Thousands of people are in the process of booking a summer holiday with many heading off for their first trip since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
Although many look forward to jetting off this summer, holidays abroad can come with an expensive price tag, taking months to save for and requiring in-depth planning.
With the cost of living in Ireland rising, people may find it challenging to save up for a breakaway. However, there are some simple but effective ways to save hundreds on your holiday throughout the booking process.
Here are some tips to ensure your holiday stays within budget.
Be flexible
When booking a holiday, it is essential to shop around the different days of the week.
By checking price comparison sites such as Skyscanner before you book your days off work, you will be able to find what date is the best value for money to fly on.
You should also be prepared to change the time of day you wish to fly at.
Flights during the night are often cheaper than the daytime, and changing which airport you usually fly from could also save you big money.
One way tickets
You can also make significant savings by buying your departure and return flights separately.
Making two separate bookings may not always be cheaper but, in some cases, can knock about 20% off your final booking fee.
To compare, search for a return trip and two separate trips and pick which gives you the best value for money.
Switch currencies
Switching currencies depending on its strength at the time of booking can also save you money.
Making the booking in the same currency of your destination location rather than your home country can often lead to cheaper outcomes.
Searching using two tabs, one set in the currency of where you wish to travel to and the other in your current currency, can help you get the best value possible.
Plan
Many people often think that cheaper flights will become available closer to the date. However, in most cases, this is not true.
Flights usually increase the closer it gets to departure and so could leave you having to pay double for a flight that would have cost much less a few months previously.
Booking up to eight weeks in advance is what most travel agencies recommend and is almost guaranteed to get you cheaper flights.
Book group holidays separately.
If you and a few friends are planning on a trip away this summer, booking separately could save you massive amounts.
Trying to book for a large group online can be difficult as searching for flights will lead to the airline's algorithm automatically seating the party together.
Although more time consuming, booking seats separately is the most cost-effective method.
Look out for deals
Sign up to the airlines mailing list while you are searching for a holiday and then unsubscribe when you are finished.
Following airlines on social media and being on their mailing list means you will be the first to hear about the latest deals.
Airlines often provide incentives for those who are subscribed to them and offer exclusive deals, early access to sales, personalised discount codes, or even an upgrade, so a few emails here and there may be worth the annoyance.
