Travel Content // Making Travel More Affordable*

Most people love to travel, yet it can be an expensive pastime, particularly if you’re travelling with a young family, as travelling solo is expensive enough yet with kids in tow the price mounts up pretty quickly.  Of course, there are often reduced child prices for aspects such as meals and tickets to theme parks, but children have an incredible ability to encourage you to buy pretty much anything and everything they see, with no appreciation of the financial strain it incurs.

Of course, as a parent, you want to offer your child the best, and particularly when it comes to holidays you want them to have what they crave.  That said, there’s a delicate balance as you don’t want to be in a position where you need to take out a refinance home loan to fund your child’s sweet tooth.

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In that sense, we’re going to take a look at some of the best ways to make travel more affordable when travelling with children.

GO OFF SEASON
The best way to save money, is not necessarily the most ethically advised way, as it would mean travelling when your child should be at school – but, presuming you utilise this opportunity responsibly and ensure your child keeps up with schoolwork whilst away, many schools are being more flexible with home study, as there’s a huge difference between truancy and a prearranged week off.

The reason this is at the top of the list is because you can get the same holiday, that in August was priced at £450, for around £150 in November on the basis of supply and demand.  Of course, it’s not going to be quite as hot or busy (which could be a good thing) but this saving is huge, and for some families it’s the difference between going on holiday and not going on holiday – whereas, for many more, it’s a matter of having an action packed adventure with plenty of spending money to indulge in activities such as banana boat rides and treats throughout the day, versus, penny pinching and being unable to do things once there because the holiday budget was spent on the hotel and airfare.

Think about staying in an Air B&B. They’re becoming more popular as an affordable accommodation choice for on holiday. A lot of people are unsure of the Air B&B etiquette that goes with staying in one, however there are plenty of website online that can fill you in before you travel.

BOOK FLIGHTS IN ADVANCE
Once upon a time, if you turned up to the airport the same day as a flight was due to depart you could get a fantastic deal.  Today, however, the cheapest way to fly is to book your flight well in advance. The reason for this is that airline tickets are sold in bands; for instance, there might be ten seats sold in Band A at £10, twenty seats sold in Band B at £35, twenty seats sold in Band C at £49 and the list goes on until a plane is almost fully booked and seats have shot up to £190 on the basis of supply and demand.

The other factor to consider, when travelling with children is that planning things in advance tends to create a less stressful experience for all the family.  Kids tend to like the adventure and variety that comes from going on holiday, yet, they also crave the certainty and stability that a set routine offers them. Also, if you plan something a few months in advance it gives you all something to look forward to and get excited about.

USE COMPARISON ENGINES
When it comes to arranging car hire, booking flights, or hotels, using travel comparison engines can be really helpful.  This way you’ll get to see the very best deals within a particular region.

If you’re into package holidays you should check out Teletext Holidays, as they have some great deals available online, though if you want to book things more independently then heading to SkyScanner to compare flights and TravelSupermarket to compare hotels is your best bet.

The great thing about this is that it offers total transparency in terms of pricing; let’s say that you’re wanting to to Hotel X.  The hotel will advertise different prices on different booking engines, for instance it might be £50 per night on Expedia but just £36 per night on Booking.com.  It’s the same hotel, and probably the same room – just at a different price point based on the commercial agreements in place with the booking engines.

Similarly, with flights, SkyScanner will compare a multitude of routes and airlines to show you the best price for your trip… this way, rather than going to different websites looking for the best deal, you do one simple search and it pulls up all results.

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION WISELY
At the moment, the pound is pretty weak against the euro making most of Europe an expensive option for most families.  However, if you look to a destination such as Turkey, where the pound is very strong against the lira, you will find your money goes much further in this destination, at this moment in time.

Therefore, keep an eye on the financial trends of countries and pick your destination wisely.  After all, if you’re looking to squeeze the most from your budget in a country such as Switzerland or Finland, you’re going to struggle, as these countries are notoriously expensive.

On the topic of Turkey, it’s worth noting that due to a drop in tourist numbers many hotels have reduced their prices to a ridiculously low amount; hoping that you will then spend lots of money in the bar and restaurant.  For instance, you can find a three star self catering apartment in Marmaris for just £35 per WEEK. Then, in consideration of the strength of the pound against the lira, you could have a very cheap trip to Turkey right now.

Of course, choosing your destination wisely isn’t just about cost, it’s also about comfort and safety – particularly when travelling with kids, so it’s worth researching your destination before booking.

In summary, if you want to make travel more affordable as a family, then you’ll want to travel out of the peak season, book flights in advance, use comparison engines, and select your destination wisely.