Sat, 12 Jul 2025

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 The summer holiday hacks that saved us hundreds of pounds

From house swapping to smart searching, readers have been sharing tips on how to get away for less.

* Laura Strang booked her honeymoon at the last minute, saving thousands by choosing a 14-night all-inclusive package in Mexico instead of two weeks in Europe.
* Nathan Hart and his fiancee Cassie Farrelly searched for holidays offering a free child's place and going outside school holidays, saving £3,300 on their 10-day all-inclusive trip to Spain's Balearic Islands.
* May Burrough used home-swapping site to rent a five-bedroomed villa in Costa Brava, Spain for €100 (£85) plus transport costs, instead of paying £3,500 to rent a house like that normally.
* Ebrahim Paruk saves money on flights by collecting Virgin Atlantic credit card points and using them to book his trips.
* Annmaree Bancroft is a single mum who has been house sitting 11 times with her three-year-old son, allowing them to stay in houses without paying for overnight accommodation, except for flights and travel costs.
* Kayleigh Pennel-Price chose to go house sitting instead of booking a traditional family holiday abroad, expecting the trip to cost around £250. Other tips include:
* Using filter options on travel agency websites to find holidays with free child places or lower prices
* Booking outside school holidays to save money
* Considering non-traditional accommodation options like home-swapping or house sitting
* Collecting credit card points for flights and using them to book trips.
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