Use your time wisely to research the perfect sunny break

BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DATES

Travelling in school term time is one, hugely controversial, way to save a small fortune.

But it’s also worth considering which day you travel. Weekdays will almost always be cheaper than a weekend.

TripAdvisor’s flight search lets you compare prices across a whole month, so you can find the cheapest days.

Skyscanner has a similar option but also allows you to keep the destination open to help you find some real bargains.

HOW TO GET THE BEST PRICE

The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. Nearly 40% of people who checked the cost of their holiday after they booked found it went down in price.

Savings of up to 57% can be made on flights and 43% on hotels in the most popular destinations when you time it right, according to Kayak.

On international breaks, most leave it too late to score the best deals. Six to eight months ahead is the best time to commit, apart from Orlando and Miami, where it’s one and two months respectively. Most people currently book too early to get the best deals on European breaks – 11 months in advance is the most expensive time to book. On average, we book around three months in advance for holidays to Europe. But data shows flights to six out of our top 10 European destinations get cheaper in the final month before travel.

Waiting could save travellers as much as 54% for tickets to Lanzarote and 51% for Palma, compared with the most expensive month.

The best prices for Reykjavik can be found four months in advance and offers the biggest savings if booked at the right time – up to 57%.

HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR HOLIDAY ALLOWANCE

Thanks to the way the bank holidays fall this year, you could get 24 days off in a row using just 14 holiday days.

If you are able to book your trip from May 5 to May 28 you can straddle two bank holidays and bag some bonus time off.

Or if you want a shorter trip, you could book time off from March 24 to April 9 and get 16 days off work, using just eight days of leave.

HOLIDAY FRAUD

Scammers are already using an array of methods to trap the unwary into parting with cash and leaving them with no trip.

Booking a break direct with the owner of, say, a holiday let is now incredibly simple online – but it is also a gift for con artists.

Figures show 100 people a week were duped last year by criminals – costing them an average £1,200 each. But these figures are just the tip of the iceberg as many victims fail to report the scams because they are too ashamed to admit they have been tricked.

Top ruses include crooks posing as property owners on genuine sites such as Airbnb – or setting up sham villa letting companies. Either way, fraudsters often offer eye-catching deals – a temptation for those feeling the pinch after the festive blow-out.

Fake websites also lure holidaymakers by paying to be top of searches, using search engine pay-per-click deals to look even more convincing.

ACCOMMODATION SAFEGUARDS

Check reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor, booking.com and Trivago but add “fraud”, “scam” or “con” to the search to see if any complaints have been made.

Also scrutinise the name of the firm as many criminals will choose a site name very close to a genuine company’s.

Check they have not altered a genuine web address suffix slightly – like .co.uk to .org.

Be wary of any bargains that look too good to be true, especially if the price is much lower than for similar properties or asks for rapid payment. Also be suspicious of unsolicited approaches made by a firm you don’t know.

If you are considering booking, speak to the owner direct and make sure the payment system is for a genuine firm. Look for https (“s” is for secure) and a padlock icon. And never transfer cash to a bank account.

You can also double-check the information hasn’t been lifted from a genuine site by Googling the description of the villa.

If you think you are a victim of this type of fraud, act quickly by notifying your bank to put a stop on the money.

Also, report the scam to the national crime reporting centre Action Fraud , either online or by calling 0300 123 2040.