'I’m an expert, here's how you can travel luxury for less – including flights for a fiver'

Have you booked your big summer holiday yet? January is the time when everyone thinks about where they will get some sunshine this year, but the prices have gone up alarmingly and it can seem unaffordable suddenly.

So how do you get away this year without cutting back on all the things that make it fun and enjoyable.

How do you travel ‘luxury for less’? Here are some ways to be a canny traveller in 2024 and beat the hikes.

Book ultra-last-minute

There are two main ways to get a good deal on holidays. You either book well in advance (three months or more) or you do it absolutely last minute.

If you’re not tied to school holidays and you can be flexible with your time then booking ultra-last-minute can get you a fantastic deal.

Happily, there are a lot of websites that specialise in last-minute deals so if you sign up to some of those you will find out when they come in.

Sign up to TravelZoo.co.uk for regular newsletters full of last-minute holiday deals in the UK and abroad. Recent offers include a week in Gran Canaria, five-stars including flights for £469 and a two-week Egypt and Jordan cultural tour including a Nile cruise for £1,499 per person.

Download the Jack’s Flight Club app for amazing super-last-minute flight deals such as £25 return flight to Rome, Reykjavik for £40 and Lanzarote for £50.

Sign up to Secretflying.com where you find last-minute super-cheap air tickets including ‘error fares’ where an airline has made a mistake (in our favour) in the price they’ve advertised for certain tickets.

Sometimes there are staggering savings to be made because of these mistakes, so if you don’t mind where you go for a holiday, you could end up going to Thailand for a tenner or Faro for a fiver!

British Airways’ ‘Last Minute’ is also worth a look if you know when you want to go. It has some super-cheap offers at certain times of the year.

Book on a Sunday

Oddly, some days are better for booking flights and hotels than others. According to a new report from Expedia, if you book your flight on a Sunday, you save up to 23 percent.

Travellers who book on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save, on average, around 21 percent on domestic flights and 24 percent on international flights.

However, they say you should book domestic flights at least five months before to save 35 percent. Travellers who booked 162 to 180 days before departure saved 34 percent on average compared to those who waited until the last minute.

Meanwhile, for international airfare, the ideal booking period is eight to 23 days before departure. The worst booking period is 36 to 63 days before departure, the amount you can save is eight percent.

Also, consider booking a one-way flight. You do not always have to book return fares with one airline.

As with train tickets, it can actually be cheaper sometimes to book a one-way flight with one airline and then another coming back with a different airline. Check on travel comparison sites like Cheapflights.com for deals.

When it comes to accommodation, travel company Vrbo said the earlier you book the better if you want to go to popular destinations like Cornwall or Faro in Portugal. They say to book no later than April 8 for the end of May bank holiday or no later than June 8 for the summer holidays.

Travel off-peak

If you can be flexible then you can make the most of cheaper times to travel. If flying in the UK, then the best month to go away is November when you can save up to 45 percent on costs.

Travelling abroad, the ideal month to travel is September with a saving of up to 40 percent. Also, if you choose to start a domestic or international holiday on a Monday, you could save up to 10 percent.

Don’t travel at the weekend, though. The weekend is almost always the most expensive time to travel, whether you are going by plane, train or boat. Recent research from Skyscanner shows Friday is the cheapest day to fly, with travellers saving an average of nine percent when they travel out from the UK on that day.

Try a house-swap

If you don’t mind having strangers in your home, doing a house swap is a fantastic way to get a (nearly) free holiday anywhere in the world. Join a reputable house-swapping agency, such as Lovehomeswap.co.uk or Homeexchange.com, upload details and photos of your home and yourself, and then browse the properties on offer around the world.

You will have to pay for your travel and food while you’re there, of course, but your holiday accommodation will be entirely free. You can find out how to do house swaps well here.

Book extras ahead

The more you can book ahead for extra holiday services the better, as it gives you more control over how much you spend on each item.

For example, if you’re going to spend some time at an airport, it can actually be worthwhile booking a lounge. You get free food and drink, free wifi, free magazines and sometimes activities for children if you have them with you.

Holidayextras.co.uk and Travelsupermarket.com offer this comparison. For example, you could go to a lounge in Gatwick for £17.99 upwards.

Car hire is a problem area as there can be many add-ons and hire companies are notoriously slippery, as you can see here. But if you book beforehand and, importantly, also book your car hire insurance before you leave, you will at least be able to avoid the monstrous fees often charged at your destination country.

It’s by no means fool-proof but comparing car hire insurance on sites like which.co.uk or Gocompare.com enables you to get cover at a price you can accept.

It can be helpful to book your hire car through whichever company is providing your package holiday – if that’s what you’re going for. If you booked directly, make sure you pre-book your car and do as much as you can before leaving including registering online if they offer that. The more confident the rental firm is that you are coming, the more likely you are to get a good car.

Another tricky extra cost can be airport parking. It’s worth first of all comparing how much it would cost you to take the train and taxi to the airport with the cost of petrol and parking before you go ahead with it. It’s quite possible that getting a taxi to the station and then a train to the airport will be cheaper than petrol and parking, especially if you’re away for a week or more.

However, if you still want to park at the airport, use a comparison site like Parking4less.com or Holidayextras.com to get the best deal. Parking away from the airport itself is often the cheapest option so if you don’t mind being transported a short distance to get your car then go for that option.

Make money on holiday

Did you know you can turn your holiday into cash? There are a few ways to do it including renting out your home while you’re away, writing up your experiences online and promoting certain hotels and tour operators on social media. We have some fun ideas here.