How to get a great holiday deal

There’s only one thing better than being on holiday and that’s looking forward to getting away, knowing that you got the best deal out there. Take a look at our top tips for driving down the cost of your next holiday and see how much you could save.

Unleash your inner yogi

We don’t mean that you need to start wearing stretchy trousers, but being more flexible can yield excellent results in terms of savings. Think about being open to the idea of a non-weekend departure day, as midweek flights are often considerably cheaper. Try widening your search to different airports, too, for a greater choice of holidays. You probably have a preferred airport within easy distance of home, but a little extra travelling time can safeguard a decent proportion of your budget.

Be more devil-may-care about destinations

This might sound a little odd, because you normally know exactly where you want to go, but bear with us. Rather than being focused on a country, why not try searching for a specific type of holiday instead? This will open up a lot more destination options with various price tags and let you see parts of the world you never expected to! Whether you’re after a snow sports adventure somewhere unusual, a lazy beach retreat or a family-friendly break, there will be so many viable destinations that you haven’t thought of before, with plenty well within your budget.

Leave it until the last minute

It’s no secret that last-minute deals can be incredible value for money if you dare to wait. With a specific period of time booked off work, what’s to stop you simply booking something two days before you leave and taking advantage of drastically reduced flights and hotel costs? Empty seats on planes are a travel operator’s worst nightmare, just as unoccupied rooms make hoteliers very unhappy. If you can hold out until the last second, you should be able to snap up an incredible holiday deal, but don’t be afraid to haggle in person. Every penny counts, even when you assume a holiday can’t be reduced much more!

Be savvy about your spending

Self-catering deals usually look to be the cheapest holiday option, but take a minute to think about whether you are going to want to shop and cook for yourself every day. This is meant to be a holiday! Eating out is great but adds up quickly, and before you know it, that super cheap self-catering week becomes a lot more expensive than an all-inclusive deal you’ve rejected. If you know how you want to spend your days, you can be more realistic about your accommodation choices, so for a lazy resort-centered break, you might find that paying for most things ahead of time will save you a huge amount of money in the long run.

Ditch the taxis

There’s a serious temptation to go all out and just taxi everywhere when on holiday, but don’t! Forget about car hire, too. If you want to keep control of your spending, try to book a resort within walking distance of anything you’d want to visit on a daily basis, and for anything further afield, see if it’s accessible by public transport. Your eco credentials will get a boost, as well as you getting to see more of the country.

It doesn’t take much to get an amazing holiday deal; just try to be a touch more adventurous and flexible during your search and the money saved could be your next holiday!

The editorial unit