Grey and cold January is the traditional time to book a holiday, despite the Christmas credit card bills still hanging over many of us. But before you take the plunge and book a summer trip, skiing holiday or winter sun break, check that you aren't paying more than you have to. The following five tips should help.
1 Grab the cheapest flights
If you are booking flights and hotels separately, finding the cheapest flights can be tricky. However, there are a number of websites that can help. If you can be flexible on dates and times you'll get the cheapest deals, while budget airlines raise their prices the closer you get to the travel date. If you know exactly when you want to travel, try "screenscraper" sites such as Skyscanner and Travelsupermarket for shorter hops. For longer hops, Expedia and Opodo will help, too.
If you've got plenty of time before you book, sign up to a website such as Cheapflights. This will provide you with details of the major airlines' sales, and you could grab yourself a bargain. And if you're flying to a destination that is popular with traditional holidaymakers, you may be able to get spare capacity on a charter plane. The website Flights Direct will have details.
2 Know the low-cost airline tricks
If your cheapest possible flight is from a low-cost airline, such as Ryanair or EasyJet, you'll find that the ''frills'' soon bump up your ''no frills'' price. Some of these are unavoidable, but you can pay less by using a pre-paid card such as Fairfx Anywhere to dodge credit card fees.
You'll also pay more to stow baggage in the hold. If you think you will need this facility, book in advance as it will cost more at the airport. But if you can avoid it, do – instead pack carefully and make sure your toiletries can be decanted into 100 ml containers. Check in online and print your boarding pass in advance.
3 Save money on currency
If you want to keep holiday costs down, start planning your spending at the same time as you book your trip. Buying currency at the airport is expensive, as is spending on credit and debit cards, unless you have the right ones. Now is the time to apply for a special card to use for spending abroad.
Top credit cards for this include the Halifax Clarity card, which has no fee for cash withdrawals (although you will be charged interest even if you repay your full balance each month). The interest works out at about £1 a month for every pound you withdraw. It has no foreign exchange fee anywhere in the world. Other good cards include the Saga Platinum Card and the Santander Zero Card (Santander customers only).
4 Plan parking in advance
Parking at the airport can be extortionate, but a little extra planning can help to slash costs. First, check how much it would cost to get a taxi to and from the airport (it may be surprisingly cost-effective, as these are usually fixed fares). Book the return leg in advance. There are also coaches and trains if you have little baggage.
If you must have your own car, pre-book your parking. Try www.aph.com or www.fhr-net.co.uk.
5 Plan your mobile calls
Before you go abroad, check your mobile phone plan very carefully. If you use the internet on your phone abroad you may rack up costs without even realising it. The most sensible thing is to switch off your data roaming before you go, and be careful how much data you use if you do go online.
Checking email does not use much, but downloading attachments could cost a lot. It may be worth ringing your provider and asking if they have a specialist package for calling abroad.
