Travelling abroad for a well-earned holiday doesn’t need to break the bank. Practical strategies can help you keep costs down without compromising your destination or activities.
This guide will cover our top tips for securing inexpensive deals to relieve travel stress.
*Disclosure – This is a collaborative post
Be Flexible with Travel Dates and Destinations
Most destinations offer significant savings outside of their peak season. The shoulder seasons, usually in the spring and autumn months for destinations in the Northern Hemisphere, are a great time to avoid overtourism and extreme temperatures.
Booking a trip in April or September will make finding better deals for flights, hotels, and package holidays much easier. Midweek flights will likely result in cheaper flights as airlines fill empty seats with lower fares.
Being open to lesser-known destinations will let you capitalise on unexpected deals. Albania boasts beautiful Mediterranean coastlines at a fraction of the price of Croatia and Greece, with fewer crowds.
Use Flight and Accommodation Alerts
Platforms, including Skyscanner and Google Flights, allow you to set up flight alerts to track prices and receive notifications when prices drop. Specify your preferred travel dates and destinations and enable email alerts to snag deals.
Similarly, you can set up accommodation alerts on sites like Expedia after selecting hotels you’re interested in. Set a benchmark for the price you’re willing to pay and check different comparison sites.
Use a VPN to Access Regional Deals
Utilising a VPN on your PC can help you bypass geographical internet restrictions to find region-specific discounts that aren’t available in the UK. VPNs mask your IP address, allowing you to browse as if you were in another country.
Car hire prices, for example, can massively vary depending on where you book from. You may find savings in your holiday budget by comparing quotes from various countries. VPNs also come with the added bonus of websites being in English by default if you set them to a UK server when you’re abroad.
Leverage Loyalty Programs and Memberships
Signing up for airline loyalty programs can result in exclusive discounts and upgrades through regular bookings. These programs are especially useful if you travel to the same destination yearly. The points you accumulate slash the cost of buying outright, giving you more money to spend at your destination.
Many airlines allow their passengers to use points to upgrade their seats to business or first class and access lounge facilities. Combining points with off-peak season dates will lead to major savings compared to booking independently in July or August.
Consider Alternative Airports and Routes
Budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair often operate from secondary airports at your destination and in the UK. EasyJet’s recent expansion to Southend Airport in Essex provides travellers in the South East with options for European and North African destinations at generally lower prices than Heathrow.
Layovers are a good option for longer flights. While they lengthen travel time, the price difference can be significant. Some airlines allow passengers to stay in a connecting city for a few days without increasing the price, creating a new adventure along the way.
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