USE COMPARISON SITES FOR FLIGHT AND HOTELS
Always use comparison sites such as Skyscanner or Kayak or flight and hotels deals. These sites are fantastic for allowing you to search for flights and hotels within your budget and puts you directly in touch with the suppliers and agents. You’ll be amazing how much you could save by spending a few minutes on these comparison sites.
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CONSIDER A FLEXIBLE HOTEL STAY
The last thing you want is to be out of pocket in case your holiday plans change. Consider booking a flexible hotel stay which will allow you to cancel your booking without a penalty. You can even cancel a few days before your trip and pay a cheaper non-refundable fare (if available) which can save you even more money. It is still worth checking if there are any cancellation fees and the final date for cancellation. If you are not sure if a booking is refundable, it’s best to call the hotel or supplier directly to confirm.
BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DESTINATION AND DATES
If you are flexible with your dates and the time you fly, you can really find yourself a bargain. Skyscanner will allow you to choose ‘everywhere’ in the destination search box and allow you to choose flexible dates, so you can see what destination is the cheapest at a particular point-ideal if you are just looking to get away. You can also use clever the Skyscanner tool if you are flexible with your destination but have fixed dates or have a fixed destination in mind but dates are flexible. Using the calendar view on most airline or comparison sites can help you find the cheapest airfare.
It may be stating the obvious but travelling outside of peak holiday periods will guarantee you a cheaper fare and not leaving the booking until the last minute as prices normally go up the closer to the departure date.
LOOK OUT FOR SPECIAL OFFERS
Who knew Black Friday also applies to holidays!
You can get great offers on flight and hotels on certain occasions so if you are planning a holiday consider waiting for Black Friday, Christmas/New year sales or subscribe to airline and hotel newsletters to find out about any special offers. Following airlines and hotel social media pages may also allow you to be the first to access special deals.
Hotels can also have some fantastic special offers whether it be free nights, free board or free room upgrades. If you like the look of a hotel, always check the hotels site directly as the hotel may have special offers that you can only get if you booked directly, that a third party may not able to provide. It’s also worth signing up for hotel loyalty programmes majority of which are free to join. They can offer as much as 20% off your stay and may even bag you a room upgrade if you ask nicely.
BOOK ALL HOLIDAY EXTRAS IN ADVANCE
For those who like to plan, it’s worth booking all holiday extras such as car hire, airport transfers, Travel Insurance etc. In most cases, the earlier you book the better the price. Don’t forget to look for online voucher codes online which can also help to bring the total costs down.
Booking an airport transfer in advance for example not only saves you money, but also avoids any hassle at the airport at your final destination. Booking activities, Train Tickets and City Tours in advance can also guarantee availability as well as allowing you to take advantage on online only special deals.