Saving money on family holidays and breaks

Take the family's great holiday offerings

View all Exclusive holiday offers

Sign up to Take the Family's newsletter

There can be a big difference between great value and cheap family holidays. Of course it's in your best interest to get the best available rate for a hotel room or the best price for a package holiday.

Sometimes, however, it's worth investing a little more to ensure your family holiday or break represents the best possible value. For example, you could use a respected agency to help make arrangements or you could travel with an operator that has a brilliant reputation for great service to families. Here are some tips to help ensure you get the best deal:

online or off-line?

Travel suppliers, operators and agencies are increasingly selling more of their products and services online. This is partly because consumers welcome the rich content on the internet for researching holidays and, increasingly, the ease of booking travel and holidays on-line. It's also a less expensive way for suppliers to sell.

Therefore, you are increasingly likely to find the best value on-line. Most hotel companies now have introduced best rate guarantees. Some tour operators offer exclusive on-line discounts. Some have even introduced subsidiaries that exclusively promote their best deals. On-line agencies like lastminute.com negotiate very competitive rates and fares... and will often (but not always) pass them on to the customer. Check out our Special Offers pages, where we work in association with lastminute.com, Virgin holidays and many other travel partners, for great deals on exclusive offers, family break offers, flight offers, holiday parks and camping offers, long haul and winter sun offers, summer holiday offers and winter sports offers.

And, if you know exactly what you want then it's worth shopping around for the best deal. Comparison shopping tools like Kelkoo search across the sites of numerous providers to show the best value.

using an agency?

Agencies earn commission and/or will charge customers a service fee. If the agency is merely 'taking your order' and not providing valuable advice then it may be worthwhile checking whether you can get a better deal by going direct.

On the other hand, some agencies do provide an invaluable service. These are more likely to be independent than owned by one of the large tour operators. A good agency has highly trained and knowledgable staff that can guide your family to the destination and accommodation centre that really does meet your requirements. If you're looking for a little guidance from an agency then we recommend our various partners who have been chosen for their great service and value . See all our travel partners.

Agencies that are CARTA (Campaign for Real Travel Agents) members are generally, but not without exception, more likely to offer a more personalised and professional service. Although that is not alway synonymous with saving money it can ultimately represent better value. Their site can point you in the direction of your nearest agency.

booking late or early?

Book early or late, depending on your needs, but not in between!!!

Early is better? Until recently it was more common to get a great deal by waiting until the last minute, despite the fact that this approach is riskier for families, as they have more complex needs.

Now, however, the 'low cost' airlines and others, including Hilton International, are selling at lower prices for purchases made a long time in advance and generally raising the prices as departure (or arrival) date approaches. So if you are making your own arrangements then consider committing longer in advance.

It remains, and will likely remain, common practice for tour operators to offer early booking incentives. Why? They often have major inventory commitments - they may own or operate planes and hotels, for example - and, in the ideal world, their supply will meet demand. However, demand fluctuates from year to year, often due to unforeseen factors, and it's rare for an operator to predict accurately. So they'll continue to be grateful for firm bookings made a long time in advance and will encourage your advance confirmations with incentives.

Late is better? Since holidays, flight seats, hotel beds and other travel products are a 'perishable' good there will always be deals available for 'distressed inventory'. This is capacity that has not been sold and is unlikely to be sold at regular prices. It gets discounted because the cost of an occupied hotel room or aircraft seat is only marginally higher than an empty one. Check out our special offers pages for great value last minute deals.

To save money you're definitely better off booking early (if you'd like to go somewhere specific during a peak period) or late (if you're happy to be flexible). Booking 'in the middle', on the other hand, is unlikely to offer you the best value....and this is when most families actually do make their holiday bookings.

other tips

  • Try looking for Tickets & Travel on Ebay - travel suppliers are, increasingly, opting to make their inventory available on the site. And they include the biggest names like Thomsons. In addition, since many families need to change arrangements due to unforeseen circumstances, Ebay is becoming a more and more popular way for buyers and sellers to interact.
  • Visitor's / city passes - consider purchasing a visitor's or city pass if on a city break for reduced rate entrance to local attractions and, sometimes, cheaper public transport over the duration of your stay. Remember, though, that many of the offered attractions may not be suitable for your family holiday.
  • Travel insurance - shop carefully for travel insurance. Some agencies and operators earn more from selling the insurance policy than from the actual holiday or break itself. We conducted research on cover and costs and are of the opinion that our partners at Essential Travel provide good value for insurance. And regardless of whom you purchase from, do consider taking out an annual family travel insurance policy, since that will pay for itself after just a couple of trips.
  • Avoid peak times if possible - needless to write, if your children are not yet at school you can save considerable sums and have a less frantic airport and beach crowd experience by travelling just before or after school holidays. You're also likely to benefit from similar, or sometimes better, weather.
  • Exchange your home - this can cost you just £29 for a week in accommodation for which you would otherwise pay several hundred or even more, depending on size, location and time of year. See our section on home exchanges for more details.
  • Choose self-catering instead of a hotel - apartments, cottages and villas generally work out substantially less expensive per night than hotels. And there are nice benefits to self-catering compared to hotels, so it certainly isn't an inferior option. Read our hotels or self catering page for our opinion on the merits and challenges of self catering accommodation. And remember that we can help you find a wide range of cottages, villas and apartments.