Booking our first Family Holiday

I have just done it. After talking about it for months and months, I have finally booked a holiday to Majorca! The weather here in the UK has been absolutely miserable over the past month – I feel like I have been completely cheated out of a summer. In order to make up for my lost sun’s rays, I am heading to the Mediterranean coast of Spain and I couldn’t be more excited.

It will be our first family holiday abroad and while we are planning to have a blast this vacation is more about relaxation, rest and long days spent sunning ourselves by the pool. Oh – and tapas and sangria! Of course…

The rest of my friends and colleagues are always impressed by my savvy money saving techniques when it comes to holiday planning, and so I was prompted to write this blog by a whole host of curious readers who want to know how I get such great prices and travel as often as I do. Here are a few top tips – the ones that I am willing to share, at least.

• Keep your options open - I saved a ton by waiting, watching the sales online and booking last minute on a holiday deal site. In order to make sure that I was getting the best price possible, I kept my options open and made sure that I wasn’t too committed to one destination over another. This enabled me to choose the best priced option, rather than getting disappointed if one city got more expensive than another I had my heart set on.
• Sort out your currency in advance – I find that I can save up to one hundred pounds per holiday by ensuring that I exchange my currency in advance at a money changer that offers the best rates in the UK. The seemingly inconsequential lower percentage points that most touristy money change offices offer will add up – organise your currency in advance.
• Look into a new credit card – No, not a credit card to fund your trip! You should have your holiday savings set aside already, but sometimes banks offer credit cards with excellent initial offers that can actually earn you rewards and even cold, hard cash as incentives. They can also offer you better protection in the case that there is a dispute. Before you apply for a vacation card, make sure that you apply to view your credit report here: www.creditexpert.co.uk/advice/credit-report in order to make sure that you do not harm your existing rating.
• Sign up for local deal sites – Signing up for sites like Groupon and Amazon Local in the area that you are travelling to can really pay off. While the restaurant choices can be hit or miss (make sure to check the reviews), 2 for 1 deals on tourist attractions are always something to look out for. I save heaps this way!

I hope that these tips can help all of my friends and readers get out and book their own trips to the vacation destination of their dreams! Do you have any others to add? Leave me your suggestions in the comments below.