Nothing beats a summer holiday, with the change of scenery and combination of sun, sea and sand helping improve people’s mental wellbeing and giving them a well-deserved rest.
But with the cost of living crisis still forcing many of us to be more frugal than ever, how can you enjoy a summer holiday without breaking the bank? Greg Potter, Head of Member Experience at Leeds Credit Union, takes a look.
Keep an eye on last-minute deals
If you can afford to leave booking your holiday until late in the day, websites specialising in last-minute holiday deals are invaluable.
There are plenty to choose from like loveholidays. With this provider, as well as allowing you to search for any destination, you can also see what’s available for a whole calendar month, rather than having to input a specific date. While this doesn’t sound like much, it’s an extremely convenient tool that saves a significant amount of browsing time.
It also offers a low deposit scheme and different payment options, meaning you can book even if you can’t afford to pay for it all in one go – ideal if you’re on a tight budget.
Better yet, loveholidays is a member of ATOL, which means all its holidays – from flights to hotel bookings – are financially protected.
Sign up for flash sale alerts
Like last-minute holidays, flash sale offers only work if you’re able to leave booking a holiday until the eleventh hour. If you can, they’re well worth investigating.
Sites like HolidayPirates offer great deals at seriously low prices but only for a very limited time. To stay in the know without having to constantly check its homepage, sign up to its email list and follow it on social media to find out about offers before everyone else. Speed is of the essence though – these deals get snapped up fast.
Look for discount codes
Websites like My Voucher Code offer money off vouchers which can be redeemed against holidays, so it’s definitely worth a cursory glance to check if your destination of choice is included.
Use comparison sites to book hotels
As well as letting you check lots of hotel sites quickly, comparison sites usually help you find the best prices. Of course, there are several comparison sites to choose between and each will probably throw up a different result, so it’s worth checking at least three of the most popular ones before deciding who to book with. As well as Trivago and Hotels.com, you should consider Skyscanner, Kayak and TripAdvisor too.
All these sites also allow you to filter results to only show hotels that offer free cancellation – a useful option that will prevent you from ending up out of pocket.
Talk to your hotel before booking
Before you book a hotel online, give them a call and find out if they offer discounts by booking directly with them – they occasionally offer direct bookers money off for booking early or three-for-two deals.
Once you’ve started a conversation with them, you might even get freebies like free Wi-Fi thrown in too. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Leeds Credit Union provides straightforward and affordable financial services to people in Leeds
Photo: Shutterstock
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