Tips and Tricks for Family Holidays on a Budget.

                                                                                   Image by Colin Bowern

We’re all going on a family holiday; well, we are if we can afford it. So many families are putting their vacation plans on hold in 2014, simply because they cannot afford it. You don’t need to cancel your holiday plans altogether though! We’ve put together the best tips and tricks to ensure you can enjoy some precious family time together, on a limited budget.

Booking your flights

If you’re planning on going abroad for your family holiday, then you’re probably looking into flights. Flying isn’t as cheap as it used to be, with even low cost airlines ramping up their prices in 2014. We have done some research though, and found that there are still cheap flights to be had even cheap flights to Durban. Here are our top tips for cheap travel:

• Book well in advance – Flights are at their cheapest from October through to the beginning of February. Some airlines also offer a ‘buy now, pay later’ option, so that you can book your flights when they’re cheap and pay them off when you have some spare cash.

• Avoid peak times – The most expensive time to go on holiday is always going to be in the Summer Holidays, when every family jets off for some fun in the sun. If you have younger children then try to avoid school holiday times for the best deals. If you have kids that need to be in school from September, then look into early Christmas breaks or other half term offers.

• Remember the extras – Sometimes, booking with a low cost airline is not your best option. By the time you’ve added on your taxes, booking fees, luggage allowance and something to eat or drink on the flight, then you’re looking at a flight that is much more expensive than anticipated. Try to get a list of airline costs to weigh up the true price of your flight, and see whether an all inclusive airline (like British Airways) is better value.

Saving on accommodation

In most cases, it can work out a lot cheaper to book a flight and accommodation separately. We’re always drawn in by all inclusive offers, but don’t realize that we can get hotels a lot cheaper than that. Here are our expert tricks for saving money on your accommodation:

• Pick when to book – Unlike flights, hotel prices can actually get cheaper the closer it gets to the date of your holiday. This is because it is more expensive for a hotel to have empty rooms, and so they drop the prices drastically. However, always keep an eye out on prices as they will fluctuate throughout the year.

• Search wisely – If you’re planning on taking a family holiday to Chicago then search for cheap hotels in Chicago, as opposed to just ‘hotels in Chicago’. Many hotel companies will have a certain section for their budget accommodation, which clever searching will help you discover.

• Catering options – Which one is best; all inclusive, bed and breakfast or self catering? Well, this all depends on where you’re going on your family holiday. For example, buying food in the South of France is going to be pricy, even in a cut price supermarket, so all inclusive would save you money. However, eating out in Eastern Europe is cheap as chips, so perhaps self catering is the way to go.

These tips are perfect for those who want to ensure their family get a holiday this year, regardless of their tight budget. Use all of our tricks and you should be able to secure a stunning vacation for a lot less. Happy holidays!