Save money on your summer holiday

Like so many things in our lives, habits tend to dictate our holidays: where we go, when we go and how long we stay. Yet the more flexible you can be, the more opportunities you will have to save money.

Most of our suggestions below are relevant if you put together your own holiday or use a travel agent. If you do book through a travel agent, let them know that you are willing to be flexible and would like them to shop around for the best deals. 

Make sure that they are ATOL (Air Travel Organiser's Licence) and ABTA (The Association of British Travel Agents) protected, as this will give you extra protection. In the case of ATOL, if your airline or travel agent goes bust and you had booked a flight plus one other thing, either accommodation, car hire or a cruise, then the scheme will refund the cost of the trip or get you home if you are abroad. 

If you buy a land or sea-based package holiday, such as a coach, rail or cruise holiday from an ABTA member, your money and holiday will be protected by ABTA’s financial protection scheme.

Be flexible with time.

•    Can you fly on Friday? According to a five-year study by British online travel agent Skyscanner, Friday has consistently proven the cheapest day of the week for flights from the UK.

•    Saturday is typically an expensive day to fly; in fact it is the most expensive day to fly to Europe.

•    If you are restricted to summer holidays, look for holidays towards the end of summer. Prices start to decline as children from across Europe (including Scotland) go back to school and typically, parents avoid holidaying right before their children return to school.

Be flexible with location.

•    If you want to travel abroad, check the Post Office Holiday Money Report that will help your money go further on international holidays. It is published every year and the latest report shows South Africa and Turkey are the best value for money destinations.

•    If you want to stay in the UK, check out the national tourist board for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. These sites are a mine of information for places to go, things to see and activities to try. They often provide information on ways to save money too. 

Be flexible about the length of your holiday.

•    Most holidays are advertised at one or two weeks because that’s the typical amount of time people take for their holiday. If you can book for an unusual amount of time -  for example 15 nights instead of 14, you may be able to save money and get extra time on holiday.

Be flexible when booking flights.

•    If you are booking your flight, you may be able to find a bargain by using a flight-comparison site, which can compare prices from thousands of websites in seconds. Use a search engine to find ‘cheap flights to…’ and you will have all the major flight comparison websites at your fingertips.

•    You may be able to secure even better bargains if you are flexible on airports; for example, if you can depart and land at different airports, both in the UK and at your destination.

•    Do you have loyalty points for your preferred airline? Check if you have enough to reduce the price of your holiday and you will be able to enjoy extra perks by booking direct too.

Be flexible on hotels.

•    Just as there are flight comparison websites, there are websites that can help you shop for the best deal on hotels.

•    When you have a hotel you’re happy with, call them to check the price (it is actually sometimes cheaper to book direct) and you can always ask them to match the price you’ve found if they are more expensive. The benefit of booking direct is that you may be able to enjoy extra perks such as a free breakfast, and you’ll be giving money directly to the hotel owners, who may be independent business.

While flexibility can certainly save you money, there are certain things that are non-negotiable.

Always pay in the local currency.

If you use your bank card to pay in shops, hotels and restaurants abroad, you will often be asked if you want to pay in the local currency or pounds sterling. Always pay in the local currency because that way you avoid what is often can be an unfavourable exchange rate.

Always check the travel advice. 

If you are travelling abroad, the Government’s Travel Advice website will provide the latest travel advice by country including safety and security, entry requirements, travel warnings.