Everyone loves finding a holiday bargain, but after more than 35 years working in the travel industry, I’ve learned that finding the best holiday deal isn’t always about finding the cheapest price.
I’ve spent most of my career working in travel and have also been fortunate enough to travel extensively myself. During that time, I’ve watched the way we book our holidays change beyond recognition. I remember the days when choosing a holiday meant sitting down with a pile of glossy brochures before heading to your local travel agent. Today, we have comparison websites, booking apps, online travel agents and seemingly endless special offers available at the touch of a button.
Despite all those changes, one thing has remained exactly the same: we all want to feel that we’ve got a good deal.
The difficulty is knowing what a good deal actually looks like. A £299 holiday isn’t necessarily better value than one costing £399, while a cheap flight can become surprisingly expensive once you’ve added luggage, seats and transfers. Likewise, booking every element of a trip independently doesn’t automatically mean you’ll pay less than you would for a package holiday.
So, rather than spending hours chasing discount codes and flash sales, these are some of the things I’ve learned over the years about how to find the best holiday deals and, more importantly, genuine value for money.
💰 Cheapest Doesn’t Always Mean Best Value
This is probably the most important lesson I’ve learned during my years in travel. When comparing holidays, you need to look beyond the headline price and understand exactly what you’re getting for your money.
Imagine two holidays to the same destination. One costs £600 and another costs £700. The £600 option initially looks like the obvious bargain, but perhaps the £700 holiday includes checked luggage, airport transfers and breakfast, as well as considerably better flight times. By the time you add those extras to the cheaper holiday, the difference may disappear completely.
I always try to compare the total cost of the trip, rather than simply the first price that appears on the screen.
This is particularly important with flights. Once you’ve added baggage, seat selection, airport parking and transfers, or perhaps even an overnight hotel because of an inconvenient departure time, the cheapest airfare isn’t necessarily the cheapest journey.
📅 Be Flexible With Your Travel Dates
If you have some flexibility with your dates, use it. Moving your departure by just a few days can sometimes make a considerable difference to the price, particularly around weekends and popular holiday periods.
It’s also worth experimenting with the length of your trip. Seven nights may be the obvious search, but depending on flight and hotel availability, six, eight or ten nights can occasionally produce a better deal.
Being able to travel outside school holidays, bank holidays and other peak periods can make an even bigger difference. I appreciate that this simply isn’t possible for everyone, particularly families with school-age children, but if you do have flexibility, don’t automatically search the same Saturday-to-Saturday dates as everybody else.
A little experimentation can sometimes produce a very pleasant surprise.
✈️ Look at Different Departure Airports
Depending on where you live, you may have several airports within a reasonable travelling distance, and the same holiday departing from another airport can sometimes cost considerably less.
However, this is where you need to do the maths properly.
Saving £80 on the holiday isn’t particularly clever if travelling to the alternative airport costs another £100 in fuel and parking, or requires an expensive overnight hotel.
I prefer to look at the complete journey from my front door to the destination and back again. Sometimes travelling a little further to an alternative airport makes perfect sense, but on other occasions the airport closest to home remains the better overall deal.
🧳 Compare What Is Actually Included
One of the reasons holiday prices can be difficult to compare is that different companies include different things.
When I’m looking at a holiday, I’ll consider the cost of checked luggage, airport transfers, meals, seat selection, local taxes, parking and anything else I know I’m likely to need. I’ll also look carefully at cancellation terms and payment conditions.
This is particularly important when comparing a package holiday with a trip you’ve put together yourself.
The independent option might initially appear cheaper, but once you add all the individual elements, the difference can look very different. Equally, there will be occasions when booking flights and accommodation separately produces the better deal.
The important thing is to compare like with like and concentrate on the final amount you’re actually going to pay.
☀️ Don’t Dismiss the Traditional Package Holiday
There is sometimes a perception that booking your flight and hotel separately must be cheaper than buying a package holiday. That simply isn’t always the case.
Package holiday companies buy enormous volumes of flights and hotel rooms, and there are occasions when the resulting price can be extremely difficult to beat independently. Having flights, accommodation and sometimes transfers together under one booking can also make the whole process much easier.
I regularly compare both options when planning a trip. Sometimes booking independently makes perfect sense, while on other occasions the package holiday wins comfortably.
Never assume one method will always be cheaper. Take a few minutes to check both.
⏰ Should You Book Early or Wait Until the Last Minute?
This is one of those travel questions I’ve been asked for years, and unfortunately there isn’t one simple answer.
There can certainly be excellent last-minute deals when travel companies need to sell remaining seats, rooms or cabins. However, waiting until the last minute is always something of a gamble.
If you need a particular destination, airport, hotel, room type or set of dates, leaving everything until the final few weeks may result in less choice rather than a bargain.
Last-minute booking works best when you’re flexible. If you have a week off and your attitude is simply, “Show me somewhere sunny,” then you have a much better chance of finding something interesting.
If, on the other hand, you need a specific hotel in Majorca, departing from Gatwick at a convenient time during the school holidays, I’d be rather less inclined to wait.
Booking early has its own advantages. You’ll generally have a wider choice of flights, accommodation and room types, and this can be particularly important for peak travel periods, popular hotels, cruises and specialist trips where availability is limited.
My view is that once you’ve found the holiday you really want at a price you’re comfortable paying, there is a lot to be said for booking it and enjoying the anticipation.
🏨 Location Can Be Worth Paying More For
This is something I’ve learned repeatedly during my own travels.
A hotel several miles outside the centre may be £15 or £20 a night cheaper, which initially sounds attractive. However, if you then spend money on public transport or taxis every day and lose an hour travelling backwards and forwards, the saving may not look quite so impressive.
