Travel, particularly in the summer holidays can be an expensive thing to do, yet for some people that have kids or are teachers they find themselves restricted to this time of year.
We all have our own financial stories, and perhaps this year, a holiday hasn’t seemed on the cards for you – but as we approach the summer holidays, you find yourself unable to resist the temptation to scratch those itchy feet of yours… yet, in looking for great deals, you might be in a state of frustration with how expensive the majority of holidays are this summer.
With the weak pound making Europe more expensive than ever, this summer, it really does pay to find a good deal on a holiday. Sites like moneypug are great for comparing cheap holidays amongst many other financial services, whilst specialist sites such as SkyScanner are a great place for comparing flight prices and finding cheap deals.
In that vein, this article looks at some of the most effective ways to travel in a way that conserves cash, meaning you will have more to spend at the destination, and perhaps you might be able to afford something much nicer than you were originally thinking as a result of being savvy with your travel booking.
- TRY TO BOOK FLIGHTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
A decade ago, the practice of waiting to the last minute and even turning up at the airport to find a cheap standby flight was a good way get a substantially discounted flight; but today, low cost carriers have disrupted the market and changed airline pricing strategy forever – meaning the day of departure is usually the most expensive time you can buy a ticket.
That said, there can be some good deals with airlines such as Thomson and Thomas Cook who rely mostly on package holidaymakers to fill their flights – so sometimes, there will be a really cheap deal for the next day or two; as they are trying to sell off empty inventory.
- FIND CHEAP HOTELS
If you’re booking your holiday independently, which is always advisable when searching for the cheapest deal (as this way you aren’t paying travel agency commission) you’ll want to be sure to visit comparison sites that will compare hotel listings from multiple providers. This is often the cheapest way to find a good deal as it shows the various prices charged across the web for the exact same hotel room; so whilst it might be €50 on Expedia for instance, it might be €32 on booking.com.
- FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS
If you can be flexible with your flight dates then you can find some great deals by searching for cheap flights via comparison engines such as skyscanner. This way, you get to compare hundreds of flights to find the cheapest and most convenient option for you; flexibility is your friend when it comes to searching for cheap flights, however, even in terms of where you fly from – as whilst it might be more convenient to fly from your closest airport, you could end up saving a lot of money flying from a major hub such as Gatwick.
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