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If you're booking your summer holidays now to banish the cold spell blues, let Martin Lewis show you how to cut your costs
What type of holiday you want, where you're heading and how long for can impact how much you pay. And as right now is prime summer holiday booking time, follow the key MoneySaving rules and you'll get the holiday you want at the cheapest possible price, which could end up saving individuals hundreds, and families thousands.
Rule 1. Packages can be cheapest
As a rule of thumb, go away SPECIFICALLY for seven, 10 or 14 days to a traditional holiday destination, such as Spain or the Greek islands, and package deals (flights and accommodation booked together) can cost less than paying for the flights and hotel room separately. Yet if it's a city break, long haul or any other length of trip, DIY on the web wins.
Rule 2. Use the right cheap flight finder
Don't think there's just one type of cheap flight finding websites; there are different types for different tasks. Know when and where you want to go and screenscraper-esque sites like Kayak, Travelsupermarket and Skyscanner speedily find you the cheapest.
If you just want the cheapest budget airline flight, and are flexible on dates then my Flightchecker site lets you tel say "find me all flights under £10 each way all in to Venice in March" or even I'll go anywhere – Skyscanner also has some similar functions. Do of course though beware of the masses of hidden extras the airlines will try and add.
Or if you are searching for a charter flight, Flightsdirect and Avro can check for the cheapest of those too and are great for popular tourist destinations.
For a full breakdown, more tips and guidance see the useful links section
Rule 3. Haggle package holiday costs
Tour operators make holidays, travel agents sell them. So identical holiday packages are sold by many agents.
Thus, once you've found the holiday you want, ring around some agents and ask them, "can you beat the quote?". It's likely you could save an extra 10-15% with just half an hour's work.
More info, including haggling techniques, in the useful links section.
Rule 4. Avoid travel agent insurance – do it yourself
Book a deal with a travel agent and they'll usually try to flog you insurance – it's where huge profit lies.
Accept and you'll often pay more for a week's trip than for a year's cover if you booked directly with insurance firms or brokers. For example, right now you can get an annual individual policy to Europe for just £15, or £30 for a family.
In fact even if you were to just pop to the supermarket and grab a policy there, it's often a fraction of the cost of travel agents policies.
For all the top deals and for specific cover options, see the useful links section.
Rule 5. Grab free flights!
Some credit card companies offer new customers freebies for getting their plastic; including free flights.
Right now you can get a free British Airways flight to Ibiza, Malta or other destinations if you get a Lloyds TSB Duo card via AirMiles. All you have to do to 'trigger' the freebie is spend £10 on the card (but remember to pay this off fully to avoid being charged interest).
For a full list and pros and cons on each card, see the useful links section.
