Penny's Picks: Winter Sun

Penny's Picks: Winter Sun

If you feel like jetting away from the dreary British weather, there are some excellent winter sun deals to be found this month. As long as you’re prepared to invest a little time in your search, you should be able to make some real savings.

First of all, have a think about likely destinations. Read up on locations using travel guides and blogs, and check average weather conditions for the times you hope to visit using guidebooks or sites such as Weather2Travel. It’s good if you can be flexible about countries you’d like to visit, so you have a wider choice.

Package Deal?

Next, have a think about whether you’d prefer a package holiday, or a holiday you put together yourself by booking flights and hotels separately. It’s often cheaper to go DIY for shorter breaks in less-common locations, but you tend to find the biggest bargains among the late availability package deals.

Always check the small print, and when buying a package deal make sure you know whether airport transfers and meals are included, and what the hotel arrangements are going to be. Some packages allocate you a hotel on arrival, so at least get some idea of what the hotel’s minimum star rating will be, and decide whether that’s acceptable to you.

To save the most money on a package deal, it pays to shop around: there could be several agents offering the same holiday, and prices may vary for the same thing. Places to start include TeletextHolidays and TravelSearch.

You could try your hand at haggling too, or look for voucher codes and special offers. Travel sites like easyJet Holidays and lowcostholidays.com often have great voucher codes and discounts available on package bookings.

Joining the mailing lists of various agents is another handy way to keep bang up to date with the latest offers.

Flight Only Bookings 

When looking for flights be flexible about times and days, and don’t assume that budget airlines will automatically give you the best deal. Be especially careful to read the small print to avoid hidden costs such as booking fees, check-in fees, overpriced refreshments and taxes. Since many airlines charge a small fortune for suitcases and excess baggage, stick to hand luggage only if possible.

Check online travel sites like On the Beach and Opodo as they offer low cost flights and great last minute deals all year round. Keep your eyes peeled for special winter flight sales or cheap upgrades deals that are definitely worth checking out before you book. Comparison sites like Skyscanner and Fly.comcan be helpful too.

Hotel Only Bookings 

For helpful overviews, visit comparison websites such as Trivago andEasyToBook. If you have a specific hotel in mind, visit their website or phone them as this regularly gives you the greatest savings. It’s also worth checking whether breakfast is included in the price of any deal, since buying it separately at the hotel is often costly.

If you want luxury-for-less, voucher codes are a great place to start, with lots of online travel agents offering discounts on bookings. Other deals to look out for are room upgrades and flash sales at Expedia and Hotels.com.

Wherever possible, cross-check your hotel booking with an independent hotel review site such as TripAdvisor to find out if it’s as good as it looks, and whether standards have recently fallen or improved.