8 Quick and Savvy Money-Saving Tips for Booking a Holiday
It's no secret that we're a nation bonkers for a bargain and new research from Hotwire reveals that Brits are saving over £32 billion each year using money-saving techniques.
Travel is an area that has been strongly affected by this, with nearly a third of Brits surveyed revealing that they rarely, or never, pay full price for hotel stays, while a fifth rarely, or never, pay full price for flights.
To save money on travel, a quarter of British travellers are using flight comparison websites and almost one in four are booking with discount travel websites such as Hotwire.com.
Travel expert Fulvia Montresor, says: “Brits' love of discounts is seen very prominently in travel, which we all know can be expensive.
“However, many have found ways to save big when it comes to booking their break, sometimes scoring 4-star hotels at 2-star prices when using discount sites like Hotwire.
“Last year, seven per cent of Brits booked a ‘secret hotel’, meaning they didn’t know the name and exact location of the hotel until they paid for it, but they knew they were guaranteed up to 50% off. These are definitely the savviest travellers!”
Here are Hotwire.com's top tips for saving money when booking a holiday:
1. Use OTAs like Hotwire.com to find some of the best deals. If you book a ‘secret hotel’, you can find savings of up to 50% on 4 and 5-star hotels.
2. Buy luxury goods abroad if you’re offered a favourable exchange rate.
3. Collect airmiles.
4. Some credit cards will give you free airmiles to start off – BA credit cards will offer 10,000 airmiles before you spend anything.
5. Don’t automatically renew your travel insurance. If you shop around you can often find a better deal.
6. Fly mid-week. Flight prices are typically based on availability. Since most leisure travellers fly over the weekend, Friday to Sunday often correlate with the priciest airline tickets.
Beat the weekend crowd by flying on the cheapest days of the week, Tuesday or Wednesday. As with train fares, flexibility is helpful for saving big - consider purchasing indirect flights, with a stop midway, particularly if you’re travelling long-haul.
7. Stay outside the city centre. While fantastic deals can be found centrally, you can save money if you book a hotel outside city centres.
For tourists travelling by car or public transportation, this option can help maximise urban experiences on a budget.
8. Hit big cities over the weekend. Business crowds flock to urban hubs during the week. Mandatory conferences and meetings mean work travellers have to book hotels and airfare, usually with budgets much larger than the leisure traveller.
Head to cities over the weekend instead of competing with corporate visitors and save big on expenses.
For great holiday deals, visit www.hotwire.com
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