28 ways to save money on holiday

If you’re a regular traveller, you’ll know the more obvious money-saving tips for keeping travel costs down: travel off-peak, set a budget and stick to it, look out for discounts and stay flexible on dates and destinations. 

But did you also know that you should never get a train ticket at a ticket machine, never book a hotel on your laptop and never book a seat on the left of a plane if you want to save money on your travels? Every year, the Which? Travel experts share their best money saving tricks based on our detailed research, undercover investigations and experiments. 

From the cheapest destinations for 2025 to magic tricks for getting far cheaper car hire abroad to how to nab cheap Eurostar tickets in the sale, theses 28 tips could save you hundreds of pounds on your next holiday.

So, whether you want to plan a cheap holiday for 2025 – or even a last-minute cottage stay in the UK to round off 2024, we’ve quizzed the Which? Travel experts for money-saving tips to help you plan a cheaper trip. Follow our expert tips below to cut the cost of your next holiday

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1. Don’t book holidays last-minute

When we tracked the price of 24,000 short-haul package holidays from Jet2holidays and Tui – the UK’s biggest tour operators - over nearly a year, we found prices were usually cheapest booked in advance.

Increased demand for holidays in recent years has made last-minute deals few and far between. Six of the 10 countries our experts tracked came out as cheaper when booked in advance, including Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and mainland Spain. There were better last-minute deals to be had for destinations such as Bulgaria and Cyprus. You can still find deals if you are completely flexible on both your dates of travel and destination. 

Browse the Jet2holidays last-minute deals page or the Tui last-minute deals page for more offers – top tip: last-minute holidays from September onwards are much cheaper.

Are last-minute holidays ever cheaper? Read more now.

2. Book flights at least two months in advance

The same is true of flights. To save money on flights, you should book early.

Research by Skyscanner found you generally get the best prices between two and six months in advance. You can set up a price alert on either Skyscanner or Google so that you'll get an email when the price drops. Set it up at least six months in advance and book when the price is reduced. 

Seven ways to make your flight with Ryanair cheaper

3. Never book a hotel on your laptop

Avoid paying over the odds on hotel stays by booking via a smartphone rather than a computer. We found that Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com often offer mobile-only discounts, with savings of up to 40% on select listings.

We were able to save hundreds on some hotel stays just by booking on our mobile rather than computer.  And don't skip checking directly with the hotel — sometimes they’ll match or beat booking platform prices, possibly adding perks like breakfast or room upgrades (see below).

Read more: Why it is cheaper to book a hotel via phone?

4. Always pick up the phone to get the cheapest hotel deal

With so many travel comparison websites, it can be hard to know who genuinely has the best deal and if you should book with them. Which begs the question: once you’ve found a deal online, is it better to book a hotel directly or with a travel comparison site?

Every time we price check popular hotel booking and comparison websites, we find booking direct with the hotel is most frequently the cheapest way to get the best room rate. Hotels are often tied into contracts with booking platforms that means they can't offer a lower price on their own website. But they can offer a cheaper deal when customers deal with them directly. 

In other words, pick up the phone and give the hotel a call to get the best deals.

Read our other money-saving tips for hotel bookings

5. Don’t buy train tickets at ticket machines

Instead, book online. Our mystery shoppers checked ticket machines up and down the UK and found that they charge up to 154% more than buying online. Many hide cheaper ticket options, like advance fares, or don't ever offer then. For example, a one-way fare from Northampton to Cardiff was £107 at a machine but just £43 online.

 Read more: how to get cheaper train tickets 

6. Pack light – or fly with a better airline

Ask yourself: do I really need a carry-on or checked cases? Adding extra bags to your booking can more than quadruple the cost of your flight. We found so-called ‘ultra-cheap’ flights with no-frills airlines ended up costing a family of four hundreds extra if they wanted to bring cabin bags. If you can manage travelling really light with just an under-the-seat bag, max out the space without going over (it'll cost you if you do). 

Ryanair's allowance for instance is just 40cm x 20cm x 25cm so search for a bag that fits the exact dimensions.If you really do need extra baggage allowance, book with a better airline, like British Airways or Jet2. Both allow a personal item and a larger cabin case as standard with their tickets – we found that this works out cheaper every time.

And if you need to fit more in to your bag, don't believe the hype about packing cubes. We tested them. 

7. Don’t pay extra to sit together on the plane

Apart from a couple of exceptions, paying for a seat is usually unnecessary. If you book seats together with the rest of our travel group, most airlines will seat you together for free.