I’ve stayed in hotels where being able to walk straight out of the front door and find myself in the heart of a destination has genuinely improved the trip.
When comparing hotels, I always look at the map and consider where I’m likely to spend most of my time. Sometimes paying a little extra for the right location represents much better value than choosing the cheapest room.
🔎 Shop Around, But Know When to Stop
We have access to an extraordinary amount of travel information these days, and while that’s fantastic for consumers, it can also become exhausting.
It is very easy to spend hours jumping between websites trying to save another few pounds.
I normally check several reputable sources so that I have a reasonable understanding of the going rate. Once I’ve done that and found the right holiday at a price I’m comfortable with, I’m happy to make a decision.
There comes a point when continuing to search stops being useful. Once you’ve booked, move on to the enjoyable part and start planning what you’re going to do when you get there.
And whatever you do, try not to keep checking the price afterwards. I’ve never found much happiness in discovering that somebody else has subsequently paid £20 less!
🏷️ Look Beyond the Big Discounts
We’ve all seen the advertising: huge savings, flash sales, limited-time offers and enormous percentage discounts designed to make us reach immediately for the credit card.
Some of those offers can be excellent, but a large advertised discount doesn’t automatically make something a bargain.
The figure that really matters is the price you’re actually being asked to pay. Compare that with similar holidays elsewhere and decide whether it represents good value for you.
The same applies to extras such as free drinks packages, cabin upgrades, onboard credit or complimentary meals. These can be genuinely valuable if they’re things you would have paid for anyway, but an impressive list of free extras that you don’t particularly want isn’t necessarily saving you anything.
🚢 Take Extra Care When Comparing Cruises
Cruises can be particularly interesting to compare because the headline fare often tells only part of the story.
I’ve enjoyed a number of different cruising experiences over the years, and there can be considerable differences in what is included. Drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, flights, transfers, dining packages, excursions and onboard credit can all affect the eventual cost.
A cheaper cruise fare with lots of additional charges may end up costing considerably more than an alternative where more is included from the beginning.
For me, however, the most important considerations are still the ship, itinerary and style of cruise. Saving a few pounds isn’t much of a bargain if you spend your holiday wishing you had chosen a different ship or itinerary.
🌍 Be Open to Somewhere Different
One of my favourite ways to find better value is simply to be flexible about where I travel.
Rather than always deciding that I absolutely must visit a particular destination, I’m quite happy to consider several possibilities. There are some wonderful places around the world that don’t attract the same visitor numbers, or prices, as their more famous neighbours.
This is also where finding a deal can become part of the fun. Sometimes an attractive price introduces you to somewhere you hadn’t previously considered, and over the years some of my favourite travel experiences have come from destinations that weren’t originally at the top of my list.
Have a browse through my travel guides and destinations and you may find somewhere that hadn’t previously crossed your mind.
📧 Are Travel Alerts and Newsletters Worth It?
They can be, particularly when you’re actively looking for a holiday.
Signing up for emails from a handful of companies you genuinely use or are interested in can alert you to sales, new routes and special promotions. Price alerts can also help when you’re monitoring a particular flight or destination.
The key, for me, is being selective. There is little benefit in filling your inbox with hundreds of offers that you’ll never use.
Watching prices for a while can also give you a better understanding of what represents good value. When a genuinely attractive deal appears, you’re then in a much better position to recognise it.
🛡️ Make Sure Your Holiday Is Protected
A bargain can stop looking like a bargain remarkably quickly if something goes wrong.
Before booking, check who you’re booking with, what financial protection applies and what the cancellation and amendment conditions are.
Travel insurance is another area where the cheapest policy isn’t automatically the best one. Make sure the policy provides the cover you need for your destination, personal circumstances and any activities you’re planning.
It is also worth arranging insurance as soon as you book rather than waiting until just before departure, as cancellation cover can be an important part of the policy from the moment your trip is confirmed.
🤔 So, When Is the Best Time to Book a Holiday?
If you’ve read this far hoping I was eventually going to reveal a magical Tuesday afternoon when every holiday suddenly becomes cheaper, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you.
There isn’t one perfect booking time that applies to every destination, airline, hotel, cruise or holiday.
Prices are affected by demand, availability, seasonality, events, flight capacity and countless other factors. Anyone who has worked in travel for long enough will have seen prices move in both directions.
My approach is much simpler. Research what the holiday normally costs, know what you want, compare the complete price and, when you find the right trip at a price you’re comfortable paying, book it.
Then look forward to going.
❤️ What Does a Good Holiday Deal Mean to Me?
After more than 35 years in travel, my own definition of a bargain has definitely changed.
I’m not necessarily looking for the cheapest holiday. I’m looking for the best experience I can get for the money I’m comfortable spending.
Sometimes that means finding a fantastic discounted deal. On other occasions, it means paying a little more for a better hotel location, nicer flight times, a particular room or an experience I’ve always wanted to enjoy.
Travel is precious. We save for it, plan it and often look forward to it for months, so saving £50 isn’t much of an achievement if the compromise makes the holiday less enjoyable.
For me, the best holiday deal is ultimately the one that gives you the trip you want at a price that feels right.
✈️ Ready to Start Planning Your Next Trip?
If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look through my destination guides and travel experiences, all based on places I’ve visited and journeys I’ve made over the years.
You can also visit my Travel Partners page, where I share some of the travel companies and services that may help when planning and booking your trip.
Hopefully, between the two, you’ll find a little inspiration – and perhaps a great deal – for wherever the road takes you next.
Happy travels!