It pays to be a very early bird if you want to grab the best holiday offers

Book early, go on a cruise and avoid school holidays. These are some top tips to help ‘beat the squeeze’ on holiday prices, which are rising 43% a year. CLARE DUNNE, CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), also warns sun-seekers to book next year’s holidays now. Some people are even booking their breaks for 2025 to beat the holiday inflation trap.

Package holiday prices are up since last year? What’s going on?

A lot of it is to do it with air fares. Airlines have increased their prices due to fuel prices going up. Accommodation prices haven’t risen a lot but transport definitely has.

Any tips for holiday-makers?

Book it now! Trends are indicating that people are already booking for 2024 and some are even booking for 2025. This means choices will be more limited the longer you wait and prices will increase. My advice is to get in touch with an ITAA travel agent and book it now.

Are people cutting back on holidays to save money?

We aren’t seeing people cutting back; we see people sacrificing other things and making their holiday a priority. It is so important to people’s mental health and well-being to get away. It’s the highlight of their year, so they will save all they can to ensure they can afford it.

How are winter holidays doing? Winter holidays are going steady. There has been a lot of interest for winter sun and skiing holidays. Any tips on snagging a bargain ski holiday?

Avoid booking during school holidays especially midterm breaks – prices are very expensive. You’re also much more likely to get a bargain if you book at the beginning or end of the season.

Should we shift our holiday focus to more temperate regions like France with the extreme temperatures recorded in traditional resorts?

We are seeing a shift to different destinations and flexible travel. The change in climate is opening people’s minds to new destinations or different parts of the countries they already love. Scandinavia and northern Spain are becoming more popular and people are being more flexible with the times they travel to avoid the extreme conditions. Spain is always loved by Irish holidaymakers but a new trend has emerged where people tend to avoid the peak months of July and August.

Have car hire costs settled down since Covid?

Car hire costs were very high during Covid because of the scarcity of cars but they have come right back down. What would you say to people worried that something like Covid or heat might wreck their plans?

The best way to alleviate the stress is to book with an ITAA travel agent. If any unforeseen events arise during your holiday your travel agent will be there to help you.

Is holiday insurance adequate? Should people be careful about what policy they pick?

Absolutely, you should be thorough in choosing proper adequate holiday insurance. Let your ITAA agent steer your choice and ensure your policy includes Covid cover, travel disruption cover and more. If you’re going on a cruise, get cruise connection insurance. Not all holiday insurance policies are the same – make sure your policy covers you! What’s the best value right now?

There is good value on cruises, particularly if you are booking ahead in 2024 and even 2025.