How to holiday like an expert
The MoS’s globetrotting Crafty Traveller Fred Mawer -- and a sizzling array of celebrities -light up summer with the essential guide to saving a fortune on EVERY aspect of your family getaway
THERE is some good news and some not quite such good news for anyone planning a sunshine break this year. First the good news: there are plenty of astonishing bargains around. During May, for example, you can find seven-night all-inclusive packages to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada from as little as £400 per person.
The less good news is that finding cut-price deals – like most things to do with booking a holiday these days – is down to you doing the research yourself.
If finding a bargain is your priority, there’s not much point in visiting a high street travel agency: these days they prefer to cater to the more affluent market – cashrich retirees looking to dip their toes in the Caribbean.
Once upon a time, Thomas Cook made his living from organising tours; now you have to Thomas Cook it on your own.
Even organising a simple package to Majorca is a masterpiece of micro-management involving not just flights and accommodation but also transfers, insurance, airport parking and foreign currency. It’s a game of snakes and ladders.
Find a cheap flight and you shoot up a ladder; accidentally spell a family name wrong or mess up the dates and you’ll go tumbling down a ladder.
In the process there are also decisions to be made about security and safety. Holidays to Hurghada are a bargain because there have been security issues in this region of Egypt (for the same reason expect to find handsome discounts on holidays to Tunisia and Turkey).
Terrorism is a factor wherever you travel, but it is worth bearing in mind that the worst hazards you face abroad are being involved in a road accident or suffering some kind of calamity while swimming.
If you’re looking to travel in May or June (a good choice as these are less affected by school holiday price spikes), book now. If you’re thinking about September and October (also very good times), it may be worth hanging on.
CONSIDER A PACKAGE BREAK
For a mainstream sun- and- sand summer holiday, there are very good arguments for buying a tour operator’s package. Booking flights, accommodation and transfers in one go is less hassle, and likely to work out cheaper than making the same arrangements independently. You’ll also get financial protection if things go wrong, plus there is often a rep on the ground.
The big three holiday companies are Tui (tui.co.uk), formerly Thomson; Thomas Cook (thomascook. com); and Jet2holidays (jet2holidays. com). Flight options with budget ai rl i ne Jet2. com have expanded this year from the North and Midlands to Stansted.
It is also worth checking out deals with Travelzoo (travelzoo.com) and online travel agents such as loveholidays (loveholidays.com).
CUT- PRICE FLIGHTS
Use fares-comparison website Skyscanner (skyscanner.net) to find the cheapest flights on your route, and to identify when it is cheapest to fly (search by the whole month). If you are restricted to travelling during the school summer holidays, as a rule prices tend to be lowest in late August.
But before deciding which airline to fly with, calculate any extra charges, especially for checking in bags, as these can double basic fares on shorthaul flights.
If you are flying l ong haul, British Airways ( ba. com) and Virgin ( virginatlantic. com) have just introduced significantly cheaper fares on many routes that do not include checked- in bags (though they do still include meals and in-flight entertainment).
Under BA’s new ‘Basic’ fares, you cannot select your seats or check in baggage, but the price is up to £60 less than standard return fares. A return flight from London to Miami with British Airways during May costs from £527.
The airlines are responding to competition from Norwegian (norwegian.com), which has been leading the way with fewer-frills options on transatlantic routes. Compare what’s included carefully, as there are important variations between the airlines. Norwegian has return fares from London to Fort Lauderdale, near Miami, from £422.
THE RISK OF BEING RIPPED OFF ON CAR HIRE IS VERY REAL
ACCOMMODATION FIXES For hotels, for ease and choice – and often due to the fact that you are able to cancel without penalty until a day or two before arrival – turn to online booking agencies.
The biggest player is booking.com. Sort results by price or rating rather than its picks, which may be commission-driven. Trip Advisor not only shows reviews, but also acts as a price- comparison site across booking agencies.
For self-catering, key one-stop shops are Airbnb ( airbnb. co. uk) and Home Away (homeaway.co.uk) – book via the platforms for security and minimising chances of being scammed.
Want the reassurance of going through a holiday company? Try James Villa Holidays (jamesvillas. co.uk), which has nearly 3,000 properties on its books. A search on booking. com, for example, for seven nights in May on the Costa del Sol lists two-bedroom apartments from £450.
James Villas is offering 40 per cent discounts in May and June: two- bedroom properties on an accommodation-only basis are available from £500 for seven nights. CAR HIRE DO’S AND DON’TS Car hire is a minefield, and the risk of being ripped off is very real.
The key problem area is the massive excess on insurance, leaving you liable to pay three- or fourfigure sums if you prang or even scratch the vehicle. A Which? investigation has found car hire companies are often overcharging for repairs.
The car hire firms offer top-up insurance policies that reduce the excess to zero, but they are very expensive. You’ll save a small fortune buying an often more comprehensive stand-alone excess waiver policy – turn to moneymaxim.co.uk for options. Do book car hire as far ahead as possible, as for busy periods in popular locations, rates shoot up closer to the time.
Zest Car Rental (zestcarrental. co.uk) is a well regarded broker.
And please bear i n mind that the cheapest car hire deals will involve paying the entire rental charge in advance – the savings, however, are substantial. Have travel insurance in place as soon as your holiday is booked: cancellation cover is a major benefit of most policies.
Add-on policies offered by airlines and holiday companies can be overpriced: check for cheaper deals on moneysupermarket.com.
If you’ve got a pre-existing medical condition, the best starting point for finding affordable cover is price-comparison website medicaltravelcompared.co.uk.
Check that your European Health Insurance Card ( ehic. org. uk) is up to date. Although it is not the same as travel insurance, the EHIC entitles you to state medical treatment on the same basis as locals (often for free or at reduced cost) across the EU and a few other European countries.
Moneysavingexpert. com has a useful guide to the current best insurance buys. Pre-book airport parking – the further ahead, the cheaper it’s likely to be.
Consider ‘meet and greet’ options, where you drop off the car near the terminal – it usually doesn’t cost that much extra these days. Parkand-stay deals are often good value too, costing little more than parking on its own.
Stick to using official airport parking arrangements (see options on airport websites), or turn to Holiday Extras (holidayextras.co.uk), the leading agent for airport bookings. The standard charge for a week’s parking at Gatwick’s South Terminal long- term car park is £145, but book in advance and the charge falls to £43. RAIL TRAVEL TRAVEL I NSURANCE Seat 61 (seat61.com) has tips on European journeys and best deals, including information on rail passes for young and senior travellers. AIRPORT ARRANGEMENTS DRIVING THROUGH EUROPE The AA (theaa.com) has a comprehensive online guide to taking your car on the continent.
You will also need to check if you require extra insurance.
Decide whether you need to get to your destination as fast as possible or whether you would prefer a more pleasurable journey – and avoid paying expensive tolls – by staying off the motorway.