To help you save potentially hundreds on your next holiday, these travel industry experts have revealed the top tips they use when looking for a bargain break, from setting up flight price alerts to booking on a Wednesday.
1) Wednesday
Instead of leaping on the nearest Saturday, think with a more-mid week mind. Less people tend to fly on these days so flight prices drop to attract buyers.
Filip Flipov at travel search site Skyscanner says, “Starting
your trip on a weekend can make a huge impact on the price of flights. Try
comparing travel from a Wednesday rather than a Friday to Friday.”
2) Book
online or through apps
Often holiday agents reward you for booking online or via
their app. The usual amount tends to hover at 10% but it can be much more.
Expedia’s mobile app offers up to 40% savings on last
minute hotels booked via the app.
3) Set
up price alerts
Some websites offer to keep you in the loop when the
prices of marked holidays or flights drop. This is something you should want to
be a part of, as long as you aren’t in a rush to book.
Skyscanner let travellers sign up to their alerts and
they will email you when the cost of a specific flight route drops. You can
track up to 25 flight options at once.
4) Book
out of season
Rebecca Baines of Mr & Mrs Smith says, “While you do
need to be careful about travelling out of season when obviously weather can be
less reliable, you do get the best rates.”
If you are booking a Caribbean holiday go in May or June,
when you can save 30% on rooms compared with December to April. It might rain,
but it never gets cold.
“In Europe, travelling in May, September and October is
often best – you miss the peak crowds, and hotels usually lower their rates,”
says Rebecca. The general rule is to travel a month before or after peak times
so that the weather is still fine but the rates substantially lower.
5) Book
early
The earlier you book your travels the better. For most
popular European destinations that means booking as much as nine months in
advance, room rates are usually at their highest when availability is at its
lowest. Many hotels offer non-refundable early bird bookings.
Bob Atkinson, travel expert at Travel Supermarket, says
it’s even more crucial to plan ahead for school holidays. “These dates sell out
quickly and will rarely go down in price. Don’t travel in the first or last
weeks of the school holidays – these are the busiest and most expensive.”
6) Book
late (especially in May and September)
I know this goes against the previous point, but if you
aren’t booking a trip during school holidays – and like living dangerously –
gambling by booking late can pay off.
Atkinson says you can often save as much as 50% on last
minute hotel and flight deals as holiday providers drop prices to get you on
board if tickets haven’t sold.
“These tend to occur just before and just after the main
holiday periods with the best late deals usually in May and June and also in
late September and October. Last minute travel in January is also often cheap.”
7) Mix
& Match
Skyscanner's Filip Filipov says, “It pays to mix and
match your airlines, you can often save money by flying out and back with
different airlines or from different airports.”
It’s worth taking the time to have a look around and
doing your homework – it could save you hundreds.
8) Don’t
pay extra at check in
When booking flights, use online search tools that find
the lowest fares and show you what extra fees might be added, so you aren't surprised at the gate or check-in.
Trip Advisor has a flight search tool which helps you find
low fares, view baggage fees, compare legroom and view previous passenger
photos from inside the plane.
9) Be
flexible
Instead of searching by location or date, search by
price. On Skyscanner you can view all the prices of one flight path over a full
month, so you can cherry pick the cheapest day.
Or search by location if you are uncommitted to the final
destination and check what the cheapest place to fly to on the day you want to
travel.
10) Get
travel insurance!
Get your travel insurance with Discount Insurance and see
how much you could save!
It is important to make sure that you and your family are
protected against any unforeseen circumstances that could not only ruin all
those well laid plans but leave a scorching hole in your pocket.
Categories: family, Holiday, Location, money, Money saving Tips, save money, Travel, Travel Insurance, travel supermarket
