How we saved hundreds on our family summer holiday

BBC News

2 days ago

The cost of all-inclusive package holidays to some of the most popular destinations has soared, prompting people to get creative to save money.BBC News has been speaking to people who have used money-saving hacks to slash the price of their summer getaways.If there are issues you would like to see covered, you can get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News.
'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."