With summer fast approaching and three bank holidays in May, many Brits will be thinking about booking last-minute holidays. But cost of set to be at the forefront of people's minds, with the cost of living squeeze meaning travellers want to get as much as possible for their money.
Sophie Miller, the resident money saving expert at Vouchers.co.uk, has come up with ways to save as much as £455.62 when booking a last-minute holiday for two adults by following her top four tips.
Save £330 by being flexible with your holiday destination
One of the secrets to getting a cheap last-minute holiday deal is by being flexible with your holiday destination. Vouchers.co.uk has crunched the numbers to reveal that by doing this you could save £330 on flights for two adults for three nights away for the Early May Bank Holiday.
Its data showed flying to Madrid in Spain, which is the UK’s favourite country to visit on holiday, from London Heathrow would cost £272 per person. However flying to Oslo in Norway would cost £107, which is a £165 saving per person or £330 in total.
Always check for discount codes before booking and save £50
Once you’ve chosen your holiday destination and are ready to make the booking, always check for discount codes before purchasing, as you may be surprised at how many savings you could make. For example, you can currently save £50 per booking on TUI City Breaks departing between May 1 and October 31, 2023.
Don’t forget to check if there are any benefits from creating an account on the website you’re booking on too instead of purchasing as a guest. Booking.com has its own loyalty programme called Genius and by signing up for a free account on the site you will receive a 10% discount from participating properties.
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Save up to £36.02 by trying this viral TikTok hand luggage hack
Ryanair charges customers extra to bring anything bigger than a small personal bag on board, which must fit under your seat. To bring a larger cabin bag on board passengers must pay £30 per person per flight, which also includes priority boarding.
However, a holdall which fits the ‘small personal bag’ requirements can be bought from Amazon for as little as £11.99 has gone viral on TikTok. TikTok users claim they have been able to fit everything they need inside of it and more for a short holiday without paying the extra £30 fee. This would save £36.02 on hand luggage fees based on a holiday for two adults.
Save up to £39.60 by not pre-booking seats
It can be surprising how much money pre-booking seats on the flight can add to your holiday costs. Vouchers.co.uk compared the extra fees incurred for pre-booking seats on budget airlines Jet2, Norwegian, easyJet, Flybe, Wizz Air and Ryanair and found that Norweigan had the highest charge for pre-booking seats, which is a minimum of £9.90 per person for their LowFare customers. This would cost a total of £39.60 for return flights for two adults, however, if you don’t mind where you sit then the airline will automatically assign you a seat on the day of your flight without the extra cost.