Which airlines let families sit together for free? In our most recent airline survey, 94% of BA passengers who didn't pay extra told us they were seated together anyway, and the airline guarantees that children will be seated with at least one adult family member. EasyJet and Jet2 told us they’ll always seat groups together if there's space, but easyJet advises checking in as soon as possible to increase the likelihood of sitting with your group. Only Wizz Air and Ryanair passengers need to be concerned. Nearly half of Wizz Air passengers were seated separately unless they paid for reserved seats, while 38% of Ryanair passengers faced the same unless they paid to sit together.

And there is no rule that forces airlines to seat parents next to even the smallest children.

8. Bag more legroom by sitting on the right

You don't have to spend more on a ticket to get more legroom. Just book a seat on the right side of the plane with the letters D, E or F (as opposed to A, B or C). Our research shows standard seats on the right-hand side of many aeroplanes (including Ryanair) can offer anywhere between an extra half-inch to an inch of legroom compared to those on the left.

Find out your model flight number on Google flights, then type it into AeroLOPA to find out if this trick will work for your next flight. Seats in front of a bulkhead or at the tail-end of the plane are also generally a little more generous.

9. Don’t overspend on a suitcase

Skip the pricey, legacy labels. We asked more than 1,300 Which? members about the suitcases and cabin bags they have owned, and they told us that Tripp was better than Samsonite despite its bags being a third of the cost on average. For a more stylish, long-lasting option, Eastpak came out on top overall with an 82% customer rating, although you’ll pay a bit more for its durability and design.

Find a good-quality suitcase that costs less via our survey of the best suitcases in 2025.

10. Families should consider taking the train

Rail travel isn’t just more sustainable: it could potentially save families hundreds of pounds on trips to Europe, if you don't mind a night on sleeper train. Flights might seem a lot cheaper until you factor in the cost of baggage.

By taking a sleeper train, we found a family of four could save nearly £100, while a larger family could pocket more than £250.

11. Try our magic trick to book hire cars for less

Hiring a car abroad? Brits are often charged a premium when booking car hire online. But by using another country’s website, you could make reasonable savings. For example, we found that hiring the same car through Hertz’s US site (hertz.com) rather than Hertz.co.uk saved us £347.

The best part? You don’t need a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to book cheaper holidays. Just a simple tweak to the URL will do the trick. 

Find the best car hire companies in 2025

12. Consider all-inclusive that is really all-inclusive

Choosing an all-inclusive package holiday will most likely save you money compared to doing it yourself – especially if you plan to spend plenty of time at the resort. Our research found that all-inclusive beach holidays are cheaper than DIY holidays in seven out of 10 popular destinations. 

But pick that all-inclusive wisely, or you could end up splashing out sneaky in-resort extras. Our research shows all-inclusive holidaymakers spend an average of £119pp per week on things like snacks and cocktails, despite everything being supposedly ‘included’.

Avoid budget online travel agents which will offer cheap deals upfront but leave you paying through the nose onsite for things that aren't actually included. Instead, invest a little more in a top value all-inclusive provider upfront, and enjoy a holiday without unexpected costly add-ons.

13. Travelling solo? Dodge the single supplement

Solo travellers often pay more, according to a Which? Travel investigation, even when booking a single occupancy hotel room or cruise cabin. So, if you’re travelling by yourself, pick a company that won’t charge you for single supplements.

According to our research, the best holiday providers for solo travellers include Which? Recommended Providers Riviera Travel and HF Holidays, Leger Holidays and Great Rail Journeys, all of whom won’t charge solo travellers single supplements.

14. Don’t wait for the January sales

Is Black Friday a good time to book a trip? Or is it best to book a holiday in January? 

Between all the sales, things can get confusing. Our research shows there’s a good chance of getting a deal on Black Friday, but it's not guaranteed – and some fares and prices were only a few pounds cheaper. When we tracked the prices of 140 flights, and holidays on Black Friday and then two weeks later and again in January. 

We found 73% of the deals were cheaper on Black Friday than two weeks after the sales ended.  If you can be flexible with your destination and dates, you’ll get a good deal by setting up price alerts to tell you when airfares drop in price.

Read more: Black Friday holiday deals

15. Let your weekly shop pay for your holiday

Our grocery shop is costing more than ever, but those extra pounds could convert to a UK hotel break, a Eurostar ticket or even a flight to a Caribbean island.

We compared four popular schemes from Avios, Nectar, Tesco Clubcard and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and found that points collected for every pound spent – in supermarkets, online and for fuel — can be redeemed for holidays. When it comes to booking your trip, Avois can be used with many airlines, like British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways. Nectar points can also be converted into Avios points.

