How to Book a Cheap Summer Holiday in 2026 (12 Proven Ways)

Cheap summer holiday anyone? Is that a Yes Puh-LEASE I hear? Here are some of the best things you can do, to get a cheaper trip this year…

You know I like you to travel as much as possible. It’s just that damn thing called ‘money’ that gets in the way (and work) but for today we’re talking cold… hard… cash. ‘Cheaper’ summer holidays mean more of them, or in this cost of living crisis, at least ‘one’.

Any kind of beach or city break fun is all the more enjoyable when you’ve saved a fistful of cash on it. That satisfying feeling is very welcome in my life. Here are a few tips for you to try out to save money on your summer holiday for 2026. Let me know how you get on!

1. Install a discounts and deals extension

It’s always worth having a look for codes and vouchers to see if the destination and type of holiday you want has any offers.

To save time AND money, I have an extension on my Chrome browser called Coupon Birds, which I love. Instead of having to search around for discount codes and try them out, I can put holidays / excursions / shopping in my virtual shopping basket and Coupon Birds will trawl the web to see if there are any discounts.

I do this any time I buy anything on my laptop and it’s definitely saved me hundreds over the last few years, if not pushing thousands. This is me explaining how to use Coupon Birds on TikTok.

@thisvickyflipflop Here we go. One of the biggest money saving hacks of all… the Chrome extension. #savemoneyonline #savemoneytips #budgettips #discounts ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89

2. Go off season

Obviously.

If you don’t have to go on holiday mid July to beginning of September – because of the kids – I’d strongly recommend you don’t. It’s expensive, busy and children are everywhere. Leave the world to the mums, dads and school agers and enjoy your homeland (or house).

Save your cash and wait till the kids have gone back to school to get the best deals.

3. Price up packages vs DIY

The answer to this can only lie with you. Just recently I’ve taken a few tours and package holidays, and I have to say having someone there to ask questions and guide me has been brilliant, and comforting. But then, if you’re trying to save money, it can be cheaper to book your flights, hotel and transfers separately.

Sometimes.

There’s no one answer fits all to this conundrum. Depends on what you’re doing, where you’re going, when and how confident you are to link it all up yourself. It’s definitely something worth researching though.

Have a look at how much the separate parts of your holiday would cost vs the price the packages give you. I smell a spreadsheet coming on!

4. Research the best day to fly for your route

Research apparently shows that a Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly. Thankfully in this modern world we have the joys of Skyscanner and Google flights to play around with and work it out for ourselves.

I can guarantee that if you book your travel midweek rather than at the weekend you’ll notice a huge drop in price. But it depends if you can spare the time off, of course. I have a job as well as this blog and I like to go on a Thursday as early as possible and return on Sunday morning – I’ve found you can get some good deals that way as most people want to return on a Sunday evening.

5. Sign up for flash sales and discount deals

Do your research into which companies and websites offer flash sale deals. Then, make sure you’re either signed up to the email list, or following them on social media to be the first to know about the deals.

For example, Garden Hotels (who I stayed with in Majorca) sent out an email about their Black Friday Sale and the prices were amazing for all who subscribed. My friend who I went with actually booked again straight away.

I follow quite a few travel companies on Facebook and can’t believe some of the deals they offer. You’ve got to be quick though – a good deal goes fast!

6. Book as late as possible

If you’re not too fussed about where you go – you just know that you want sun, sea and relaxation (I presume) – then stand your ground and wait for the deals to reveal themselves nearer the departure date you want. You can expect them around 8 weeks before.

Holiday companies have chartered entire planes and hotels to create their package deals, and if they’re not filling them up then it means a loss for them. They just want to get rid of the places, at whatever price they can get for them. This is where you step in.

I can remember when I went to Samos in Greece a few years ago and I booked well in advance wanting to get the best early bird deal as possible, and ended up paying about £400 a flight. Then, about two weeks before my friend booked the week after for less than half the price. I was gutted!

7. Book trains and ferries in advance

If you’re opting to DIY your summer holiday, you could find that trains and ferries are much cheaper when you book in advance, and you can also have more of a pick of the best hotels.

It all comes down to doing your research thoroughly, so you know what you should be expecting to pay, and you know when the time and price is right.

8. Never accept the first price you see on a hotel

I generally use Booking.com for all of my hotel searches, but I have a plugin called RatePunk which checks if it’s listed as any cheaper on other sites. I saved a lot on my Sandy Balls trip using this and always check it during my research. It looks like this on the right hand side of Booking.com – where you see that gold coin – and then you can expand it to see if it finds it cheaper.

9. Use tricks to find the cheapest flights

Sites like skyscanner.net, cheapoair.co.uk and flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com are the best way to compare flight prices in one go to find cheap flight tickets. I used to use travelsupermarket.com, but they don’t include Ryanair in their listings and I ended up paying an unfortunate amount to get to Ibiza one year while my friends checked in on the cheap.

If you’re flying long haul you can often save my money by going multi stop, or flying in the night but you’ll need to weigh up whether the weird flight times are worth it as you might end up spending more on food, drink and public transport.

10. Think about house sitting or pet sitting

One of the biggest expenditures is the accommodation. What if I told you you could avoid paying for it in cash all together?

House swapping is such a good way to travel cheaper, especially with a family when hotels can mean booking two or three rooms. We’re about to do a HomeExchange near Copenhagen in Denmark and I’m genuinely really excited about staying in an actual home rather than somewhere generic. It just feels like more of a local experience.

If the idea of strangers staying in your house puts you off, you could try something like TrustedHousesitters instead. A lot of people just want someone to look after their cat or water the plants, and in return you get somewhere to stay for free.

11. Look at holiday parks for great deals

I’m such a fan of caravan and holiday park holidays with kids. If you’ve never tried one as a family, definitely look into it. You can usually get way more space for your money, especially compared to hotels, and the midweek deals can be ridiculously good outside the school holidays.

sleeping at Sandy Balls — NEW FOREST, SANDY BALLS

I also love that there’s normally loads going on on site, from playgrounds to evening entertainment, so you don’t feel like you need to spend loads every day. Having your own kitchen helps save loads too because you naturally eat in more, and it makes sorting breakfasts, snacks and picnic lunches so much easier.

12. Avoid the extra costs and pack light

One of the best ways to save money on travel is to stop overpacking. The less stuff you take, the less stressful the whole trip feels – and you can avoid all those annoying baggage costs that really start to add up as a family.

I’ve become much more ruthless with packing over the years and now I mainly stick to outfits I can wear more than once. Most places have somewhere to wash clothes nearby, or I’ll just chuck a laundry sheet in my bag and do a quick wash halfway through the trip. It makes such a difference not dragging loads of stuff around ‘just in case’.