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Living costs remain high, so finding ways to save money on holidays is a priority for most of us.
Here are some tips and tricks for planning a low-cost holiday, and some things to bear in mind so you don’t get stung by any unexpected costs.
Contents
- Don’t assume the UK is the cheapest option
- Choose somewhere off the beaten track
- Give camping a go
- Think about staying close to home
- Find the cheapest flights
- Don’t pay extra for your seats
- Watch out for luggage allowances
- Always be prepared – book in advance
- Choose accommodation to match your budget
- Hunt out discounted holidays
- Be money smart
- Beware mobile roaming charges
- Be holiday savvy
1. Don’t assume the UK is the cheapest option
Steep fuel costs mean that driving somewhere in the UK could end up costing you more than going by boat or plane to another country. For example, at the moment a round trip from London to Polzeath, Cornwall, could cost you as much as £90 in petrol, or more depending on your car, according to the website All Car Leasing’s fuel cost calculator. However, a short return flight from Luton to Dublin in Ireland could cost as little as £28 with a low cost airline, or you could pay just £34 and head to Pisa in Italy (prices from Skyscanner on 15/10/2025) for a week away from 3-10 November 2025.
Of course, if a family of four were to travel to and from Cornwall for £90, but it costs £33 per person for flights to Ibiza, flying would end up costing £132, so £42 more than driving, so the cost-effectiveness of this will vary depending on your situation. There’s also the environmental impact of flying to consider, so this won’t be an option for anyone keen to reduce their carbon footprint.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: “Despite demand and fuel costs rising, prices for flights to many places in Europe remain low, so don’t assume that a holiday in the sun is out of reach this year. Comparing prices, including new airlines that have recently launched, booking at the right time or going direct to a hotel could end up slashing hundreds of pounds off the cost of a trip abroad.”
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2. Choose somewhere off the beaten track
Tourist hotspots will usually be more expensive for both food choices and accommodation, so staying somewhere a bit further away from the centre of things can help save you some money.
Of course, you’ll need to bear in mind what sort of activities you’ll want to do while you’re away, as you may need to consider the transport costs of getting around if you choose to stay somewhere away from the action.
For example, if you’ve decided on a city break to London, staying outside of the centre could be cheaper, but if you’re travelling into the city each day, travel costs could set you back anywhere from £1.75 for a single bus journey, all the way up to £23.60 for a zone 1-6 anytime one-day travel card. However, you might be eligible for discounted travel depending on your age. Find out more in our article Railcards for over 50s and 60s: how to save money on UK train travel.
3. Give camping a go
While it’s not for everyone, camping can be a great way to spend more time outdoors, visit beautiful places and save some money. You can find campsites virtually anywhere you might want to go, whether that’s in the UK or further afield, for a variety of prices starting from as little as £15 a night for a tent pitch.
If you’re a first-time camper, you don’t have to rush out and buy all of the gear as costs can quickly add up. Instead, it’s worth asking friends and family if they have a tent, sleeping bag or a camping stove that you can borrow. You can then supplement anything they offer with things you have at home, for example, if you haven’t been able to borrow a sleeping bag, take your duvet and a few extra blankets, you might even feel more at home with it all!
Another good idea is to prepare food ahead of time at home (as long as you have a cool box) and take it with you to save on eating out or cooking a full meal with limited kitchen facilities. Find camping location inspiration in our guides 12 incredible places to camp in Europe and 10 of the prettiest UK camping destinations.
4. Think about staying close to home
The two biggest costs for a holiday are transport and accommodation, so staying closer to home could help you cut down on at least one, if not both of these costs. Browse areas near you for places to stay and things to do, chances are, there will be an area or place within an hour of your home that you’ve never been to or stayed in. If you want a bit of time away from home, there are bound to be hotels, B&Bs or other holiday accommodation near to you, but you won’t need to pay through the nose to get there.
If you’re stumped for things to do, the UK also has plenty of great attractions that you can visit for free, whether it’s the Natural History Museum in London or the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
If you’re going to an attraction that charges entry fees, it’s worth checking to see if you can get any discounts or cheap rates if you book in advance. One option is to see if you have any loyalty points that could contribute towards the cost, for example, Tesco Clubcard points can be used towards tickets to Alton Towers, Legoland, Thorpe Park Resort, Colchester Zoo and hundreds more days out and activities. Read our article The best discounts for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond to see some of the attractions you can get into at a lower cost.
5. Find the cheapest flights
The internet is awash with ways to save money on flights, ranging from best deal trackers that alert you when the cheapest prices are available, to websites that scour the internet for ‘mistake’ airfares, where the airline has issued tickets at rock-bottom prices. If you have the time and the patience for this, it could save you a large chunk of money, but if you don’t, there are still some quick and easy ways you can track down the best deals.
