While we’re only just seeing the first signs of spring, the summer will be here before you know it – and that means holiday time for many.
But travelling in peak season can mean you’re paying a premium, which is something many can’t avoid if they have children or people who can only take annual leave in the school holidays. Parents face fines for taking children out of school for trips outside of set holiday time. Similarly, many people can only take annual leave outside of term time, such as teachers, which makes it tricky for friends or couples who want to travel together to get discounts.
Consider a multi-stop holiday
While not ideal if you have younger children, those travelling with teens could benefit from going to more than one destination. A long layover or multi-stop holiday might sound like a logistical nightmare, but you can use it to your advantage to see more of the world. Book an extra night in a layover city, or fly to one place in Europe and interrail to the next to see even more of the continent.
Don’t be scared of package deals
Package deals can be bargains if you hunt around. Make sure you know what is and isn’t included: accommodation, flights, transfers, luggage allowances, breakfast only or all food and drink, and additional activities. If you want a holiday in the sunshine with cocktails by the beach, all-inclusives can be a great deal because alcohol is often the largest cost for the holiday. Or, if you prefer a sightseeing adventure, booking packages with a tour not only nabs you a bargain because of their group discount prices, but also takes the stress of logistics away from you.
Bundle your insurance
Make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance for everyone going on the trip. But before you look for individual insurance, check if you already have some with your bank account or if you can get a good deal adding a travel policy to your home insurance instead.
While package holidays do come with insurance, they might not cover all eventualities – especially if someone in your party has pre-existing health conditions. Read the small print and make sure you get insurance that fully covers you from the day you book your trip (not just before you travel). This will mitigate any potential issues such as last-minute cancellations.
Discount cards and railcards
Make the most of all kinds of discount cards. Students can benefit from cheap international travel with a TOTUM card, as can professionals under the age of 30 who are members of a professional union. Blue Light cards are those which offer discounts for people who work in the emergency services – and some include those who are family of key workers, too.
Railcards are great if you want to spend your summer travelling around the UK. The Family and Friends Railcard saves 1/3 on adult fare and 60% off child fares. It’s valid for up to two adults and children, but only one adult needs to travel with a child. Children’s fares under the age of 5 are free. If you have a disability, you could qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard, saving 1/3 off rail prices – and entitling a travelling companion the same discount.
Those aged 16-25 or 26-30 can get a railcard for 1/3 off fares, as can seniors over the age of 60. Couples or friends who travel together can make the most of a Two Together Railcard (both must travel to use it). All of the railcards offer 1/3 off prices, though there may be some restrictions – for example, the Family and Friends Railcard is only for off-peak travel.
Be flexible on dates and location
It is much easier to find a great deal if you are flexible in one of two ways (or both!). First, if you are limited in the dates you can take for your holiday, be willing to try a new destination that you hadn’t considered before. You could nab some great last-minute deals for flights and hotels that want to fill empty seats if you’re not set on a particular destination.
Second, be flexible on dates if you can. Travelling midweek will always be cheaper than travelling on a Monday, Friday, or Saturday. If you have older children travelling with you, you could also be flexible on timings, choosing an overnight flight rather than a middle of the day one.
Pack light
Try to keep your luggage to cabin bags only. If you can take everything you need for each person into one hand luggage bag each, with no checked bags, this makes you far more flexible for travel. There are a couple of benefits for this. First, you’re not left waiting potentially hours for your bags when you arrive – or risk losing half your luggage in transit.
But you are also more likely to be considered for travel upgrades if you don’t have checked bags – especially if you can be flexible about timings and want to get to the airport early in case you can be shifted to an upgrade on an earlier flight. Finally, packing light also means you won’t be stung with any last-minute luggage fees!
Opt for low daily spending destinations
Sometimes, it can be more cost-effective to take a more expensive and longer-haul flight to get to an overall cheaper destination, especially if you’re not booking a package deal. Destinations such as Laos, Penang, Bali, Bolivia, and Lithuania all offer very low daily spending costs, with luxury hotel rooms as cheap as £30 a night in some places, and food not more than £5 a dinner.
Just ask!
Live by the mantra: “Don’t ask, don’t get”. Be polite, of course, and never entitled – but if you ask people on reception, flight desks, or other places you go on your holiday if there are any extras you might be able to wangle, you’d be surprised at what you can get for free or at a big discount. For example, asking at hotel reception if they have any rooms you can upgrade to on the spot. They would rather upgrade you at a discount than going through a third-party booking site and losing additional fees to them.
Sign up to deals alerts
Finally, one of the best ways you can stay alert of the best deals and discounts online for your summer travel plans is to sign up to newsletters and emails. Make sure you opt in to receive alerts from your favourite travel sites like Expedia, Lastminute.com and Booking.com so you don’t miss out on deals.
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