Cheapest times to book holidays

Booking your holiday at the right time can save you money, but the 'right' time isn't the same for every type of holiday
You could save over £1,000 on a two-week family holiday - our guide will help you find the best deals at the best prices
We reveal how much it costs to book holidays in Mallorca, Italy and Mexico at different times of year

Booking your holiday at the right time can save you a small fortune, but the ‘right’ time isn’t the same for every type of holiday.

For 12 months, we tracked prices from the UK’s three biggest tour op websites – First Choice, Thomas Cook and Thomson – to find out when to book to get the best deal. Scenarios we tracked included a fortnight’s holiday for a family of four in a self-catering apartment in Mallorca, a break for two people on a half-board basis on the Italian Riviera, and a couple going to Mexico on an all-inclusive deal – all for July 2008.

Family holiday to Mallorca

Best time to book: plan ahead
Potential saving: £1044

Family holiday to Mallorca (2 Adults & 2 Children). Self-catering, departing 19-22 July 2008
Month the price was checked	First Choice Holiday Village Viva	JMC/Thomas Cook Costa Azul Esmerelda	Thomson Hotel Bonaire
Aug 07	£2,401	£2,292	£2,540
Sep 07	£2,685	£2,262	£2,540
Oct 07	£2,647	£2,318	£2,540
Nov 07	£2,962	£2,360	£2,664
Dec 07	£2,949	not available	£2,570
Jan 08	£2,909	not available	£2,732
Feb 08	£3,213	not available	£2,802
Mar 08	£3,445	£2,548	£2,842
April 08	£3,320	£2,336	£2,546
May 08	not available	£2,570	not available
June 08	not available	not available	not available

Table notes

Daytime flights from London Gatwick, 14 nights. Seats together, meals on flights, min 20kg luggage

You could save over £1,000 on a family holiday to Mallorca by booking at the right time

For the annual family-of-four break to Mallorca, the best policy is to plan ahead. Of the three family holidays we price tracked, all were cheapest to buy in August or September 07, and were sold out by May 08, even if you’re flexible about your exact date of departure.

If you’d left it until March 08 to make your booking, you’d have paid £1044 per family more for the First Choice holiday to Holiday Village Viva than if you’d booked almost a year in advance. Thomson and First Choice told us: ‘We give away thousands of free child places every year and to take advantage of these we do advise booking well in advance.’

A fortnight holiday for two in Italy

Best time to book: keep watching
Potential saving: £516

Two adults to Neapolitan Riviera, Italy. Departing 18-25 July 2008
Month the price was checked	First Choice Hotel Miramalfi, Amalfi (HB)	Thomas Cook Hotel Delfino, Sorrento (HB)	Thomson Rota Suites, Sorrento (SC)
Aug 07	£2,704	£2,310	£2,338
Sep 07	£2,190	not available	£2,290
Oct 07	not available	£1,888	£2,290
Nov 07	£3,105	£1,908	£2,294
Dec 07	£3,072	£1,822	£2,230
Jan 08	£3,052	£1,822	not available
Feb 08	£2,987	£1,814	£2,218
Mar 08	£2,967	£1,794	£2,052
April 08	£3,032	£1,912	£2,042
May 08	£3,028	£2,032	£2,072
June 08	£2,939	not available	not available

Table notes

Flights from London Gatwick. 14 nights. Seats together, meals on flights, min 20kg luggage. HB = half board, SC = self-catering

For a holiday for two in Italy, we found the best deals in March and April

Unlike our family holiday scenario, the cost of a holiday to the Italian coastal resorts of Sorrento and Amalfi did not rise steadily as the year went on. Instead, the prices of holidays with two tour ops were cheapest in March or April 2008 by as much as £516, before rising again in May, when they were marginally cheaper compared to August 07.

The third tour op’s holiday was cheapest in August 07. Holidays with two of the three ops were no longer available by June 08.

All-inclusive holiday in Mexico

Best time to book: early in the year
Potential saving: £712

Two adults to Cancun, Mexico. All inclusive, departing 20-23 July 2008
Month the price was checked	First Choice Riu Caribe	Thomas Cook Golden Parnassus	Thomson Riu Cancun
Aug 07	£3,015	£2,804	£2,804
Sep 07	£2,965	£2,546	£2,780
Oct 07	£2,895	£2,540	£2,770
Nov 07	£2,773	£2,672	£2,630
Dec 07	£2,793	£2,742	£2,440
Jan 08	£3,003	£2,293	£2,444
Feb 08	£2,890	£2,176	not available
Mar 08	£2,596	£2,232	not available
April 08	£3,145	£2,322	not available
May 08	£3,065	£2,756	not available
June 08	not available	£2,888	not available

Table notes

Flights from London Gatwick, 14 nights. Seats together, meals on flights, min 20kg luggage

You could make big savings by booking your holiday during peak times (January - March)

It was a similar story for more far-flung beach holidays as it was for our Italian example. As the year went on, prices for a two-week holiday on Mexico’s Caribbean coast fell and then rose again. However, the prices fell more steeply than the holidays to Italy – the cheapest deals could be found as early as December 07, but as late as March 08.

The Golden Parnassus, a four-star hotel in Cancun, offered on the Thomas Cook website would be £712 more expensive if booked in June 08 rather than February 08. Thomas Cook told us: ‘During peak booking periods, typically January to March, customers can take advantage of the discounts on offer in the market to secure their summer holiday at the best price possible.’