As holiday prices rise here are 21 top tips for a budget trip

Posted on : 01/23/2023
As holiday prices rise here are 21 top tips for a budget trip
Travel 

Fly on a Tuesday, book direct, sign up for an escorted tour: As holiday prices rise here are 21 top tips for a budget trip

  • With the pound wobbling, booking an all-inclusive holiday makes a lot of sense 
  • Go during ‘shoulder months’ and steer clear of June to August
  • More: Holiday prices to popular destinations soar in the latest cost of living blow 

Make your holiday budget stretch further with our handy guide

Planning a holiday requires plenty of cunning to keep a lid on spending. With that in mind, here is our guide to making sure you don’t end up paying too much…

BE OPEN-MINDED

Flight-search sites such as Skyscanner or Google Flights show you best-value destinations from your nearest airport. You never know what may catch your eye.

BUY PLANE TICKETS EARLY

Pick up the cheapest fares by being quick off the mark. Airlines usually release tickets around a year before departure, but some carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet have shorter pre-sale periods.

BEST DAY TO TRAVEL 

Airfares are at their cheapest for flights to Europe on Tuesdays, according to the travel comparison site travelsupermarket.com. Many business travellers prefer to fly on Mondays and return on Fridays, so the cheapest weekend mini-breaks can often be Thursday to Tuesday.

TRANSATLANTIC FOR LESS

Budget airlines such as Norse and Play have made fares to the U.S more competitive 

Fares for U.S. flights are rather competitive, especially to New York (from around £300 return), thanks to new budget airlines such as Norse (flynorse.com) and Play (flyplay.com). There’s JetBlue (jetblue.com), BA (britishairways.com) and Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com), too.

EUROSTAR HACK

It’s best to book Eurostar tickets as soon as they are available. Most are released 180 days before departure at eurostar.com.

CURRENCY CHECK

Sterling is doing well year-on-year with the Turkish lira (up 23 per cent), Egyptian pound (30 per cent), Swedish krona (4 per cent), Japanese yen (4 per cent) and Hungarian forint (3 per cent). See changes at xe.com. And never buy foreign currency at the airport.

GO ALL-INCLUSIVE

With the pound wobbling against some currencies, booking an all-inclusive holiday makes more sense than ever. Try tui.co.uk, thomascook.com and jet2holidays.com.

GET MORE MONEY ADVICE

Each year Post Office Travel Money releases a report on costs at overseas resorts. Marmaris in Turkey came out cheapest most recently, followed by Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, the Algarve in Portugal and Cape Town in South Africa.

JOIN A TOUR

Signing up for an escorted tour can cost 25 per cent less than going DIY, as operators get discounts on accommodation, attractions and guides. Check the latest deals at group specialists newmarketholidays.co.uk, titantravel.co.uk and travel.saga.co.uk.

TRY A TRAVEL AGENT

High-street travel agents can sometimes offer cheaper deals

Travel agents rarely get a look-in these days. But see if a High Street agent such as barrheadtravel.co.uk, trailfinders.com, flightcentre.co.uk and haystravel.co.uk can do it cheaper. You may be surprised…

BEST-VALUE MONTHS

November and January are the best for bargain hunters. ‘Big discounts are on offer,’ says Brian Young, managing director of G Adventures (gadventures.com).

AVOID THE SUMMER

Go during ‘shoulder months’ and steer clear of June to August. May and September are the best for sun and low prices.

BOOK HOTELS DIRECT

Hotel websites often offer lower rates than general booking sites, so always check with the hotel. Compare with the likes of booking.com and hotels.com.

STAY ON A SUNDAY

If you’re after a couple of days away in the UK, try staying on a Sunday night, when rates can be as much as 50 per cent off.

SIGN UP FOR DEALS

Free membership-based websites have sprung up, offering flash sales on package holidays to the Med, and hotel stays that need to be filled. See travelzoo.com, secretescapes.com, holidaypirates.com and voyage-prive.co.uk.

LAST-MINUTE GETAWAYS

If you are brave enough to wait until the last minute, many tour operators offer deals of as much as 60 per cent off the original cost — and 20 to 30 per cent in the weeks before departure. TUI (tui.co.uk) is great for this.

GREAT CITY RATES

Cities that are popular for business travel, such as Milan, Frankfurt, Munich and Luxembourg City, often have cheaper hotel rates at weekends. Many European cities also offer ‘city cards’, with discounts on attractions and transport, to be bought in advance. Lisbon has 24-hour cards costing from £17.45 (shop.visitlisboa.com).

HOLIDAY HOME DISCOUNTS

If you are taking a large group of friends or family, wait to book until a month before going. Discounts of 40 per cent on UK holiday homes are possible. Try byquince.co.uk, vrbo.com or cottages.com.

CHEAP EUROPEAN TRAINS

Avoid high-speed trains when on a Europe rail adventure and opt for cheaper regional services, especially on Wednesdays or Sundays. See fredholidays.co.uk, seat61.com, thetrainline.com and raileurope.com.

LONG ADVENTURES

Save on your heating bill by disappearing somewhere sunny for a month or longer. You can only stay in the EU for a maximum of 90 days during any 180-day period. Jet2holidays.com offers 55 nights at the Ourapraia Hotel Apartments in the Algarve from £1,612 pp, with Stansted flights on February 10.

FIND MORE TIPS ONLINE

Check out our budget city guides for short-haul destinations with rooms for less than £100 a night at dailymail.co.uk/travel.

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