Top 50+ simple ways to save money on your next holiday

Financial doom and gloom seems to be the norm these days. Scouring travel websites can result in a sinking feeling too. Economy flight prices within Europe are expected to see a 2.8 per cent increase this year, while business flight prices to the Middle East and Asia could rise by up to 8.2 per cent year on year, according to Amex GBT’s Air Monitor 2025. Add the slightly higher Air Passenger Duty (APD), and tourist taxes in popular destinations, and it all starts to mount up.

Despite all this, a holiday remains a reason to be cheerful, which explains why people are reluctant to let go of theirs.

To that end, our experts have come up with 50 money-saving ideas worth celebrating. There are myriad ways to trim the costs of a trip without losing any of the feel-good factor, whether they involve shaving a star off your hotel’s rating, eschewing the boring breakfast buffet in favour of coffee and a croissant in a local cafe, or swapping the south of France for less well-trodden territory.

Do this and you might even add a dollop of unexpected adventure to your sojourn. Read on to find out how to save on everything from coffees to cruises, museums to mountain retreats.

Explore by holiday type:

• City breaks
• Family holidays
• UK holidays
• Cruises
• Ski holidays

City breaks

Nick Trend

1. Book your Eurostar early

Eurostar fares tend to increase sharply the later you book - Getty Images

Save: £100+

Eurostar fares tend to go up sharply the later you book. We did a spot check: 10 days in advance, the cheapest Friday-Sunday afternoon fare from London to Paris was £280 return. Booked three months ahead, it was £140.

2. Travel by coach

Coach returns from London to Paris with flixbus.co.uk can be found for £38 in March - Alexander Spatari

Save: £100s

Most of us prefer trains, but you will normally pay much less to travel by coach. We found returns from London to Paris with flixbus.co.uk for £49, for example. Mind you, the journey does take nine hours compared with just over two on Eurostar.

3. Start on a Sunday

City hotels charge their cheapest rates on a Sunday night because demand is low - Getty Images

Save: £100s

Air and train fares are normally much lower on a Sunday morning than at any other time over a weekend – and it will also be cheaper to return on a weekday. What’s more, city hotels also charge their cheapest rates on a Sunday night because demand is low.

4. Go big for bargains

Save: £10s

If you are booking a hotel at the last minute, bigger properties, though sometimes lacking in character, are more likely to have plenty of spare rooms and so offer more late discounts than their smaller boutique rivals. Look on sites like Booking.com for deals.

5. Make a break for breakfast

Skip the expensive hotel breakfast and grab coffee and a croissant at a local cafe instead - Shutterstock

Save: £25 a day

Many hotels now don’t include breakfast in their overnight rate – and then charge you through the nose when you head downstairs in the morning. In Amsterdam, for example, you might have to pay up to £35 a head in a top hotel. Pop out to a local cafe and have a coffee and a croissant for a fraction of the price.

6. Sightsee for free

Save: £15

Some museums which normally charge hefty entrance fees offer free admission on one or two days a month. The Musée d’Orsay on the first Sunday of the month and the Vatican Museums on the last Sunday are good examples. They will be busy though and you still need to book.

7. Arrange your own excursions

Save: £45

A commercially-run coach tour from central Paris to Versailles costs about £70, including admission to the palace. Take the RER train (maximum €7.30) and book your admission online (€21, chateauversailles.fr) and the total bill is €28.30 (£23.86).

8. Go walkabout

Save on transport: Amsterdam's compact city centre is possible to explore on foot - Sylvain Sonnet

Save: £10s

Many smaller cities and even some of the popular bigger ones such as Paris, Vienna, Venice, Amsterdam and Rome have relatively compact centres. Plan your sightseeing carefully and you can save on all those bus and tube fares.

9. Stand your ground

Save: £10s

Food and drink in a Continental European café is always much cheaper if you stand at, or lean on, the counter, rather than taking a seat at a table. An espresso in Rome, for example, might be €1.20 (£1) at the bar but €5 (£4.22) seated.

