Going on holiday can do serious damage to your bank account. We all love sipping cocktails on a beach, but most of us will try to cut holiday costs where we can. There are several ways you can limit how much money you spend when going abroad.
Many people believe reducing the number of days you travel can save you some cash, but it might be doing you the opposite.
Why a longer holiday could actually be cheaper
Adding a few days to your trip abroad could actually help you save money.
Consumer champions at Which? sought out research to help Brits save money during the cost of living crisis.
They researched over 400 package holiday deals from travel firms like easyJet, Jet2, Love Holidays, On The Beach, and Tui and found that extending a 10-day holiday to 11 nights could save traveling Brits over £1,000.
26 cases found that an 11-night holiday was cheaper overall than a 10-night stay. Additionally, Which? highlighted that increasing a holiday by just one night would cost less than £5 more per person.
“If you’re booking a holiday, it’s worth checking if you can save money by making some small changes to your travel dates and duration of your stay,” Jo Rhodes, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel said.
“While it seems counterintuitive, occasionally there are substantial savings to be made by extending your trip,” she adds.
Researchers found that if two people wanted to go on an all-inclusive, four-star package holiday in Fuerteventura with Tui in August 2023, they could save £1,188 if they chose to stay for 11 nights, instead of 10, saving a whopping 28%.
Another example with Tui saw two people sharing a twin room in Corfu, on a bed and breakfast holiday being cut by almost a third (31%), from £1,862 to £1,278 when extended.
How exactly does it work?
But, why are 11-day holidays cheaper? Researchers explained that 11-day holidays are usually less popular due to different flight dates.
Their research was influenced by Which? to try and help families reduce costs when travelling.
Researchers also shared that holiday goers can save costs by sitting separately on the plane and by booking flights directly with the airline.
A family of four looking to fly with British Airways could spend £112 trying to reserve standard seats together on a return flight.
However, researchers found that 95% of passengers on short-haul flights who did not pay extra ended up being seated together. Most airlines will usually seat you with the people you booked with, the consumer champion found.