AFTER the expense of Christmas, planning a summer holiday might be the last thing on your mind. But did you know booking now could actually knock HUNDREDS off the price?
From choosing when to travel to how you pack, our expert suggestions will make your trip substantially more affordable. Don’t lose out by waiting until the last minute – do these 15 things NOW to bag the best summer bargain.
1. Set up price alerts for flights
If you haven’t got set dates that you need to travel, you can set up price alerts on flights to find the best deals.
To do this, click the “price alerts” button on your results page on comparison sites like Skyscanner, Kayak or Google Flights.
You then need to enter your email address to be alerted if prices drop.
It’s important to remember that, while comparison sites are great for checking prices across many different airlines, it’s usually cheaper to book directly with the airline, especially after adding on checked bags and seat selection.
2. Book flights at least two months in advance
Don’t wait until the last minute to book your flight – it rarely pays off.
Instead, book your flights well ahead.
According to research by Skyscanner, the cheapest time to book international flights is normally two to six months before you travel – meaning that you should be booking as early as January or February if you plan to fly in July or August.
Skyscanner’s Savings Generator tool can help you find the best time to book your flights.
3. Fly midweek if possible
If you can fly midweek, do.
Opting for a flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday is often cheaper than on weekends due to lower demand.
According to research by Skyscanner, the most expensive days to fly are Fridays, Sundays and Mondays due to business and weekend travel demand.
So if you have flexibility, go for a midweek flight to save money.
4. Join hotel loyalty schemes
Hotel loyalty programmes make your holiday spend spread further.
Member benefits include discounts on bookings, earning points for free nights or upgrades, and redeeming points or vouchers for flights, hotels or other travel expenses.
In fact, research by Which? suggests that loyalty schemes are the cheapest way to book hotels – outstripping even popular platforms like Booking.com and Hotels.com.
Most chain hotels have loyalty schemes, which are free to join and promise instant access to discounted room rates.
Free membership with the likes of Hilton and Accor can save you up to £40 a night – that’s around £300 for a week in Dubai via the Hilton Honors loyalty scheme.
5. Collect air miles and loyalty points
Your weekly shop could help pay for your summer holiday, as long as you sign up to the right loyalty scheme.
Tesco Clubcard points can be converted into Virgin points: £1.50 of Clubcard vouchers will get you 300 Virgin Points, which can be used for flights and upgrades.
Meanwhile, Nectar points can be changed into Avios points, with one Avios per 1.6 Nectar points.
You can use this as currency towards flights with airlines including British Airways, Qatar Airways and Iberia.
But you’ll need to get spending in Nectar retailers for that flight – with around 18,500 Avios needed for a short-haul economy return flight.
6. Pick a budget-friendly holiday destination
The Algarve, in Portugal, is Europe’s best value-for-money destination, according to a report by the Post Office.
For the ninth year running, it emerged as the cheapest holiday destination in 2025, thanks to low-cost meals and drinks.
A three-course meal for two with wine will set you back just £40.33 in this sun-drenched region.
Resorts in Cape Town, Bulgaria and Spain’s Costa del Sol, where a beer costs around £2.07, £2.47 and £2.46 respectively, also ranked well for affordability.
Before homing in on your destination, it’s worth checking roughly how much you may spend while you’re away via the report and other cost of living databases like numbeo.com.
7. Research where to get cheap eats
It’s always a good idea to research your destination before you travel – especially if you’re looking to cut costs when you arrive.
Eating out can burn a serious hole in your pocket, so swot up on best bargain restaurants, food trucks and markets ahead of time.
Google Maps allows you to filter by price, while review sites like Tripadvisor or OpenTable have value-focused lists.
When you arrive at your destination, make lunch your main meal – this is when many restaurants offer good value set menus – and avoid eating near the main tourist hotspots.
Sites like TheFork, Time Out and Groupon offer discounts on dining in cities around the world.
8. Snap up free kids’ places… by January
When researching your summer holiday, look out for free children’s places on package holidays.
These allow one child (aged up to 16) to travel for free with two full-paying adults on a holiday package.
This includes their flights and accommodation.
Many holiday operators, such as Tui and Jet2Holidays, also include transfers, food and drink and entertainment like kids’ clubs.
But you’ll need to be quick – free child places are in high demand and can be limited, so book early to bag the bargain.
