12 Travel Tips to Save on Your Holidays

September 24, 2012 · by Elizabeth · 9 Comments

Saving on travel expenses has never been easier with hundreds of websites and tour operators such as Thomson offering steeply discounted holiday packages. If you plan your trip well in advance, you can save hundreds of pounds on flight tickets, hotel booking and even car rentals. Some more easy ways to save money on your holiday this year are:

1. Using your mobile phone overseas can be very expensive. Try to limit calls to a minimum, use international calling cards, or best, stick to Skype for maximum savings.

2. Get a credit card that offers air miles on purchases. It can literally wipe hundreds of pounds off your air fare bills, especially if you travel frequently.

3. Join a hotel loyalty program. Top hotel chains like the Marriott, Hilton, etc. offer loyalty programs to frequent visitors with deep discounts and other benefits.

4. Book your holiday tickets and hotel rooms through a trusted tour operator.. These operators have a wealth of experience and can help you find package deals with heavy discounts.

5. Be flexible with your dates. If you can move your travel dates around, you can hop onto unsold seats on long haul flights at heavily discounted prices.

6. Book your flight tickets at least a month and a half in advance. Any earlier than that and you will end up paying extra. Simultaneously, you can get drastically reduced prices if you book your flight tickets at the very last minute (although there is no guarantee of availability). You may also check out websites that offer last minute travel deals.

7. Use Bing’s price predictor tool to gauge the demand for flights and book your tickets accordingly.

8. Whenever possible, go for a package deal, as they tend to be much cheaper. Tour operators are the best resources for cheap travel package deals.

9. Travel in the off-season if you can. The hotels are far cheaper, the flights inexpensive, and the destination itself quieter and more peaceful. This is especially true for seasonal tourist spots such as Ibiza, Florida, or the Caribbean.

10. Take to the water: cruises can often work out to be far cheaper than a comparable flight + hotel package. Not only do you get all-inclusive stay and food, you can also avail of fantastic entertainment facilities aboard the cruise.

11. Travel like the locals: you can save hundreds of pounds on local transport by skipping cabs and taking to the local buses, trams and trains.

12. Last, but not the least, know your destination! The more you know about your holiday destination, the more you’ll be able to save on transport, food and stay. Avoid tourist traps as much as possible, stick to restaurants frequented by the locals, and stay in hotels that are a little off the beaten track for extra savings and a more authentic travel experience.

Thanks goes to Thomson for sponsoring this post!

Elizabeth (1812 Posts)

I'm Elizabeth, a 40-something Michigan wife and mother of three. I created Table for Five in 2005 as a way to connect with other Moms, and I've been blogging ever since. Please click the About tab at the top of the page to read more about me and my family! email: table4five@gmail.com