Booking Your Holiday: 5 Top Tips
It’s safe to say that the start of 2026 has been a gloomy old time in the UK, and an escape to somewhere sunny sounds perfect right about now.
In fact, you may even be planning that escape right now — but, whether it be in just a few weeks, or way on down the line in August or September, there are some really useful hacks we think will come in very handy when booking your holiday.
Tip #1 – Use price comparison sites
First things first: don’t book the first flight or hotel you see.
Price comparison websites can save you a surprising amount of money because they check hundreds of travel providers at once and show you the cheapest options. Instead of hopping between multiple airline and hotel sites, you can see everything in one place.
A great example is Skyscanner, which lets you compare flights across dozens of airlines and even shows you the cheapest days to travel with their handy calendar view.
Google Flights is a new service offered by Google that is similar. Spending a few extra minutes comparing prices can easily save you £100 or more on a trip!
Tip #2 – Try to book early
If you already know where you want to go, booking early is often the safest way to get a good deal.
Airlines and hotels tend to release their cheapest seats and rooms months in advance. As availability drops and demand rises, prices usually climb.
Booking early also means there are more flight times to choose from, better availability for hotels, and perhaps most importantly, less stress as you get your trip sorted earlier!
So if you’ve got your eye on a particular destination, especially during school holidays or summer, locking it in early can be a big money saver.
Tip #3 – Keep an eye out for last minute deals
On the flip side, last minute deals can also be fab if you’re flexible.
Travel companies hate flying with empty seats or leaving hotel rooms unused, so they sometimes slash prices just days before departure to fill the gaps.
If you’re the spontaneous type, you can often find amazing bargains through, whether it be on travel deal websites, airline flash sales or holiday company clearance offers. Just make sure you can travel at short notice before holding out for a last minute bargain!
Tip #4 – Try somewhere less popular (and cheaper)
Dream destinations are amazing, but they’re often the most expensive places to visit.
If you’re willing to swap the busiest tourist hotspots for somewhere slightly less well known, you can save a lot of money.
Choose smaller towns instead of major cities, emerging travel destinations instead of famous resorts and countries where tourism is still growing. You’ll often get cheaper accommodation, better availability, and a more relaxed experience… without the crowds.
For instance, try a lesser-known city in northern Italy instead of Rome, swap the Spanish Mediterranean for the Croatian Mediterranean, or swap the Euro for the złoty or forint.
Tip #5 – Be flexible with your dates
If there’s one trick that seasoned travellers swear by, it’s flexibility. Changing your travel dates by just a day or two can dramatically change the price of flights and hotels. Here’s what usually works best:
- Midweek flights instead of weekends
- Avoiding school holidays if possible
- Travelling just before or after peak season
Many booking sites even let you search for the cheapest month to travel, which can reveal huge savings.
Booking a holiday doesn’t have to be stressful and expensive – and there’s nothing better than really being surprised by a destination you weren’t as familiar with!
So, we hope these top tips have helped hack your holiday planning, and we hope you enjoy your summer holidays, wherever they may be spent!