If you’re travelling in peak summer, it’s a good idea to book in early January to get the holiday you’re after.
9. Weigh up a package holiday against a DIY break
Depending on where and when you travel, a package holiday might be the cheapest option, particularly if you’re staying on an all-inclusive basis.
This means you won’t have to splash out on meals, snacks and drinks locally.
However, it’s always worth comparing the cost with a DIY break.
According to MoneySavingExpert, booking late (no more than 10 weeks before departure) is normally the cheapest way to get a package.
But doing this means you run the risk of losing out on other discounts, such as free kids’ places, which you usually need to book well in advance – so weigh up all your options.
10. Start a savings pot
Parents fork out over £1,000 extra per week during the school holidays, according to research from life insurance broker Reassured.
This is before they add on an extra £481 per person for a holiday abroad.
So it’s a good idea to start putting money aside for next year’s summer holiday now.
Decide how much you want to spend next summer, factoring in the cost of food and experiences while you’re away, and start saving gradually.
Divide the total into however many pay days you have left until your holiday, and set aside part of the budget in a savings account, repeating the process every payday.
This should help reduce the financial stress of the holiday when it rolls around.
11. Book airport parking early
The cost of booking airport parking can creep up if left until the last minute.
The earlier you book, the more likely you are to find the best price.
For instance, if you turn up at Manchester Airport’s multi-storey car park to park for a week, you’ll fork out £406 – quadruple the price of a booking made four months in advance (£95).
Heathrow’s short-stay car parks cost £616 per week at the turn-up price – £393 more than if you book a month in advance (£223).
Even booking just a couple of hours ahead can be far cheaper than the price if you pay on arrival.
Other tips to cut the cost of airport parking include using trusted off-site providers, such as APH, I Love Meet and Greet and Sentinel Car Park, which are usually cheaper than the official airport car parks.
If you have an early flight or live far from the airport, seek out airport parking hotel deals, which often offer a better rate for parking.
12. Dodge tourist trap destinations
Popular hotspots tend to cost more – so look to lesser-known alternatives for cheaper rates.
For instance, if you’re heading to France, consider Lille instead of Paris for a more affordable French experience.
In Lille, the average daily cost per person (including accommodation, food, transport and entertainment) is about £128 (€146).
Meanwhile, the same will cost you £230 (€265) in the French capital, according to budgetyourtrip.com.
Lesser-known spots help you stretch your budget by offering lower accommodation and dining costs.
13. Keep baggage costs under control
Make sure you know your luggage allowance – and stick to them – to avoid unnecessary baggage fees.
Each airline has its own restrictions, so check yours well in advance to avoid hefty fees of going over the limit.
For instance, easyJet charges around £10 per extra kilo at the desk, while Ryanair charges an extra £10.50 per kilo that you go over.
The cheapest way is to travel light and take hand luggage only.
Create a packing list in advance, and only pack what you will realistically use.
Roll, instead of fold, your clothes to maximize space and take travel-sized toiletries instead of bulky bottles.
If you can’t be this ruthless with your packing then add your checked bag at the time you book your flight – it will cost less than adding it on later.
14. Book hotels on your smartphone for a cheaper rate
This simple trick could save you hundreds of pounds when booking a hotel stay – make the booking on your mobile phone instead of your laptop or computer.
Which? Travel discovered that this can give you a much better price.
Platforms such as Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com offer mobile-only discounts on selected hotels with up to 40 per cent off stays – but only if your booking is made on a smartphone.
The research found you could slash £270 off the cost of an apartment in Amsterdam on Booking.com, and save £60 on a weekend in Edinburgh with Expedia thanks to these mobile-exclusive prices.
So to make sure you’ve found the best deal, it’s always worth double checking a mobile and laptop price.
15. Book at the end of the summer season
As demand increases, so does the price.
Being flexible about when you travel can lead to huge savings.
If you want to get the best deals on flights and accommodation, consider a holiday later in the summer season.
Many Brits escape in the early summer months, leading to price peaks in June and July.
Prices become less steep in late August and early September, as it is less popular.
In 2023, average ticket prices dropped by £94 from their peak in early July to August, according to Expedia.
Some airlines and hotels will tempt you with discounts to encourage booking in the less popular months.
So, to save on your sunshine, scheduling your trip for the end of August could be the way to go.