Everybody loves to escape reality and go on holiday! But we all know how planning a holiday can be stressful and get rather expensive, so here are a few tips to help you plan the perfect holiday.
Booking a family holiday? Look for free child places!
If you’re planning a family holiday, look for free child places, which are great for keeping the cost down. Most tour operators such as Thomson, First Choice and Jet2.com offer free child places on their holidays. But be sure to book your holiday as soon as possible as free child places can go fast.
Tip: Free child places have age restrictions and may have a restricted use, so make sure to check the tour operators’ T&Cs.
Holiday protection
When you’re booking a package holiday, ensure that the travel company has ATOL protection. This protects you from losing money or getting stranded abroad if the travel company ceases trading.
If you’re an independent traveller where you’ve booked your flights, accommodation and maybe car hire individually, you don’t have the same protection, so it’s best to take out comprehensive travel insurance. For more information about holiday protection, check out moneysupermarket.com for some simple and straightforward advice.
Tip: When booking a holiday that says it’s ATOL protected, read the small print to make sure all parts of your holiday are protected before purchase. Also, ensure you have received your ATOL protection certificate before going away – you need this to make any claims.
Extra costs when booking your flights
When booking your flights, airlines offer plenty of extras for you to choose from and often they’re a luxury, not a requirement.
Seat reservations: Although paying for a seat reservation is probably best if you’re traveling as a family so you can sit together, it’s not a necessity, especially if you’re traveling alone or with your partner.
Holiday insurance: Airlines will often offer you holiday insurance when booking your flights. If you haven’t taken out a holiday insurance policy this might be a worthwhile investment, especially if you’re making a last minute booking. But if you’re planning ahead you may want to shop around first.
Extra baggage costs: Avoid paying for luggage to be placed in the hold as it can get expensive. If you’re going on holiday for a short period of time, it’s possible to fit a week’s worth of clothes into a small suitcase which you can take as hand luggage. If you wish to take extra luggage, don’t forget if you pay for a suitcase to be placed in the hold for your outbound flight, you will have to pay again for your return flight too!
Tip: If you need to take a big suitcase, why not ask someone you’re travelling with to share a suitcase between you? This means you can share the cost of placing a bag in the hold.
The power of the internet
Looking for cheap flights? Skyscanner is an easy-to-use website that can help you find the cheapest flights available for your chosen travel dates.
Always check reviews before booking your holiday, as they can be helpful, give you an idea of what to expect and maybe even help you decide which hotel to book.
Don’t forget about spending money! You can even shop around a little online to find out who’s offering the best exchange rates when you need your foreign currency.
When shopping for holiday insurance, comparison sites are great for helping you find the best deal. Just make sure it meets all your needs before you buy it.
Tip: Before shopping for holiday insurance, see if you already have it. Sometimes, it can be included with certain types of bank accounts.
It’s all about the timing
Travelling as a family? When you have children it’s difficult to find a holiday that’s reasonably priced and falls in the school holidays. So if you plan to go away during the school holidays, book well in advance to avoid any last minute expense.
If you aren’t travelling in the school holidays but you’re still looking for a bargain, try to be flexible with your dates when searching, as traveling a day earlier or later can make a huge cost saving.
Tip: If you’re looking for flights for a last minute holiday, then according to Skyscanner, Tuesday afternoon is the best time to grab yourself some cheap flights!
Social media is your friend
If you’re planning a holiday far in advance or planning a last minute getaway, social media can be a great way to find some bargain deals. Often, airlines announce sales they’re running on their social media accounts, so you could grab some cheap flights or a discount package deal. If you follow travel/leisure pages on Facebook such as Travelzoo, myholidayguru.co.uk and Holidaypirates.com, you can often find some brilliant deals for holidays in the UK and abroad.
Sign up for email alerts
Visit the websites of your favourite airlines, tour operators and travel websites and where possible sign up for their newsletters. You’ll get advance notice of sale periods, new routes with introductory rates and you may even be sent discount codes straight into your inbox!
Have you got a checklist?
It’s important to be organised when going on holiday. You don’t want to get to the airport to be told you can’t travel because your passport is out of date, so here’s a checklist to make sure you have all the essential items for your holiday.
Did you know you can put money aside each month towards your perfect holiday with Park Christmas Savings? – Take a look at our Love2shop Holidays blog post to find out more!
