This blog entry will provide a few examples of how to make a family holiday abroad more affordable! For a lot of families, a holiday abroad may appear out of reach, however, with deals and alternative travel providers increasingly available, it may be more possible than you realise!
In the past we’ve recommended using Airbnb, however, in recent years they can be just as expensive as hotels. Occasionally you can find a bargain that suits you and your needs, so it’s always worth checking.
Finding holidays abroad cheap
There are various online travel agencies such On the Beach, Alpha Rooms and Travel Republic. These providers enable you to build your own holiday by selecting flights, accommodation and transfers separately. This enables you to select prices, times and dates which suit you and your budget; with all the benefits of booking through an ATOL/ABTA protected travel agent. These travel agencies are a good option for those wanting flexibility with times and prices but do not want to book everything on a completely separate basis.
Another option could be websites such as Love Home Swap and Home Exchange. Although this may not be for everyone, the service could provide a much larger and more suitable space for families at a significantly smaller cost! As simple as it sounds, this service enables users to swap homes with those requiring accommodation in the UK. The former provides a two-week free trial, so you can see if the service suits you and your family!
Airport transfers can be an expensive and limiting part of planning your ideal holiday. Travel companies often only offer transfers to popular resorts, potentially excluding travellers from cheap accommodation elsewhere. Bla Bla Car enables travellers to reserve seats in a private car at a fraction of the cost of a taxi. All journeys, which the driver would be doing anyway, are covered by Bla Bla’s formal partner AXA. While this service depends on drivers covering the route you require, Bla Bla Car could be an advanced option for some.
Sun Holidays provide an option to book breaks at travel parks in the UK and Europe. The Sun Holiday scheme offers access to holiday parks in France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria and Croatia. You have to purchase at least seven newspapers to pay or part-pay for your break; this can be done one of three ways: Sun Savers Codes, Sun Codewords or Sun Tokens. Be sure to read all the T&Cs before collecting, to avoid any disappointment!
The other two main options for flights and accommodations are Kayak and Expedia. Kayak allows you to input ‘anywhere’ into their search function with your desired dates. It then outputs a list of everywhere you can travel on those dates and you can then adjust your budget to suit your needs. Kayak is popular with students, but, it can be used by anyone.
Expedia is a site known to most, it allows you to book individual stays, flights, cars and things to do as well as overall package holidays. You can select a specific place or country to go on your dream holiday. They also have an app on both the Google play store and Apple app store. When you use the application, you can save 10% on selected hotels.
Google Flights
Google Flights are taking on the likes of Expedia and On The Beach, they allow you to put in your departure airport and desired country, you can leave this blank if you want to see the full range of destinations you can visit.
When you input your dates you can select ‘Flexible dates’ to see when your cheapest options for flights are. Google Flights are the only comparison website to do this as far as we’re aware. It’s a great addition, more providers should do this.
In addition to flights you can also book hotels, things to do and holiday rentals using this tool.
We hope you enjoyed this blog entry, and hope that it helps you to plan a more affordable overseas holiday. Once again, Street UK wishes you and your family an amazing summer holiday!