MAKE THIS THE WEEK YOU...

GET A POSH TRIP FOR PEANUTS

HAGGLE FOR HOTELS

REMEMBER when we made a reservation by talking to a human? That old trick could now secure you a bargain. Use a comparison site to find the cheapest online rate for your preferred hotel, then call it and ask them to beat it. Hotels pay fees to booking sites, so most will offer a discount.

NAB A CHEAP FLIGHT

SIGN up to the newsletters on jacksflightclub.co.uk, skyscanner.net and airlines’ own websites to be the first to know when sales start. Or if you know where you want to go and when, set up a ‘price alert’ on flight-comparison sites like

kayak.co.uk to get an email if the fare drops.

BE ADVENTUROUS

DON’T mind where you fly as long as it’s cheap? Go to skyscanner.net, and type your home city into the ‘From’ (departure) box. Then for ‘To’ (destination), write in ‘Everywhere’, and it will show you the cheapest flights across the globe. If you want a specific destination but don’t care when, put the city as the destination, but change the dates to ‘Cheapest month’.

PAY THE RIGHT WAY

FOR currency and spending abroad, you’ll save up to 5 per cent on every transaction if you pay with the right plastic.

Unlike most debit and credit cards, and foreign exchange desks, these free bank accounts or credit cards don’t charge for withdrawals and purchases abroad, and offer the bestvalue exchange rates. Try: Starling Bank (starlingbank.com; you must download and apply using their free phone app), Creation Everyday Mastercard (creation.co.uk) and Barclaycard Platinum Travel Card (barclaycard. co.uk).