In summertime the living is supposed to be easy. Yet booking a family holiday without stretching your finances to breaking point is becoming increasingly difficult.
Recent research from travel deals platform HolidayPirates found that the price of a summer holiday had increased by 17 per cent since last year, with the typical getaway now ringing in at £2,363 for a family of four. Trade title TTG reported that the average price of a Jet2holidays package increased by 11 per cent from £750 to £830 in the year between April 2023 and 2024.
It’s not all bad news, though. There are still savings that can be made if you’re savvy. Harnessing these travel hacks could help you keep your budget in check.
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Travel at the end of August
Many people like to go straight from desk to deckchair as soon as the school holidays start, saving the last week of August for back-to-school prep and getting back into a term-time routine.
However, delaying a getaway can help take the pressure off the budget. Research from global travel app Skyscanner suggests that travellers can save an average of 44 per cent by booking a trip in the last week of the summer holidays instead of the first.
Online travel agent loveholidays has made similar, if slightly more conservative, findings, with its data indicating that a seven-night holiday in the last week of August can be up to 8 per cent cheaper than in late July.
For example, a week-long all-inclusive break at the brand-new Elios Hill resort near Heraklion in Crete costs £1,283pp with Manchester flights departing next Thursday, through Tui. The price falls to £1,030pp for a departure on 27 August – a saving of more than £1,000 for a family of four.
Book on a Tuesday
With flights and hotel prices changing dynamically, influenced by a range of factors, finding the best prices can often feel like pot luck.
However, according to digital booking platform HotelPlanner, there’s a sweet spot for making bookings during the week that could help you save money. The company’s research reveals that holidaymakers can save between 5 per cent and 8 per cent on international travel by booking on a Tuesday.
CEO Tim Hentschel explained: “Most often, the pricing teams for hotels and tour operators meet on a Monday to review what’s sold well over the weekend. Then on Tuesday morning they’ll update their systems and websites with deals and offers to increase bookings to hotels and destinations where they have more availability.”
Booking at off-peak times, such as at 6am or midnight on Saturday and Sunday, could also lead to better deals, Hentschel says.
Try destination dupes
These are the holiday destinations that have similarities to more mainstream places but are more affordable because they’re less popular. You could also think of them as understudies.
For example, swap Amsterdam for Utrecht, Barcelona for Tarragona, and Venice for Aveiro in Portugal.
On the summer holidays front, you could swap Croatia for neighbouring Montenegro, switch Mykonos for seaside Rabat in Morocco, or trade the Spanish Costas for the Albanian Riviera with its 450-kilometre coast and accommodation options as low as £50 a night for a family of four.
In the UK, meanwhile, Sykes Holiday Cottages is reporting that Holmfirth in West Yorkshire, Staithes in North Yorkshire and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales are topping the list of best-value destinations for a UK holiday, thanks to flying under the tourist radar.
Switch holiday parks
According to data from consumer champion organisation Which?, Center Parcs is the most-visited holiday park brand in the UK, but it failed to deliver value for money among the respondents to its annual survey, receiving just two stars in this category from Which? reviewers.
Hoburne Holidays, which has parks in Cornwall, Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire and South Devon, and Hoseasons, which runs more than 750 parks across the UK, fared much better, receiving four stars each for value for money. Stays with Hoburne and Hoseasons cost an average of £47 and £46 per person per night respectively, compared to Center Parcs’ £79.
Bluestone in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is another contender. With a similar swimming-dome set-up to Center Parcs, it specialises in all-weather active breaks with a range of free – as well as paid-for – activities that include sand and water play, playgrounds and history walks. Four-night breaks from 29 July start at £980 for a family of four.
Do some background research
At this time of year, holiday companies often release data on the best value summer holiday destinations, which can be found during a quick scan of company blogs or through a Google search.
On TravelSupermarket’s blog, for example, you can currently find a list of the “10 cheapest family holiday destinations for July and August” compiled using search and booking data from the first 10 days of July. The Costa Dorada, Costa Brava and Fuerteventura top the list, followed by Costa Blanca, Morocco and Bulgaria.
Skyscanner, meanwhile, has earmarked Marrakech, Istanbul, and Antalya as some of the cheapest places for a hotel stay this July and August. Riad Porte Royale in Marrakech, for example, has double rooms for £76 B&B per night in mid-August.
Let exchange rates inspire you
There are parts of the world where the pound is much stronger than the local currency, meaning you’ll spend less on everything from meals and drinks to local transport and excursions while you’re away.
Look into holidays to Turkey’s Bodrum and Antalya areas, Bulgaria’s Pomorie and Nessebar, Tunisia’s Hammamet, Sousse and Skanes, Morrocco’s west coast around Agadir, and North Macedonia’s up-and-coming Ohrid area, which is ideal for families.
And it’s even good news for trips to Europe and the US, with the pound strengthening against both the euro and dollar. It is now close to the $1.30 mark, last seen in August 2022.