10. Walk around the corner

Save: £10s

Restaurants and cafés near the big sights invariably charge a tourist premium. A cappuccino in Venice at Caffè Florian in St Mark’s Square costs €12 (£9.88), but you can buy one in a café in the Castello district for €4 (£3.37).

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Family holidays

Hattie Garlick

11. Take packed lunches to the airport

Save: £20

Four soggy sandwiches, two weak ­coffees and a couple of juice cartons will easily top the £20 mark inside departures. Not a celebratory start to the holiday. So, take a packed lunch instead (swerving the soup course – no liquids allowed).

12. Forgo the swimming pool

Save: £1,000+

A private pool is the ultimate family holiday accessory – but comes with a hefty price tag. For example, in Sardinia, we found one property with a pool that would cost a family of four £4,000 for a week in August, and a very similar pool-free option on its books for £2,500. It constitutes a mammoth saving, especially when both are only a short distance from the same sandy beach.

13. Invest in a travel car seat

Invest in a travel car seat to avoid being fleeced at the car-hire concession - Thomas Barwick

Save: £100+

Nothing takes the sheen off your holiday cheer like being fleeced at the car-hire concession for the privilege of putting your toddler in a car seat. The major players routinely charge north of £50 for a week’s use. Instead, invest in Trunki’s BoostApak, a travel car seat that doubles as a backpack. It costs £59.99, meaning it will pay for itself after two trips.

14. Check your destination’s school-term dates

Save: £1,000+

American children return to school ­earlier, so there are good deals to be had at Disney World if you travel at the end of August.

15. Go late

Save: £200+

Most families are itching for sunshine as soon as the school gates shut, meaning prices drop rapidly at the end of August and into the early days of September. Travel then.

16. Fly from Scotland

Capitalise on cheaper flights after the Scottish school holidays - Getty Images

Save: £100+

Many Scottish schools go back on August 18 this year, meaning summer flights are significantly cheaper from that date. It may well be worth a drive across the border.

17. Use ‘free child place finder’ tools

Save: £200+

First Choice, Jet2 and Tui all have a “free child place finder” on their website. Enter your children’s ages and the month you want to travel, and all the resorts where they will go free are ­magically revealed.

18. Get yourself a Currensea card

Save: £50+

Every time you use your UK debit card abroad, you will likely be charged a fee of nearly 3 per cent. And when you’re being hounded, hourly, for ice creams and inflatables, that adds up. Order a Currensea card, use it in exactly the same way, and – under its free plan – you’ll pay 1.18 per cent.

The Post Office’s Holiday Money Report found that Portugal was Europe’s best-value holiday destination - Brandon Rosenblum

19. Book Portugal

Save: £200+

Every year, the Post Office’s combs through the costs of common spends at European family-holiday destinations, identifying the best value for everything from buckets and spades to sun cream. This year’s best bets? Our old ally Portugal.

20. Bag a balcony

A balcony is your own VIP bar for two - Getty Images

Save: £100+

If you are sharing a room with the ­children in order to save cash, you will find that a balcony is your best friend. Somewhere to talk above a ­whisper once they are in bed, and a VIP bar for two (just stick a supermarket bottle in the mini-fridge).

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UK holidays

Sophie Butler

21. Luxury for less

Save: £215+

Hotels find it harder to sell Sunday nights, so look out for deals. Four-star Kilworth House, in Leicestershire, for example, offers “3 for 2 Weekend Breaks”, including complimentary Sunday B&B (worth at least £215), subject to guests dining in the hotel.

22. Park pass saving

Purchasing park tickets in advance online typically ensures a cheaper rate - Alamy

Save: £30+

A day pass to Alton Towers costs from £29 per person when purchased in advance online, compared with the gate price of £68.

23. Avoid the honeypots

Save: £200+

In the Lakes hotspot of Windermere, for example, we found a two-bedroom, log and stone cabin from £899 per week. Head to the quieter and more remote valley of Wasdale to find a similarly rated two-bedroom cottage from £699. Both available through the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk).

24. Free family fun

The Imperial War Museum in London is one of the UK’s best free museums - Simon Fernandez

Save: £20+

Manchester’s Imperial War Museum North and its sister museum in London (iwm.org.uk) are among the UK’s best free museums with lots of school-­holiday family activities, whereas IWM Duxford charges £26.80 for adults and £13.40 for children aged 5-15.

