.
Before you book, check what the cost would be if you booked directly, as this should mean you get the best price available at the time.
Pay with a credit card for extra protection
Putting your holiday on a credit card won’t save you money (unless it’s a cashback card!), but it could later down the line.
Credit cards come with powerful Section 75 protections, which mean you can get your money back if things go wrong.
This is particularly valuable in protecting against holiday scams, which are on the rise according to research from Lloyds.
The bank found these scams have risen 7% over the past year, with people losing £765 on average - and those aged 35 to 44, often booking trips for their families, make up over a quarter of victims (27%).
If you do use a credit card, make sure you pay it off in full straightaway. You’ll still get the protection but won’t be stung with high interest rates for delaying payments.
Buy airport parking in advance
Last year, Holiday Extras said its customers saved an average of £191 per trip by booking their airport parking in advance.
Book as soon as you know the dates you'll need to park.
There are usually savings to be had, even from booking just one day before you travel.
Sort travel insurance as soon as you book
A fifth (19%) of British holidaymakers were planning to travel without any travel insurance over the next 12 months, according to Mintel’s UK Travel Insurance Market Report 2023.
If something goes wrong, you’ll be faced with expensive bills, which could include thousands of pounds in medical fees or costs to get back home if there are travel issues.
Lots of people are left out of pocket if their airline cancels their flight or they have an issue with their hotel, but may not realise they would have been covered with travel insurance.
First, check whether you’re covered by your bank to avoid doubling up, and if not, shop around for a good deal by using a comparison site.
You should do this the day you book your holiday, rather than leaving it to the last minute.
Otherwise, you won’t be covered for sickness or cancellation in the weeks leading up to travel.
Check in early
Lots of budget airlines now charge you if you leave check-in till you get to the airport.
For instance, RyanAir charge up to £55, while Wizz Air has a £12 airport check in fee. But if you check yourself in online, you won’t have to pay anything.
As an added bonus, for some airlines, checking in as early as possible also allows you to select seats together without paying hefty prices.
Comparison site MoneySavingExpert calculates that a family of four could spend more than £250 to sit together on a return flight.
But, if you’re willing to take the risk and are prepared to check in online as soon as possible, you might be able to sit together for free.
Travel light – and book baggage in advance
If you can avoid taking hold luggage, you will save yourself a substantial sum - but if you do need suitcases, make sure you weigh them carefully at home.
Excess baggage at the airport costs a fortune, so if you’ll need extra, it’s worth biting the bullet and booking it up front to save money.
Often, upgrading to Economy Plus or equivalent depending on the airline is cheaper than adding baggage separately, so crunch your numbers to get the best deal and factor this in when comparing your flights.
Don’t leave your currency exchange to the last minute
Buying local currency in the UK before your trip will save money on costly ATM and bank charges.
It also means you have cash readily available for items such as taxis, small vendors and local shopping where cards may not be accepted.
Research by travel card Currensea found that families are losing out on an average of £75, or €89, by exchanging cash at airports due to poor rates and high fees.
However, around four in ten (36%) parents with school-age children still get their travel money in this way.
Graeme Buck, director of communications for ABTA Travel Money, said: “People are spending more while on holiday overseas and that can’t just be put down to inflation.
"Over the past two years, UK prices have risen by a total of 9.3% whereas overseas holiday spend is up by 54% for a longer holiday.”
Choose the right travel card
Research from TotallyMoney found that some providers charge a whopping £4.59 in fees on a £20 withdrawal. In real terms, this represents a 22.95% charge.
For larger transactions, the representative charge decreases, but can still add a huge £7.99 in fees on a £100 cash withdrawal.
TotallyMoney CEO Alastair Douglas said: “Before you go away, double check how much your bank will charge you for using your card abroad.
"If you’re lucky, you might already have a fee-free option in your wallet
“If not, and you’re planning on using credit, then consider applying for a Halifax Clarity or Barclaycard Rewards card — specifically for overseas use.
"Both offer fee-free purchase and cash withdrawal transactions abroad.”
If you need to use your credit card for ATM withdrawals abroad, avoid using it for multiple, low value cash transactions — and instead consider taking out fewer but larger amounts.
That way, you can avoid lots of withdrawal fees. Let’s say you take out £200 in one go, to cover you for four days, you might incur up to £15.98 in charges.
On the other hand, if you take out £50 per day over the four-day long weekend, you could end up paying the bank £31.96 extra.
Never opt to pay in “pounds”
Whenever you’re paying by card, or withdrawing cash, and you’re asked if you’d like to pay in the local currency or pounds – always choose the local currency.
Choosing to pay in pounds sterling will lead to currency conversion fees set by the ATM operator or vendor — and, worryingly, there’s no limit to how much they can charge.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
James Lynn, Co-Founder of Currensea, explained: “We found that over half (55%) of people are still unaware that choosing to pay in pounds when overseas can result in a much worse rate.
“When given the option of paying – or withdrawing cash – in Pounds rather than the local currency, always say no. Otherwise, the salesperson gets to decide the exchange rate and you’re likely to lose out.”
Options for holiday spending if you don't want to exchange currency
THERE are several specialist cards that can give you a great exchange rate.
These cards include travel credit cards and pre-paid cards which can let you pay abroad without fees or at a set exchange rate.
Travel credit cards: Travel credit cards allow you to spend money abroad without being hit by any fees or hidden charges.
But, they may still charge you for taking cash out.
We recommend the as it won't charge you for using it abroad, nor are there any fees for withdrawing cash.
But you will be charged interest if you don't repay your balance in full at a rate of 19.9 per cent.
And you will be charged interest on cash withdrawals until your balance is paid off too, at a rate of between 19.9 and 27.95 per cent depending on your credit score.
In other words, just because you are using plastic abroad doesn't mean you don't have to pay these credit cards off like you normally would.
Always pay off your balance before the end of the month with these cards to make sure that any money you saved isn't wiped away by paying interest.
For more on travel credit cards you can read our guide here.
Pre-paid cards: An alternative to carrying cash around is to get a pre-paid card.
These cards allow you to put a set amount of cash on the card at a fixed exchange rate.
So if the rate is good at the moment, you can put money on your card and it will stay that rate when you are on holiday.
Just keep in mind that these cards can sometimes have hidden costs and charges so be sure to read the small print.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Topics