Money matters: Tips for budget-friendly summer vacations

Nothing beats a summer holiday, with a change of scenery and the combination of sun, sea and sand helping to improve people’s mental wellbeing and giving them a well-deserved rest.

But with the cost of living crisis forcing many of us to be more frugal than ever, how can you enjoy a summer holiday without breaking the bank? Greg Potter, Head of Member Experience at Leeds Credit Union, takes a look.

Keep an eye out for last minute deals

If you can afford to book your holiday late in the day, websites that specialize in last minute holiday deals are invaluable.

There are plenty to choose from love holidays. With this provider, in addition to allowing you to search for any destination, you can also see what is available for an entire calendar month instead of having to enter a specific date. While this doesn’t sound like much, it’s an extremely convenient tool that saves a significant amount of browsing time.

They also offer a low deposit scheme and different payment options, meaning you can book even if you can’t afford to pay all in one go – ideal if you’re on a tight budget.

Better still, loveholidays is an ATOL member, which means all its holidays – from flights to hotel bookings – are financially protected.

Sign up for flash sale alerts

Like last minute holidays, flash sale deals only work if you can leave booking a holiday until the eleventh hour. If you can, it’s worth investigating.

Sites like HolidayPirates offers great deals at very low prices, but only for a very limited time. To stay up to date without having to constantly check his homepage, join his email list and follow him on social media to hear about deals before everyone else. Speed ​​is of the essence though – these deals end quickly.

Search for discount codes

Sites like My voucher code offer discount vouchers that can be redeemed against holidays, so it’s definitely worth a quick look to check if your desired destination is included.

Use comparison sites to book hotels

In addition to allowing you to quickly check many hotel sites, comparison sites usually help you find the best prices. Of course, there are many comparison sites to choose from and each one is likely to yield a different result, so it’s worth checking out at least three of the most popular before deciding who to book with. As well as Trivago and Hotels.comyou should consider Skyscanner, Kayak and TripAdvisor also.

All of these sites also allow you to filter the results to only show hotels that offer free cancellation – a useful option that will keep you out of pocket.

Talk to your hotel before booking

Before booking a hotel online, call them and find out if they offer discounts by booking directly with them – they occasionally offer direct bookers cash back for early booking or three-for-two deals.

Once you start a conversation with them, you might even get freebies like free Wi-Fi. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Leeds Credit Union offers the people of Leeds simple and affordable financial services

Photo: Shutterstock

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