cost of going awayEven seemingly irrelevant decisions, like what day of the week you make the booking on, can make a huge difference to the cost.
With the average family spending £1,828 on flights for a nine-day holiday, according to analysis by Nimblefins, booking on the right week can save you thousands.The best time to pick up a bargain is by searching for your flights as close to midnight as possible on a Tuesday or Wednesday, according to The Parent Social’s Francesca de Franco.
Based on the average flight costs outlined above, that would be a saving of £475.28 for a family of four. In France, holiday-time bookings cost an average of £238pp more than in term time. For a couple travelling, that means you could save more than £500 by avoiding the breaks. Sarah-Jane Outten, shopping expert at MyVoucherCodes, shared her top round up of offers that are currently available:
Consider booking a summer holiday with Jet2Holidays. It is currently offering up to £240 off selected breaks. In addition to this, Jet2Holiday packages include a 22kg baggage allowance and return transfers. There are some free child places up for grabs too Until the 30th of June, MyVoucherCodes is giving away an exclusive £40 Amazon voucher when you spend £2100 at Virgin HolidaysMystery shoppers for consumer champion Which? paid multiple visits to Co-Op Travel, Hays, Kuoni and Tui branches and found a couple could have saved, on average, £252 on a one-week holiday in Spain by booking the same holiday online themselves instead.
However, once Which? added in hold luggage and a seat, the price through eDreams shot up to £814. BA quoted £712 for the same flight with the same extras – £102 less.Make sure you shop around for every element of your holiday, from flights and hotels to insurance and airport parking.Before you book, check what the cost would be if you booked directly, as this should mean you get the best price available at the time.
If you do use a credit card, make sure you pay it off in full straightaway. You’ll still get the protection but won’t be stung with high interest rates for delaying payments.There are usually savings to be had, even from booking just one day before you travel.A fifth of British holidaymakers were planning to travel without any travel insurance over the next 12 months, according to Mintel’s UK Travel Insurance Market Report 2023.