How we saved hundreds on our family summer holiday
'We booked two days before'
Laura Strang, 25, from Oban, Scotland saves money by booking at the last minute.She even booked her honeymoon just two days before they flew."We got married on the 21st of June and waited until the 23rd of June to book a holiday for June 25th."We had two weeks in Mexico because it was cheaper than two weeks in Europe."Laura and her husband Sam Gledhill, 27, paid £1,200 each for 14 nights all-inclusive in Cancun."I would say we saved thousands of pounds, based on reviews," she says."Ten nights in Spain was coming up the same or more expensive. It's a 10-hour flight over to Mexico so it's a little bit crazy, that."She says she and her husband have previously booked holidays within a few days of flying to Tenerife, Salou and Marrakesh and have saved money each time."Choosing not to go all-inclusive can save money but that depends on the country," says Laura."We found Mexico quite expensive when going out and about [so all-inclusive made sense], but you could probably save money in Spain by going half board."
'We travel off-peak and look for kids go free places'
Nathan Hart and his fiancee Cassie Farrelly estimate they saved £3,300 by searching for a holiday that offered a free child's place and going outside school holidays.They have booked a 10-day all-inclusive holiday in Spain's Balearic Islands at the end of September with their three-year-old twin daughters Alba and Luna.The couple from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales recommend using the filter option on some of the biggest travel agency websites."When searching you can see which places offer one free child place, choose a range of locations and sort by lowest price," says Nathan."We found an exceptional hotel for £800 per person plus one free child place, so that's already an £800 saving."As well as that, on the booking page you can see a calendar showing the difference in price for the holiday on different dates."
Nathan says when he compared the same holiday in August it was double the price."That would have been completely unaffordable for us."I now completely understand why parents with older kids travel inside school term time and it's absolutely something we will have to consider when our girls are older."Parents who take their children out of school for holidays during term time risk being fined, and repeat offenders could face prosecution.
'I swapped my London flat for a Spanish villa'
May Burrough works in central London. But her flat is too small to have lots of people to stay, so last October she invited some close friends to a five-bedroomed villa with a pool on the Costa Brava, Spain.She estimates it would normally have cost around £3,500 to rent a house like that. But she used a home-swapping site and only paid €100 (£85) - for the cleaning fee - plus around £250 on transport.Although she saved money on the villa, May and her friends did splash out on food and drink, such as oysters and wine from the region."We really had a lush time at the house because we were like, 'well, we're not paying for the accommodation!'"Because finding someone to do a straight swap with can often be tricky, the Home Exchange site she uses allows her to earn credits by letting people stay in her one-bedroom flat, and then spend them elsewhere."It does take a bit of effort. I put valuables away, you have to change the bedsheets, cleaning every time. But it is fully worth it," says May.She says the site is a bit clunky to use, but she loves what it allows her to do, for an annual fee of around £170.Recently she booked a one-night stay in Vienne, France so she could go to a concert."A hotel was going to be mega-expensive. So I booked a room in someone's home and left in the morning."
'I use my credit card to get loyalty points for flights'
Ebrahim Paruk, 35, from Nuneaton near Coventry in Warwickshire saves money on flights by saving up Virgin Atlantic credit card points.He does his best to collect as many points as possible. "I pay for everything I can with the card," he says, including his bills, weekly petrol, and weekly groceries."These are day-to-day necessities that you have to buy, so you might as well get a reward," he says.Describing himself as "the biggest football fan you will probably ever find", he started doing it as a way of going to the major international tournaments.The best saving he made with the points was a return flight to Düsseldorf to watch Germany v Denmark in the 2024 Euros - he saved £400 on his £800 flight.To add to the saving, he won the match ticket and hotel accommodation in a competition, meaning the whole trip cost him a total of £500.Now he uses the same method to save money when booking holidays for him and his wife.
'I house sit and get to see the US'
Annmaree Bancroft is a single mum of a three-year-old and has been house sitting with him 11 times.Their first time was looking after two dogs for a week in a house in Scarsdale outside New York City.This year they will be going back there for a few days, this time as friends of the homeowner. Then they will stay on for three more weeks in the US, without paying for any overnight accommodation, thanks to further housesitting stints in Connecticut and Brooklyn.The cost of the holiday will be the £1,435 she is spending on flights, plus travel between cities and spending money."A lot of parents think that once you have a child, you can't travel," says Annmaree."That is just not true. There are these alternative ways now to travel and make it affordable."If you do choose to house sit, it is recommended that you use a reputable site. Annmaree uses the online platform Trusted Housesitters, which charges a membership fee for sitters of £99 to £199 a year.
