With the growth of the internet it has become increasingly popular for holiday makers to omit the middleman (the travel agent) and put together their own cheap holidays by booking their flights, holiday accommodation and transfers separately online themselves, rather than taking a traditional package holiday. If you don’t mind giving up the convenience of having your holiday arranged for you and having somebody there to help should something go wrong, DIY holidays can save you money and provide you with greater flexibility. If you’ve never booked a DIY holiday before, this article should provide some tips to help you along the way and help you save money.
Booking Flights: -
To ensure you are getting the best flight price possible you should use an online comparison site to search through all the available options. The best deals on flights are usually snapped up early so try and book as far in advance of your holiday as possible. Being flexible by considering alternative departure dates, times and airports can knock pounds off the price. Generally speaking, midweek flights are the cheapest as the demand is lower. Bringing your holiday forward or delaying your holiday by just a couple of days can sometimes make a huge deal of difference to the price you will pay. Also, the time of day you fly may affect the price. Flights departing very late at night are usually cheaper than those departing at more sociable hours. Consider alternative departure airports, for instance, if you live in the south east of England and would normally look to fly out of London Heathrow, consider departing from Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or Southampton instead. Prices may be cheaper and it may be quicker to transit these airports to see if it is any cheaper. Once you have found the cheapest flight that meets your requirements book it as soon as possible. Don’t wait to see if the price will go down as they very rarely do. When booking be sure to enter names exactly as they appear on passports and read the booking terms and conditions carefully.
Choosing your accommodation: -
There are many holiday accommodation options available and you will need to decide whether you want an apartment or hotel, and whether you want some or all of your meals prepared for you or if you would rather cater for yourself. Self catering apartments are generally the cheapest option and offer the best value for money, but many will lack the facilities of hotels and the convenience of having meals included. Make sure you research the facilities available in the hotel or apartments you choose and don’t just rely on how many stars the accommodation has been awarded as the star system can be misleading and is not necessarily an indication of value for money. Also consider the location of the accommodation. Those further away from the centre of your chosen holiday resort will usually be cheaper. Consider accommodation just outside the centre of the holiday resort as this will save you money but not leave you isolated from the action.
Transfer: -
Once you have booked your flights and holiday accommodation you will want to think about how you will get from the airport to your hotel or apartment. You may wish to pre-book a bus transfer or a taxi directly to your holiday accommodation. Alternatively, for the greatest holiday freedom you can hire a car and drive yourself. If you are hiring a car you should compare holiday car hire prices online to be sure you are getting the best deal and pre-book whilst still in the UK as the prices will usually be lower than in the airport. Before driving away from the airport make sure you have purchased adequate insurance to cover you in the event of theft, damage or an accident.
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