Air passenger duty, the tax British citizens have to pay on every flight departing the UK, has just risen by 8%. This isn’t a huge jump in real terms, just £1 per short-haul flight per person, however, when you take into account that global hotel prices rose by 4% last year and inflation within the UK is tightening already tight family purse strings, you can say with great certainty that holidays are becoming more expensive. With so many predators trying to strike down the annual family holiday, families up and down the UK are becoming more desperate. There is no way they will give up their week on the beach, on the snow or in a foreign city – they didn’t in the height of the recession – but the pressure is on to find cheap holidays that don’t come up cheap in terms of quality.
If you are one of these cash strapped families looking for cheap holidays without any significant loss in quality, read on for tips on how to find just what you’re looking for.
Pick your destination wisely
Beachcomber Pete has a massive range of cheap holidays and, as the name suggests, its focus is on beach breaks. You can track down new beach locations using its destination search and find somewhere a little off the beaten track. By straying from the madding crowd you can find cheap holidays that pack in plenty of value. For example, try the north coast of Menorca rather than the south coast of Mallorca and try out the Cape Verde Islands rather than the Canaries.
Book at the last minute
If you have nerves of steel and aren’t too fussed about where you spend your holiday a last minute holiday is one of the best ways of getting a ‘cheap as chips’ summer break. You’ll need an accommodating employer to let you have time off at the drop of a hat, but you could come up trumps if you are prepared to wait. Even in the middle of the school holidays there is unsold stock that tour operators would rather shift at a heavily discounted rate than not at all. However, you may be unlikely and find that nothing comes up or that the discount is rather insignificant, but it’s always worth a try, plus it’s more of an adventure.