25. Small group discounts

Save: £600+

Look for low-occupancy discounts at large properties. For example, a group of eight saves 40 per cent at The Vean, a Georgian country house on the Caerhays Estate near St Austell, in Cornwall, which sleeps 16, through Rural Retreats. Get three nights from £222 per person (reduced from £394).

26. Pick up a pass

Save: £10s

Visiting York? Plan a whistlestop tour of top sights including the Jorvik Viking Centre, York Dungeon, Castle Museum, York Minster and Yorkshire Air Museum and perhaps take a sightseeing tour and you’ll save at least £20 on entry costs by buying a two-day Visit York Pass for £80. Other cities have similar schemes.

27. Find a home from home

Save: £200+

Restaurant bills for a three-night family break can easily top £200. A serviced apartment with a kitchen will save on eating out. Citadines and Native offer handy home from homes in several UK cities.

28. Zone out in London

Take advantage of London’s daily fare cap when visiting the sights - Tom Jamieson

Save: £8.90

London’s daily fare cap for travelling by Tube in the central zones 1 and 2 is £8.90 (adult), so either maximise your tube travel - or avoid this cost altogether by picking a base close enough to the sights you want to visit and sightseeing on foot.

29. Stay on site

Save: £10s

Book a cottage through English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk) for free acc­ess to top heritage sites. Family entry to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, starts at £55.50, for example, but free if staying at Pavilion Cottage in Osborne’s grounds.

30. Bag a bus

North Norfolk’s bus service sells “Coast” tickets allowing unlimited travel at £12 per day - Alamy

Save: £10s

Opt for multi-day public-transport passes. North Norfolk’s bus service sells “Coast” tickets allowing unlimited travel at £12 per day. You can shave £11 off by buying a three-day ticket at £25.

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Cruises

Sara Macefield

31. Pick your seasons

Save: £100s

Avoid school holidays when ships are busiest and prices are highest and opt for the quieter “shoulder seasons” of May and June or September to November.

The first two or three weeks of December can also be prime bargain time, as can cruises straddling the end of school holidays and the start of term time.

32. Cheaper cruise lines and classic ships

Ambassador Cruise Line offers “value” cruises at lower prices

Save: £100s

It’s not all about upmarket cruise lines and swanky new ships. The likes of Ambassador Cruise Line and Greek-owned Celestyal offer “value” cruises at lower prices on older classic-style ships. Even mainstream lines tend to charge less for older ships in their fleets.

33. Drinks on the house

If you don't have a free drinks package, head to the Captain's cocktail party and art auctions for complimentary tipples - David Sacks

Save: £10s

If you can’t get a free drinks package thrown in when you book your cruise, be sure to go to the Captain’s cocktail party and art auctions, where tipples are gratis.

Limited soft drinks are nearly always available from machines in the buffet and, if you have to pay, look out for special-priced cocktails of the day and happy-hour offers.

34. Travel agency deals

Save: £100s

Dedicated cruise travel agencies, with access to exclusive low prices that cruise lines slip out to them, build unique one-off packages that include flights and hotels at a cheaper price than customers can put together themselves.

35. Organise your own excursions

Avoid expensive cruise company excursions and find a local tour at the port instead - bennymarty

Save: up to 60 per cent

Cruise company excursions can be eye-wateringly expensive, so look for independent companies that can be up to 60 per cent cheaper. Pick up a local tour at the port when you disembark or make your own arrangements.

36. Pampering on the cheap

Save: £10s

If you want to avoid sky-high prices for an indulgent hot-stone massage or age-defying facial, then wait until the ship is in port and everyone goes ashore on excursions. To drum up business, ship spas invariably offer special deals.

37. Winter warmers

Save: £100s

More cruise companies are looking to base ships in the Mediterranean during winter. This not only gives guests a chance to avoid the summer heat and accompanying crowds, but cruise (and flight) rates are keener, while prices on the ground are lower too.