One of the best ways to find the cheapest available flights is to use a comparison site, such as Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner or Momondo, all of which can help you find the cheapest dates and times to travel to your chosen destination, offering you a range of options to find the best deal for you. Alternatively, if you aren’t set on a specific destination or date, you can use any of these platforms to look at flights from your chosen airport to destinations across the world to see where is cheapest and when.
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6. Don’t pay extra for your seats
Once you’ve found your flight, make sure you aren’t accidentally choosing extras that are going to push the price up. For example, some airlines will make you pay to select your seats, which if you’re travelling in a group can be quite tempting.
However, consumer association Which? found that a group of four people could expect to pay up to £192 to reserve standard seats together on certain flights. It’s worth knowing that of those surveyed, 95% of short-haul passengers who didn’t pay extra said they were given seats together anyway. So, unless you’re planning a long-haul flight, not paying to choose your seats is often worth the gamble. There are certain airlines that are notorious for splitting groups up if they don’t pay to choose their seats, so do your research before you book if this is important to you.
7. Watch out for luggage allowances
A number of budget airlines in recent years have changed their carry on allowances for their standard seats, which means while you previously might have been able to take a small suitcase (average 55cm x 45cm x 25cm) on board free of charge as a carry-on, many airlines will now only allow you to bring a smaller bag or rucksack measuring no more than 41cm x 30cm x 20cm.
If you think you can manage with a smaller bag for your trip, then you shouldn’t be affected too much by this, but if you need to pay for either a larger cabin bag or hold luggage this could add anywhere between £5 and £50 or more to the cost of your ticket each way. Make sure you consider this before booking and check the small print of the airline you’re flying with so you know the exact dimensions and weight of the luggage you’re allowed to take free of charge.
8. Always be prepared - book in advance
While it takes a little forethought, booking in advance could save you money. For things like car hire, hotel bookings and certain tourist attractions, you could save money by booking before you get there.
Ernesto Suarez, founder and chief executive of car excess insurance website iCarhireinsurance.com, said: “Holidaymakers need to squeeze the best value they can from their holidays this year. If you’re planning to hire a car, make sure you shop around for the best deal and that you know how much any extras you need will be, or risk facing a large bill at the rental desk.”
Remember also that buying car excess insurance from a specialist insurance company in advance can work out cheaper than taking the insurance offered by your hire car company. Suarez continues: “These policies can often be purchased at a fraction of the cost and offer better protection than the rental company’s excess waiver policies.”
Another key area to book or arrange in advance is travel insurance, ideally as soon as you book your break. Again, shop around for cover rather than getting it from your holiday provider. The closer you get to your holiday, the more the price of your insurance tends to creep up, so it pays to sort this out sooner rather than later. You’ll also have peace of mind that you won’t lose money if your plans fall through or you have to cancel your trip. Find out more in our article When should I buy travel insurance?
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Compare and save on car hire with Holiday Autos. Choose from 1,700 suppliers in 50,000 locations worldwide – with free cancellation, no hidden fees, and 24/7 support.
9. Choose accommodation to match your budget
Whatever price you want to pay, it’s likely that there’s a type of accommodation out there at your price point, even if you’re on a very limited budget. Here are a few options to consider:
House swapping or house sitting
If you’re looking for a low-cost accommodation option, then house swapping or house sitting could be of interest. Of course, both come with their own strings attached, but they can be a great way to live like a local in the places you want to stay.
If you’ve ever seen the film The Holiday, then you might have an idea of what house swapping is. As the name suggests, with a house swap, you offer your home on a house swapping platform as somewhere for people to stay, connect with someone else who is offering their property and you switch homes for a period of time. There are a number of platforms offering house swapping, with the biggest being HomeExchange.
Of course, letting a stranger stay in your home is likely to worry many of us, and you’ll want to check whether your current insurer will cover you for the swap. If they won’t cover you then you may want to consider taking out specialist insurance for the swap. Homelink and Pikl both provide this type of insurance so either of these could be a good place to start. Whatever you do, never commit to anything that you don’t feel completely confident in and make sure you’ve done your research before you start swapping.
House-sitting on the other hand is slightly different. While you won’t need to let anyone stay in your home, you may have to carry out certain tasks. Most house-sitting arrangements are set up because the owner needs some help while they are away, whether that’s looking after their pets, watering the garden or just having someone look after the property while they are away for work. There are homeowners all over the world who list their properties for house sitting, so you might be able to find something wherever you want to go. One of the biggest house sitting platforms is TrustedHousesitters which has an Excellent Trustpilot rating from over 14k users.
