be as savvy as ever when booking your next holiday getaway
Holidays are back on the agenda for many of us after two years that saw so much international travel limited and plans scuppered.
The travel industry understandably made huge losses during the pandemic. Many operators are now on the hunt to recoup much of that.
That means you need to be as savvy as ever when booking your next getaway to ensure you get the best deal possible. Here are our top tips to help you book a holiday for less.
Be flexible on dates
The biggest concern is always making sure that you are going on holiday at the right time.
If you don’t need to stick to the school holidays, going outside of these windows will work out cheaper. Operators are always keen to make up the shortfall compared to their busiest times of the year.
Book at the right time
Some travel providers might be keen to get revenues in as early as possible and offer cheap deals if you book far in advance. Similarly, they tend to lower prices in the weeks and days before deals are due to expire. Last-minute deals could offer large savings if you can hold your nerve.
There are several apps and websites that can help you track the fluctuations in prices of things like flights and hotels over time.
Avoid web trackers
Travel companies can collect huge amounts of data about you that they can use to alter the prices you see when you try to book a holiday. For example, do you always book the aisle seat on a plane? Some might be able to work this out and only show you aisle seats at higher prices.
One way to combat this is to install a tracker blocker on your internet browser. This practice then becomes impossible for the operators, and you only see the fairest prices.
Contact hotels directly
Comparison sites are great for showing you all your options. But they might roll prices into one and not show you the true reflective costs of each part of your booking.
Most sites, however, should show you a breakdown of where you’re booking things from – for example, flights, hotels, and transfers.
You may be able to then contact these providers directly and check you’re getting the best deal.
Don’t forget insurance!
You might think that taking out holiday insurance is an easy way to waste money when booking your holiday. But you must take out the cover as soon as you book your getaway.
Your policy will kick into gear as soon as you take it out, so the cover is much more likely if something goes awry before you go away. You’ll lose everything you’ve invested into your holiday if you’re not covered at that point.