Cruise in winter and the top sites in the Mediterranean are often less crowded - Thana Thanadechakul

38. Quirky routes

Save: up to 50 per cent

Don’t follow the crowds – opt for repositioning voyages instead. These are normally in spring and autumn when cruise ships move around the globe, notably across the Atlantic between the Americas and Europe.

Trip durations may be irregular and there may be more sea days, but the savings are worth it.

39. Sail, don’t fly

Sailing to the Mediterranean is easier, more enjoyable and can be far more cost-effective than flying - luza studios

Save: £100s

With so many ships offering UK departures from the likes of Southampton, Dover and Liverpool at competitive prices, sailing to the Mediterranean or further afield – especially for families – is easier, more enjoyable and can be far more cost-effective than flying.

40. Do your own washing

Save: £10s

Don’t rack up big bills by getting your smalls freshly laundered. Most larger ships have laundry rooms where guests can do their own wash and go.

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Ski holidays

Abigail Butcher

41. Buy hand-warmers before you go

Save: £1.50+ per warmer

In resort shops and supermarkets, a sachet of hand-warmers costs €2-3 (£1.65-£2.47). Instead, buy a box of 40 from Amazon before you go for about £25. Or better still, buy reusable or rechargeable ones.

42. Book early online

Booking your lift passes, ski hire and lessons in advance online is significantly cheaper than waiting until you get there - Getty Images

Save: £200+

43. Club together

Bag a group discount by booking with friends or family - Michael DeYoung

Save: £100+

Group discounts don’t just apply to big gangs of friends and organised groups. Family ski passes are usually discounted and some resorts even offer a reduction for two ski passes bought together, so check before you book independently.

For example, Les 3 Vallées in France recently replaced its Family Pass with the Family Flex pass, whereby groups of three or more (one to two adults and up to six juniors aged five to 17) can ski for five days (or more) at the Junior rate of £276.17pp, which also includes a bonus day of six days for the price of five.

44. Late and early birds catch the worm

Save: £200+

Skiing early or late in the season often unlocks brilliant deals. Les Arcs, for example, offers a discount on ski passes in early December and from mid-April; from mid-April, Val d’Isere offers discounted lift passes if you book accommodation through their website.

45. Take snacks and hot chocolate up the mountain

Save: £40+ a day

Pockets full of chocolate save additional spending in the mountain café when you fancy a sugar hit – so buy a few multi­packs at home or in the resort supermarket. Plus, with four hot chocolates costing about £20, you could save £120 a week on a family holiday by making your own in the mornings. Most resorts also offer free water fountains, so carry refillable water bottles.

46. Cook your own lunch and make your own glühwein

Take advantage of your ski resort's "lunch room" and cook your own meals - Getty Images

Save: £50+ a day

A growing number of ski resorts have “lunch rooms” or picnic on the slopes equipped with microwaves, or even little barbecues. You could save at least £10 per head, per day, by using them. Back at the chalet, hot mulled wine is easy and cheap to make – just buy a box of sachets, a cheap bottle of red and a bag of sugar.

47. Kids and seniors ski discounted or free

In many resorts, lift passes for younger children and seniors over 75 are free - Plain Picture

Save: £500+

In many resorts, lift passes for younger children and seniors over 75 are free, or heavily discounted. Teenagers benefit from discounts, as do seniors over the age of 60, which could save hundreds.

48. Upgrade your ski hire

Some rental packages let you change your equipment as often as you like - so you can switch to cross-country skis on bad weather days - Plain Picture

Save: £80+

Choose an Intersport premium or superior package (about €12 a day) and change your equipment as often as you like – so, on bad-weather days when few lifts are open or the visibility is bad, grab some touring skis or cross-country kit and head out under your own steam. Book your equipment online in advance for the best price.

49. Hire ski clothing

Save: £400+

Hire your ski kit instead of buying – you’ll be doing the right thing by the environment, too. A four‑day adult bundle of jacket, pants and gloves that would cost £550-£600 to buy costs £104 with EcoSki.

50. Keep your eyes peeled for free ski carriage deals

Save: £70+

Airlines periodically offer free ski carriage deals – book during that period and save £70+ per person instantly.

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This piece was first published in June 2023 and has been revised and updated.

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