15 ways to save when booking your holiday

According to the money saving team at PromotionalCodes.org.uk, booking in advance and avoiding package deals are the secrets to cheap holiday success.

The site has revealed its top tips for planning the trip of a lifetime without breaking the bank.

Other tips include using discount codes, travelling at off peak times and taking advantage of family bundles.

Darren Williams from PromotionalCodes.org.uk said: “Planning your holiday can be stressful and often it’s tempting to go for the lazy option of a package deal which can cost a fortune.

“But booking a holiday doesn’t have to mean spending loads, there are a few simple ways you can save money without having to compromise on where you stay.

“Saving money at this stage means you’ll have plenty more to spend on enjoying your holiday once you’re out there.”

Here are 15 tips for saving money when booking your holiday:

1. Search incognito for flights/hotels. Even when browsing for hotels and flights online, make sure you use an incognito window. Hotel and travel sites have certain cookies on their sites where they can track how many times you’ve looked at a certain site and bump up the price if they think you’re interested.

2. Ditch the travel agent. Book your holiday yourself. Avoiding travel agents will save you money because it means that you won’t have to pay them commission. Researching holidays online has never been easier and doing it yourself gives you the comfort of knowing that you have found the best possible deal. Don’t be afraid to call up travel shops and ask them for the best prices. In many cases if you mention that you were offered a better deal elsewhere they might reduce their initial offer.

3. Use discount codes. Voucher code websites are great for saving money on holidays and can make a real difference to your overall holiday cost. Visit voucher code websites for some great discount codes. Saving money before you go means that you will have more money to spend when you get there.

4. Many people assume that last minute holidays are the cheapest but a lot of deals do not include the cost of transfers, catering and insurance.

Shop around for the best deal and when you see a holiday you like, take the booking to the next stage. There are often additional charges added on so make sure you find out the final fee rather than comparing deals by just looking at the advertised price.

5. The trouble with booking online can mean that travel insurance is suggested on your flight or hotel booking automatically and it’s easy to agree to it without thinking. Make sure you book travel insurance separately and find the best deal on a price comparison site. Often supermarket travel insurance is the cheapest and simplest solution.

6. Holiday car hire can save a great deal on taxis to and from the airport. So if you're going to need it, book early to avoid sky-high prices.

Again, beware of costly add-ons like air-con, sat-navs and extra drivers. Before you book, work out what you need and ditch the rest. Finding fly-drive package deals and claiming cash back can also make savings.

7. Villas and hostels cheaper than hotels. If you don’t fancy battling it out for a sun-lounger each morning, rented villas offer space for large groups of friends, or families with kids who need to let off steam in your own private pool. Generally the larger the group, the bigger the per-person saving, so villas and apartments are much more cost-effective if you’re booking for a big group. Also, hostels have some excellent facilities with double and family private rooms. Check out reviews before you go and you could be surprised at how much you save.

8. If you have to book in the summer holidays, try and hold off until the very end of August and beginning of September. October half term is a great time to book a holiday too and could save you up to 20 per cent over peak season prices.

9. A must-have if you are visiting a city, many tourist destinations offer amazing sightseeing cards, that for a fixed price include entry to all the major landmarks and in some cases can be used as a travel card for public transport. Buy yours in advance and pick it up from tourist information at the airport.

10. It may be tempting to just book everything together in a package deal but hidden added costs can bump the price up enough to make your eyes water. Even simple things like booking your flights as two one way singles instead of return flights can save a great deal.

11. The general rule of thumb is book up to three or four months before you plan on going. Flights and trains all have a certain quota of seats that they’ll sell for the lowest price and once these seats are booked up, the next lot will be a bit more expensive and so on. This goes for accommodation too so book early to avoid this downfall.

12. Loads of tour operators run offers that allow children to travel for free with a paying adult so if you’re booking online you should always look out for them. This applies for lots of theme parks, attractions and hotels too.

13. Don’t fork out for a really expensive guidebook that you’re only going to use for this holiday. Pop down to your local library and borrow their copy for your trip or ask around your friends.

14. The pound is now at one of its strongest points and travelling in the Eurozone or US dollar will actually get you more bang for your buck.

15. Dragging yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn to catch a 4am flight might seem unspeakable now but it could save you a fortune in the long run. Early morning and overnight fares are generally cheaper and travelling at off-peak times will mean more time for your money in your chosen destination.