How to save money travelling abroad this Christmas
Christmas is coming and whilst many of us are excited, there are also those who just want to get away from it all.
Consumer expert Helen Dewdney, also known as The Complaining Cow, and Linda Reynolds, a Personal Travel Agent in partnership with Co-Op Travel, have partnered together to share 30 tips on how to save money when travelling abroad this Christmas.
The best Christmas travel dates
1. If you are looking to travel abroad on holiday over Christmas it is usually cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, on Christmas Day itself or on Christmas Eve. 22nd – 23rd December and New Year’s Eve will be peak dates. Think about next Christmas, too, as booking 11 months in advance offers more choices.
2. Be flexible with dates. Set up fare alerts and be ready to book quickly if you spot a great deal!
3. Airlines also often reduce fares for less popular routes closer to the departure date.
4. Look for budget airlines: Ryanair, EasyJet or Wizz may offer deals for European or domestic destinations, where you can save significantly, especially if you are flexible with dates and times.
5. Consider an extreme day trip! Pick up a really early morning flight and a late evening return to provide a full day and save yourself the overnight stay.
6. Use fare comparison tools with websites such as Google Flights, Skyscanner which let you explore the lowest-priced destinations, based on your starting location. Set up an alert for when prices drop.
7. Explore leaving from a different airport. Sometimes flying into a smaller, secondary airport (e.g. London Luton instead of Heathrow or Gatwick) can be cheaper.
Christmas holiday destinations
8. If you want to do Lapland, the once-in-a-lifetime bucket list holiday, it will be difficult to find bargains! Book at least a year in advance, so you can budget for them and save up.
9. There may be alternatives to Lapland, such as Norway, Iceland and parts of Sweden or leaving from a less popular airport. For example, Norway offers a similar “winter wonderland” experience, with Northern Lights and husky safaris, at potentially lower prices. Iceland has the ice caves and Sweden has less touristy experiences.
10. Good value holidays over Christmas are southern European cities, such as Athens, Costa del Sol or Lisbon, where they don’t have Christmas Markets but will still have a Christmassy feel. If you want to get away from Christmas altogether, Morocco has some good deals on at the moment or try a Canary Islands cruise.
The best Christmas markets
11. If you want to visit a Christmas Market abroad, book as far in advance as you can and go when they begin.
12. If you want to go to the higher cost destinations, consider a River Cruise for 5 nights along the Danube, for example, where you can take in several markets along the way.
13. If you are expecting to buy a large number of items at a market, make sure you will have enough space in your bag or book an extra bag, so you do not have to pay extra when you arrive at the airport.
The cheapest ways to get to the airport
14. Research the cost of getting to the airport. Whether it’s driving, using public transport, staying at a hotel overnight or being given a lift contributes to the overall cost and might make a difference to your departure airport and date.
15. Use comparison sites for airports, as well as looking direct, as prices can vary enormously. An Internet search on “Airport comparison price” will produce lots of sites. But be very careful to only use sites you know. Don’t click to book on any random site, take it slowly and carefully.
16. After finding the cheapest price, then use cashback sites, such as Topcashback and Quido, for each of your airport options to see if you can get the price down further. The cashback sites link to some airport comparison sites, as well as direct. Be sure to use cashback sites for the holiday booking, too.
17. Sign up for emails from airports. Sometimes you can get good discount codes in advance of booking your holiday but always check the different ways you can book the airport parking, as each will bring up a different price!
18. If there is a large group of you travelling, you may find a taxi to the airport is cheaper than everyone paying individually for trains or buses.
19. Book the car park as far in advance as possible, as prices tend to rise during busier times.
20. Make sure you are comparing airports like-with-like, e.g. off-airport parking, local sites, meet and greet, transfer times, etc.
21. Most car parks book within 24-hour periods, so give yourself leeway in case the flight is delayed, which may mean you will avoid a possible late departure parking fee.
22. Check out other places to park. Possibilities include renting a parking space outside someone’s house, or it may be cheaper to park at a train station, for example!
23. Consider a hotel which offers long-term parking as a bonus for staying. This can be very worthwhile if you have to drive a long distance and have booked an early morning flight.
Online holiday booking
24. Clear your browser cookies each time you revisit a holiday booking site, so the cost doesn’t increase because the travel company knows you’re interested. Or set up “incognito mode” or “private browsing” which will prevent the website from collecting your personal data.
25. Check terms and conditions, do you want to pay a few quid extra for free cancellation for example? Insurance may not pay for the cancellation.
26. Booking accommodation and flights separately is usually cheaper than a package. Look at all the various websites that do this for you, as some will also offer free cancellation or low-cost cancellation cover for accommodation. But do remember that you will have fewer consumer rights booking these separately. See Package holiday and Linked Travel arrangements – your rights
27. Book car hire far in advance for the lowest prices and make sure the car is big enough! At the time of booking it will be cheaper to get the right size car than paying at the check in desk for an upgrade! Shop around for the car hire, looking direct as well as on various comparison sites. Plus, if the excess waiver isn’t included, don’t buy it from the car rental company. You can get policies for a few pounds elsewhere that’ll cover you for damage to the car. Make sure you are comparing like-with-like inclusive totals. How to research and complain about car hire for a full guide.
28. Haggle. It is possible to build up a rapport with a travel agent and haggle to reduce the price. This is particularly good when you see the same holiday at a lower price elsewhere. Go to the one selling at the higher price and ask them to beat it or throw in something for free, such as an excursion.
Alternatives to flying
29. Although coach journeys take longer than trains or driving, they can be considerably cheaper. Check out National Express and local coach/bus firms. This may be a less expensive option if advance tickets have already sold out.
30. Consider a ferry, Eurostar train (foot passengers), Eurotunnel (cars) or other train travel as alternatives to flying.
How to research, books and complain about holidays and flights
For more tips and templates about complaining about aspects of flights and holidays see How to prevent problems when booking a holiday let (plus what to do when things go wrong)
For lots more help, advice, consumer laws and template letters GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS!
And get better at complaining 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer
Or save yourself the time and effort of putting together an email and purchase and download templates to get that redress.
