'We swapped our cottage in Huddersfield for a house in Hawaii': How you can save a small fortune on holidays this year
Nearly a quarter of families book their summer holiday this month due to a mix of post-Christmas blues and attractive low deposit deals.
Here Tara Evans looks at ways of cutting holiday costs without compromising on quality.
New horizons: You can get accommodation for free in almost any country of the world by swapping your home
CHEAP FLIGHTS
Most major airlines hold ‘flight sales’ this month. Comparison websites such as Skyscanner and Kayak can also help to pinpoint the lowest fares across the market.
For example, last Friday, Kayak was advertising direct flights from London to Orlando, Florida, from £367 return through Virgin Atlantic for the first week of February. Anyone buying direct from British Airways would have paid from £472 for the same journey.
Skyscanner, meanwhile, was promoting direct flights from Manchester to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for £390 return through Thomas Cook. Going direct through Thomson would have cost from £559 per person.
LUXURY HOTELS FOR LESS
You can snag a cut-price luxury trip by booking through a specialist discount travel website.
Secret Escapes offers ‘flash sales’ on holidays to destinations in the UK, US, Scandinavia and European countries such as Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain. It guarantees its price will be the lowest you can find online during specific sale periods.
Secret Escapes is currently offering discounts on holidays – some up to 70 per cent. For example, a luxury two-week Vietnam and Cambodia ‘beach, city and junk cruise’ trip is available at £1,799 per person, including flights. This is reduced from £2,399.
TravelZoo has a one-week ‘ski and snow’ holiday in St Martin de Belleville, in France’s Three Valleys – with meals and wine included – from £375 per person. This represents a 25 per cent discount (flights are not included).
Before booking, it makes sense to check reviews from feedback websites such as TripAdvisor as well as compare prices for the same trip on rival websites to be certain you are paying the cheapest price.
SWAP YOUR HOME
Dream deal: Bruce Wrigley and Janet Frenton swapped their cottage for a house on Kauai, Hawaii
Get accommodation for free in almost any country of the world by swapping your home.
British home exchange company LoveHomeSwap recently acquired Dutch rival Home for Exchange – enabling it to now list more than 100,000 properties worldwide, ready for swapping.
It works in a similar way to well-established players HomeLink and HomeExchange, where members pay an annual fee to advertise their home to potential swappers. You stay in their home while they stay in yours – with no money changing hands.
It is possible to arrange a holiday where the occupant may not need your home, but these are harder to find.
Holidaymakers still need to pay for travel to their holiday destination, including transport from the airport, coach or train station.
From Huddersfield....
... To Hawaii
The process relies heavily on trust between swappers, with many companies offering optional deposit services where each side of the swap pays a refundable sum up-front to cover any accidental damages. It is important to check your home insurer is happy about the arrangement before signing up for a swap.
Homeowners with a mortgage should also check with their lender that a swap does not breach the terms of their loan.
Newly retired couple Janet Frenton and Bruce Wrigley, both 69, have travelled all over the world by swapping their three-bedroom house near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Janet, a former teacher, says: ‘Our last house swap was in August last year when we swapped homes with a lovely lady from Kauai – one of the Hawaiian islands.
‘It was somewhere we hadn’t considered before. We didn’t think someone from that part of the world would want to come to West Yorkshire – but she was keen to visit Europe for a while.’ The swap allowed Janet and Bruce to stay for five weeks. Janet says: ‘It was fabulous.’
GET TECH SAVVY
Travellers who are comfortable with technology can get speedy access to exclusive holiday deals and discounts through their smartphone.
Many travel firms give preferential rates to those who book this way. For example, travel agent Expedia offers a 40 per cent discount on last-minute hotels booked via a mobile.
Steve Nowottny, at comparison website MoneySavingExpert, says: ‘If you have a smartphone, it can also be worth checking out some websites’ apps too. That way you may be able to grab extra discounts.’
The STA Travel app offers discounts and so-called ‘secret app deals’.
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