Late Deals

There are late deals on holidays to be had but the trick is to know when and where is best to find them. A DIY holiday may not work out cheaper than a package holiday so it’s best to research your options the best you can. It is possible to haggle cheap package holiday deals down by a further 15% just by calling more than one agent, and negotiating.

With a package holiday booking, the later you book, the cheaper but it does mean limited choice. Booking late is the cheapest way to get a package, meaning no more than eight to ten weeks before departure, then the bargains flood in. Tour operators have chartered the planes and reserved the rooms and if they don’t sell them then they lose money, hence the price drop. If you’re looking for anywhere hot and cheap, leave it until the week before you go, and you may get elegant trips for ridiculously cheap prices.

If you can’t book late, book as early as possible for the other side of the spectrum. The other way is to book around nine months in advance because many tour operators offer early booking brochure discounts. These can include £100 per couple discounts or buy one get one free week’s.

Location and timing is crucial. If you can take a holiday when others can’t, for example before the school holidays to a family destination such as Florida, then you’ll get a better price.

For many years, tourists have avoided Eurozone destinations because they are expensive, and flocked to cheaper non-euro countries. However, with the weaker euro and falling resort prices, places like Spain and Portugal are really cheap again.