'We're staycationing in the UK'
House sitting may also be an option for those choosing not to go abroad.Kayleigh Pennel-Price lives with her partner, two children, aged two and four months, and their golden retriever Kofi in Wiltshire.She had looked into a family holiday through the traditional means but calculated that it would cost around £3,000 to go on a foreign holiday for a week.Instead, the whole family is going house sitting in a small village in Buckinghamshire for two weeks.They will be staying in a home with a sauna, swimming pool and a private woodland, to look after two Yorkshire terriers, booked through the website HouseSit Match."We mostly plan to just stay there," says Kayleigh, who thinks the whole trip could cost £250."We love both abroad and UK holidays, but we don't like to leave our dog," she says. "And with the two babies, abroad is a little harder."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
38 minutes ago
- The Independent
Spain battles severe floods as cars submerged and roads turned to rivers
Showing now | News 01:06 Spanish tourist hotspots have been hit by severe floods and thunderstorms. Footage shared by emergency services on Saturday (12 July), show Spanish streets transformed into rivers and cars submerged in water. A disaster relief unit of Spain's military was deployed to the northeastern city of Zaragoza after severe storms caused flooding across the province. Footage shared by the Military Emergencies Uni shows responders draining excess water and installing roadblocks to prevent further flooding. Spanish weather agency AEMET said there was high potential for flash floods in eight provinces, including Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The idyllic Spanish island that's just like the Maldives but much cheaper... and closer
A small Balearic island - with a very famous big sister - does a good impression of the Maldives, say those who love it, only without the ten-hour schlep to get there. Ibiza's tiny little sibling, Formentera, offers those in the know the same balmy weather, swaying palms and transparent blue waters as the Indian Ocean honeymoon paradise. The island is just 12 miles long and a mile-and-a-half wide at its narrowest point and there's little to do apart from eat, drink and enjoy the soft sand beaches. And when it comes to dining, prices are significantly cheaper than the more bougie Maldivian restaurants, where tourists pay a premium for import costs on much of the food and drink served up. A meal in a simple restaurant is likely to cost you around £12, compared to the more gourmet offerings plated up in Maldivian resorts. Lonely Planet describes the European island, beloved of Kate Moss in the 90s, as a 'beautifully pure, get-away-from-it-all-escape'. The travel guide adds: 'Formentera's pace of life is blissfully languid, designed for lazy days spent lounging on some of Europe's (dare we say the world's) most exquisite beaches.' Holidaymakers won't find Ibiza's clubbing atmosphere here but they will find a peaceful escape. The crystalline beaches of Formentera, a 30 minute ferry ride from Ibiza, come with water so blue it could easily fool people into thinking it might be a Maldivian proposition Which beaches on the island can rival the Maldives for alabaster sands and clear waters? There's plenty. Playa de Ses Illetes is Formentera's best known beach and it's even picked up a Travellers' Choice Best of the Best award. The coastal spot is located within the Ses Salines National Park and has white sand with bright turquoise water. Tourist 'Niky B' writes on Tripadvisor: 'Superb beach worthy of the Caribbean! Take a nice picnic with you and you will not regret.' Another person added: 'It's the beach. Listed as one of the best in the world, its crystal clear waters, fine and surroundings make it undoubtedly worthy of five stars.' Platja de Migjorn is also considered one of the island's prettiest beaches. The longest beach on the island it stretches across 5km. Traveller 'Cathy C' writes on Tripadvisor: 'The sea here is clean and beautiful. Some areas are rocky but there are plenty of sandy areas with easy access to the sea.' And when it comes to another popular pursuit in the Maldives, diving, you'll find plenty of it on the Balearic isle. Scuba divers can explore the Don Pedro, one of the world's most famous shipwrecks. The cargo ship is over 140m long and can be visited on dives. Tourists will need to fly to Ibiza to get to Formentera with direct flights available on British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2. They can then catch a ferry from Ibiza. Ferries tend to run frequently and take around 30 minutes. In July and August, the temperature averages 26 degrees on the island with minimal sunshine and sun for around 11 hours a day. The average temperature is usually above 20 degrees in May, June, September and October as well.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Midair passenger fight forces London–Cancun flight to make emergency landing in the US
A flight from Mexico to London was forced to divert and land in Maine after two passengers on board began fighting, officials said. The incident occurred on Tuesday when the Gatwick- bound TUI Airways flight from Cancun with 267 passengers on board had to seek an emergency landing due to the scuffle. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight made an emergency landing around 9.30pm EST on Tuesday. As a result of the unscheduled stopover, the 267 passengers were forced to spend the night in Bangor in Maine. According to the audio recordings of the pilot, when the scuffle broke out on board, the officials at the air traffic control were able to direct the flight to the runway within a matter of minutes. 'Cockpit is secure and there's two passengers fighting and the crew has pretty much gotten them under control,' the pilot said. One of the passengers said the pilot alerted them about an hour into the flight that two people had been caught 'smoking in the toilet', warning that he would be forced to make an unscheduled landing if they didn't stop, according to the New York Post. The pair refused to stop smoking on board. The passenger said the pilot confirmed diversion of the plane to Bangor, Maine, about three hours later, when the flight was around the border with Canada. The plane landed around 9.30pm in Maine, after which the airport authorities escorted them off the plane. 'They were obviously drunk, and he basically assaulted his partner,' the passenger on the TUI flight told New York Post. He added that the layover was also uncomfortable for the other passengers who were on an unplanned layover, had to face taxing issues and were later told they had to spend the night in Maine due to flight plans. Additionally, the crew on board was also due for a time by the flight landed in the coastal US state. In order to facilitate the next flight, airlines brought in a relief crew, and the flight took off at 3pm EST on Wednesday. The flight landed safely at Gatwick Airport in London on Wednesday. However, the passengers who sparred on the flight, causing it to face diversion, did not face any criminal charges. Both of them were 'returned to their home countries on separate outbound flights', reported the BBC. 'This incident involved a foreign-to-foreign flight that was diverted due to an in-flight altercation between two passengers,' a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson said, the report added. 'Upon arrival, CBP officers removed both individuals from the aircraft. Although no criminal charges were filed, CBP processed the two subjects for expedited removal,' it said.