Hostels
Often seen as a place for backpackers and hikers, there are hostels all over the world that offer incredible value for money, and some really interesting places to stay. If you don’t fancy sharing a room with eight other people, most hostels will have private rooms, but you will usually pay more for them.
Prices for hostels will vary hugely from place to place but could be as little as £10 a night. Don’t be surprised however if hostels in city centres cost a lot more, many of these will have bars and provide a higher level of service than your traditional hostels, making them more of an attraction.
Homestays
Websites like Airbnb and Vrbo have grown in popularity over recent years and offer the opportunity to live like a local in destinations all over the world. They usually have accommodation at a variety of price points, but whatever you choose, make sure to read the reviews and look the property up on Google Street View before booking. Photos can hide a multitude of sins, so checking what the property looks like and the area it’s in beforehand could save you time and money.
Hotels
Hotels cover a huge range of prices, from cheap budget ones to five-star luxury ones, but there are a number of ways to save money on your booking. The first thing to do is shop around and compare prices across a range of prices as different websites and travel agents will have different rates. There are a number of platforms that offer a comparison service, including Trivago, Kayak and TravelSupermarket.
Before you book anything, another great tip is to look at the hotel’s own website to see if they offer any package deals or any extra perks if you book with them directly. You might also be able to sign up to a free membership that gets you some extras that you wouldn’t otherwise get, like a free glass of champagne or free upgrades.
10. Hunt out discounted holidays
While a quick Google search for discounted holidays is likely to provide you with thousands of options, it’s not always easy to filter out the best deals.
We’re proud to offer some exclusive travel deals to Rest Less members. Whether you’re looking for a beach holiday, city break, solo holiday, cultural tour, group holiday or the cruise of a lifetime, you can search thousands of top travel deals with some of the best holiday providers in the UK here.
11. Be money smart
The way you spend your money could cost you more than you think if you’re in a foreign country, so there are a few things to remember while you’re away:
- Check your bank’s fees and charges – Some banks will charge you if you use your card abroad, so it’s a good idea to check your bank’s policy before you leave to see if you’ll be charged. If you’re likely to be hit by steep charges, you can find cheaper alternatives in our guide Travel money: where can I find the best exchange rates?
- Opt to pay in the local currency – When you use your card to pay for things abroad, the card reader might ask you if you want to pay in GBP or in the local currency. It’s generally much cheaper to choose to pay in the local currency, so always select that if you are given the option.
- Exchange your money before you leave the UK– If you wait until you are at the airport or in a foreign country to exchange your money, you could face some poor exchange rates and get much less for your money, so it’s usually better to do it before you travel.
12. Beware mobile roaming charges
Roaming charges for using your mobile overseas can be steep, so it’s worth checking how much you’ll have to pay before you go away. Charges vary between providers, with some charging £2 a day for roaming, while others have chosen not to charge at all. Many offer add-ons which reduce the cost of calls and data while you’re away, so speak to your provider and see what the most cost-effective option might be.
For more information on this, have a look at our article How to save on mobile costs when you go on holiday.
13. Be holiday savvy
One of the most important things to check before you book any holiday is that it’s not a scam.
Unfortunately, many people have experienced holiday fraud, or know someone who has, with losses often running into hundreds or sometimes even thousands of pounds. So, if you’re trying to save money on your holiday, the last thing you want or need is to pay for something that doesn’t actually exist. To protect yourself from holiday fraud, consider the following:
- Always check the site link carefully before you click to make sure it’s taking you to a legitimate site. Use authorised apps or sites where you can to make sure it’s the real deal and make sure it says https at the beginning of the link. This indicates that the site protects user data and ensures that you’re connected to an authentic site.
- Never click any links in emails or texts that you weren’t expecting, particularly if they have an urgent tone to them – this is a trick used by fraudsters to create a sense of urgency and make people click on links that either capture your personal information or infect your device with malicious software.
- If you find a deal that’s too good to be true, it probably is. If you’ve been comparing deals for a hotel or flight and suddenly find one that’s a third of the price, it could be a scam. Always use the legitimate sites for any holiday payments.
- If using a platform like Airbnb, make sure you keep all communications, bookings and payments on the platform. This will make sure you’re protected by their processes, as once you leave the site, you won’t have their safeguards, processes and refunds available.
- Take your time and do your research – Don’t be fooled by glossy images promising the world. Make sure that, whatever you are booking, you take your time to read reviews and verify that what you’re booking or paying for is legitimate. Scammers will often try to pressure you into booking quickly so remember it’s fine to take your time.
- Maintain good security practices – use different passwords for different platforms and don’t share these with anyone.
You can read more about this in our article Holiday scams and how to avoid them.
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