I have always liked the thought of travelling spontaneously. Pack a bag and turn up at an airport, get a flight and go on an adventure! Or just book a few days in advance, but with a family of four in tow that just is not practical. Booking a holiday for five is actually way more difficult than many think. We are fixated on families of four from booking hotel rooms, to paying for family tickets of two adults and two children. Therefore this post on six cheats to getting a great value family holiday, shares the clever ways I save money when booking the family holiday.
This probably affects single parent families in a similar way. About March / April time last year I started looking for a all inclusive holiday for the five of us which consists of three adults – as Chloe was then 16 – and two children.
The options and prices that came back were insane. But even ignoring the price, the accommodation just did not suit us. Instead we shelved that idea and had a wonderful week in Waterside Holiday Park and Spa. Chloe and I also hot footed it to Kos for a post GCSE break. Kos was idyllic and I vowed to get us all abroad together in 2017.
However this takes some planning!
My requirements are quite simple really (or so i think).
- Two bedroom accommodation
- Fully Inclusive
- Car to get around
- 5 Star
- Needs to be in school holidays (husband is a teacher and three children leaves zero flexibility)
Six cheats to getting a great value family holiday
- Book direct. For a few years we booked our flights and accommodation separately. It takes time but you can get it cheaper this way.
- Discount codes: When booking our Trip to Kos last year I found a code from Thomas Cook which saved us £100 each. I also double discounted by booking through TopCashBack. Topcashback gives you money back on all your purchases and is the easiest way to save money when shopping online.
- For school holiday deals book in Jan, Feb or even sooner. I actually booked a year in advance and can’t wait to go because where we have booked looks amazing!
- Pre-book car hire: This enables you to get the best rates available. Try Autoclick for a great price and service.
- Book online for best price: There are more deals online but it can be hard to know where to start. I generally go into the travel agents with my wish list and let them do the hard work of coming up with availability. I then take that information home and book it myself. this ALWAYS saves money.
- Pre-book specific activities: That water park the kids want to go to is usually cheaper if you book it before you leave the UK.
