Holidays require careful thought if travellers are looking to save money on their trip. It can often be a toss-up between taking the easy route and bagging a bargain break. Dilusha Hettiralalage, Consumer Savings Expert, at money-saving website Codes.co.uk has revealed her number one top tip for holidaymakers. By putting a little bit more time into booking a holiday, Britons can save hundreds of pounds.
Hettiralalage stressed the importance of investing time and booking everything yourself.
“Shopping around to book your flights, accommodation and transfers separately will likely take longer than finding a package deal online,” she told Express.co.uk.
“But it will be worth it in the end because the savings can run from a couple of quid to a few hundred pounds.”
To help with this, Hettiralalage recommends making the most of price comparison sites.
“There are price-comparison sites for most things nowadays,” the consumer savings expert said.
“For example, Jetcost is perfect for comparing flights, Hotelscan is great for comparing hotels and Compare The Market is just one site that you can use to compare the cost of various travel insurance packages.
“What’s great about these is that you’ll get the most cost-effective package.”
Another top tip is to fly mid-week if you’re looking to save the pounds.
“If you can help it, try not to fly on either a Saturday or Sunday, as these are the most popular days to fly and therefore prices are typically higher,” Hettiralalage said.
“Surprisingly, Friday is actually the cheapest day to fly, but any day during the week will be cheaper than the weekend.”
As for accommodation, holidaymakers should consider dropping a star on the hotel’s rating.
“Many people like to select a four or a five-star hotel, thinking this means they’re going to be living in luxury for the duration of their holiday, but that’s not necessarily what it means,” explained Hettiralalage.
“What people don’t tend to realise is that the star rating is actually to do with the facilities that a hotel has.”
Her final trick is to never be afraid to ask for a freebie. “It may well seem cheeky to ask for something free, but you never know unless you ask, and there are many opportunities in which you can do this,” she said.
“From trying to get express checking and priority boarding, to trying to get into an airport lounge or even upgrading your seat on the flight.
“If you don’t want to ask for a freebie, but still want something for nothing, why not email your hotel in advance and let them know it’s going to be a special occasion whilst you’re staying there.”
Travel expert Lisa Tyndall, Senior Growth Manager at flight comparison site Skyscanner, has also revealed there’s a simple way to save hundreds of pounds when booking flights if you’re willing to be flexible.
