Ways to holiday for less

Staycations are said to have increased in popularity lately due to families needing to tighten the purse strings.  A holiday, whether at home or abroad can be as cheap or expensive as you are prepared to make it.  With a little shopping around and by looking in the right places you can find that you can keep costs to a minimum no matter where you choose to go.

Hotels aren’t your only accommodation option

Large families in particular probably worked this one out a long time ago.  Hotels not only limit the number of people you have to a room but also contain very limited facilities – neither of which are an advantage to families.  Rather than going for this option automatically or as part of a package deal have a look around at the alternatives.  Cottages or apartments are great when you want all the comforts of home when you’re far from it.  Most offer full self catering facilities including fridge freezer, cooker and microwaves as well as laundry appliances too.  Your family won’t be cramped into a single hotel room and you won’t be faced with having to split up between two or more rooms, as we’ve had to do before.  Space, all the amenities and comfort and often for much, much less than the cost of a hotel.

Find the best deals online

The internet has given us total freedom when it comes to hunting down bargains and making fabulous savings and holidays are no exception.  We like to load up the minibus and set off by road, simply because it’s much easier for us to have everyone belted in and not running around trying to board flights or trains.  No matter what your preferred mode of travel you can find some smashing deals online.  Use price comparison sites and try to be a little flexible on your dates.  Avoiding school holidays if possible is also a huge advantage though not always possible.  And always, always see if you can go through via a cashback site.  You’ll be amazed at the savings you can make there!

Plan really, really early – or really, really late!

A lot of offers can be found on newly released deals which are months down the line or on last minute deals.  If you can be completely flexible as to when and where you want to go the latter can be an absolutely brilliant way of saving a great chunk off your holiday.  We have managed to book a holiday with less than 2 weeks to go and saved hundreds on the original cost, paying pittance as a result.  The place was beautiful too!  Often travel and holiday sites have their own blogs which are updated with their latest offers and newest deals so these are definitely worth checking regularly too.

Before any of the above work out your budget and stick to it.  Keep checking, searching and hunting until you find the right price for you and your family.  Holidays need not break the bank.  What is your top tip for holidaying for less?

(Guest Post)