The Crafty Traveller’s guide to saving a fortune on your holiday
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 airline 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 long 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.
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 RISK OF BEING RIPPED OFF ON CAR HIRE IS VERY REAL