Boost your Avois balance by using an Avios credit card. Which? Recommended Provider American Express offers 20,000 Nectar points (worth 12,500 Avios) if you spend £2,000 in the first three months—just be sure to pay off your card in full to avoid interest charges.

 The British Airways American Express credit card also allows you to earn one point per £1 spent, and if you spend over £15,000 in a year, you can also get a companion voucher, which gets you a second seat for a friend or family member travelling on the same flight and cabin as you, in economy class. 

Read more on the best air mile credit cards in 2025, according to our experts

16. Cape Town is where your pound will go furthest

A Cape Town holiday is an excellent choice for a long-haul holiday in 2024 and 2025. Not only was it rated one of the best cities in the word by 2,000 visitors rating long-haul city breaks, it’s also a cost-effective destination. Prices have dropped by 12% for Brits, thanks to a favourable exchange rate and lower local costs. Plus, new direct flights by Norse Airlines make it easier than ever to reach.

If you’re heading abroad, you can make big savings by being a little more original with your destination. We’ve done the legwork for you, from finding out the cheapest Greek island to discovering the 10 countries where your money will stretch further. You can also explore the best-value Caribbean islands and discover some of Europe’s cheapest summer stays.

17. Pricey destination? Pick a lesser-known town nearby

If you’re holidaying in the UK, you can often visit bucket list destinations for less by staying in a less-obvious location nearby. For example, those looking for a waterfront retreat in Devon can skip pricey Salcombe and look for accommodation in Dartmouth, just 11 miles down the road – we found you could save £59 a night doing so.

Or, if you’re desperate to see the sights of Somerset, pick Wells over Bath to save up to £53. Sometimes those distances are even shorter: those visiting the Pembrokeshire coast could save £301 over a week if they stay in top-rated town Tenby instead of Saundersfoot, just three miles away. The logic also applies to city breaks. For example, swapping St Andrews for Dundee saves an average of £57 a night – that’s £399 per week.

18. An Airbnb will probably be more expensive 

These days, you’re more likely to make savings – sometimes hundreds of pounds – by staying in a hotel, depending on the country you’re visiting. 

In 38 out of 50 destinations we collected prices for (including every capital city), we found a hotel room was around £67 cheaper than a one-bedroom holiday let, and that’s before counting their service fees. Take Santorini, where a one-bed rental is £84 per night more expensive than a hotel room on the Greek island on average – that’s over £588 extra for a week-long stay. 

19. Get better travel insurance for less

Decent cover doesn’t have to cost the earth. Choose a plan that fits your travel style and needs rather than automatically opting for the most expensive. In our latest research. two of our Best Buy policies, from InsureandGo and Nationwide, earned the same excellent rating in our analysis, 87%. Yet the quote for annual worldwide cover from InsureandGo for a 65-year-old with no medical conditions was £193 more than Nationwide.

Check what your bank has to offer too. Some of the best-rated policies in our survey, like Nationwide and Barclays, come bundled with bank accounts and offer extensive coverage at a lower cost, especially if you’re travelling with family, as they include partners and children for free. Remember to always read the policy documents to ensure you’re covered for every eventuality.

Read our guide on what to look for in a good travel insurance policy for more advice.

20. Book parking in advance – even just by two hours

You’re likely to make staggering savings on airport parking if you book ahead, as prices have soared since 2019. Heathrow’s short-stay car parks cost £616 per week at the turn-up price, but that’s reduced to £223 if you book a month in advance. A saving of £393. Some providers allow you to pre-book even as little as two hours in advance. Shop around for parking options. We’ve found that third-party providers that operate outside the boundaries of the airport almost always offer better value than their on-site equivalent, but pick your provider carefully. We recently caught rogue operators stealing from cars, speeding and dumping vehicles. Find out which car parks are safest – and cheapest – in our review of the best airport carparks. 

All our Which? Recommended Providers (Sentinel, APH, Cophall and I Love Meet and Greet) also offer sign-up and promotional codes of 10-15% for those who book directly via their websites. 

21. Never book an airport lounge direct

Pay-as-you-go airport lounges — where everybody’s welcome to enjoy food, drink, magazines and an escape from the crowds — are now more expensive than ever. Lounges that cost £29 on average in 2020 cost £40 this year – an increase of 37%. And despite this, when our inspectors visited lounges at every major UK airport, they found only two of the 25 airport lounges they checked that were worth the cost.

Several other lounges in our survey received decent marks, but you should only visit them if you can get a deal. When we checked, the cheapest price was never when booking through the lounge operator, and only sometimes when booking via the airport. Comparison sites like Holiday Extras often provide the cheapest price on airport lounges. Get extra value for your visit by planning ahead to eat your main meal there and checking the menu online first to see if you’ll be able to enjoy a drink or two as part of the package (some lounges now charge premium fees for certain drinks).

Are airport lounges worth it? Read what our undercover inspectors had to say

22. Don't waste money on fast-track security

If you’ve ever found yourself caught up in airport chaos, you might be tempted to splurge on fast track. But don’t assume paying your way to the front of the queue will always be quicker. According to data from the CAA and individual airports, the average wait time at UK airport security is only between five and seven-and-a-half minutes. This increases to eight to 10 minutes at the busiest times, but many airports don't even guarantee that fast-track queues will be quicker.

When we analysed queue data from 7,000 passengers, we also found that fast-track airport security is generally a waste of money, with the average wait time at Gatwick, Heathrow and Edinburgh being around 15 minutes, with many airports even faster. So, unless you’re travelling at peak time (between 4am and 9am), or through airports that our survey respondents have told us have longer queues (like Manchester, or Birmingham) it’s probably not worth it.

Read more: Is fast track worth it at the airport?

23. Never buy insurance from your car rental provider

Car hire companies have a number of ways to part you with your cash, and time and time again, we’ve found you’ll pay over the odds for insurance if bought through the car rental provider – up to £183 more per week than specialist insurance bought online. 

Not only are policies from independent insurers up to 10 times cheaper, they provide better coverage for common issues like scratches and punctures.

Learn more about ERI and find our best-rated car hire insurance providers.

24. Pay in local currency with the right card

When using your card abroad, there are two golden rules to avoid hidden fees:

Pay in the local currency to avoid foreign transaction fees of up to 3% (a charge from your bank for the conversion).

Use a fee-free card to dodge charges of up to 3% on cash withdrawals and spending abroad. The Halifax Clarity and Barclaycard Rewards are the best travel credit cards, and Which? Recommended Providers Starling Bank and First Direct offer the best debit cards for travel.

Another option is to use a prepaid debit card, which is handy if you’re sticking to a budget. But check that the card you’re choosing supports the currency of the country you’re visiting, and pick one without excessive charges – Which? experts prefer prepaid cards from CaxtonFX, Escape Travel Money, My Travel Cash card and Travelex for that reason.

25. Tip appropriately

Ever found yourself puzzling over what to give a waiter or tour guide? The social custom of tipping varies so much from country to country even seasoned travellers can find themselves scratching their heads.

If you leave a tip after your meal in Japan, you’ll likely be chased by your waitress trying to return your ‘lost money’ - while in Poland, saying ‘thank you’ to your waiter before receiving your change signals you’re happy for them to keep it all (potentially an expensive mistake). In many European countries, 10% of your restaurant bill is a respectable tip - but in the States, that’s an insult.

So, from the taxi driver in Athens to your safari guide in South Africa, we reveal how much to tip, and when you should keep your hand firmly in your pocket.

26. Always book your Eurostar tickets in the sales

Grabbing £27 Eurostar sale tickets may sound too good to be true, but our research shows that these sale prices are genuine and among the lowest fares available. We consistently find that booking during these flash sales or well in advance offers the best savings, especially if you can travel midweek or at off-peak times. We’ve even found weekend tickets at these low prices.

To get cheap Eurostar tickets, head to Eurostar's website and choose between the destination tabs at the top of the page, depending on where you want to visit. Pick a date on the calendar indicating that fares start at £27. Finally, hit 'check train times' to find which travel times cheap fares are available.

27. See UK attractions in September – when they are often free 

Every September, several heritage open days take place in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. On these days, you can get into some of the UK’s top tourist attractions for free, from Edinburgh’s Abbey Strand to Penrhyn Castle in Wales.

There’s also the London Open House Festival, where you can gain free entry to tourist sights and historic attractions. You’ll need to check when each attraction is free, and whether advance booking is required.

28. Decant toiletries instead of buying miniatures

Miniatures may be conveniently sized for security-gate limits (100ml), but they work out as pretty pricey. For example, Tresemmé Moisture Rich Conditioner costs £1.50 for a 100ml bottle, but only £2.95 for 900ml. 

Instead, save money on toiletries by decanting shampoos, conditioners and other cosmetics into reusable bottles that are 100ml or less. You could also choose non-liquid alternatives like solid or powdered makeup formulas, shampoo bars, deodorant sticks and toothpaste tablets.