Summer is the prime time for people to take a vacation. Not only are children off school, but the weather is generally lovely wherever you go. The problem is, with so many people all wanting to holiday at the same time, the price of summer vacations is astronomical.

Where there’s a demand, it’s commonplace for suppliers to increase prices. In most cases, it’s understandable. Countries like Greece rely on tourism to keep ticking over, but the tourism season is limited. This means business owners need to make enough during the summer months to tide them over and keep them afloat across winter.

Most people don’t have an issue with supporting the local economy, but the prices can quickly add up if you’re not savvy, and not all of them are legitimate fees that you need to pay. To help you save some money on your holiday so you have more to spend whilst you’re there, here are some top tips.

1. Book far in advance

The number one way to save money when booking a vacation is to book well in advance. You might be tempted to see if you can get a good last-minute deal, but generally speaking, it’s more affordable to book in advance. A year is a good time frame for you to take advantage of any offers and early-bird discounts, and if you’re planning on spreading the cost over multiple payments, 12 months is ample time to make smaller, more manageable payments.



You might be wondering ‘what if I can’t get the annual leave next year when planned?’ Generally speaking, all good and legitimate holiday providers will give you some degree of flexibility to move or cancel a booking up to a certain number of weeks in advance, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

2. Choose the best value accommodation

When you’re on vacation, you will have a range of accommodation choices at your disposal. From tents and caravans to hotels and villas, there are so many options to suit all kinds of holidaymakers. The type of accommodation you choose will have an impact on the price you pay, but there are ways you can get the price of your accommodation down.

For example, rather than booking directly through a hotel website, use a price comparison website to get the best deal. Also, make sure you’re looking at what exactly you’re getting for your money. One hotel might be cheaper than the other, but it might only be half-board whilst the other one is all-inclusive. Weigh up whether you’ll spend more on food and drinks or if the price difference is cheaper, and make a decision based on that.

3. Plan activities in advance

Another way you can save money on your summer vacation is to plan your activities in advance. You might suggest spending three days by the pool, one day at a theme park, one day at the beach, and one-day hiking or shopping. When you do this, you will be able to book your place in advance and plan. For example, if you’re thinking about going to a theme park and you know you’re going on the fourth day of your vacation, you have enough time to pack a picnic rather than spontaneously making the trip and having the splash out on theme park food.

Summary

These are just three ways you can save money on your summer vacation, but there are plenty of other tips, such as getting your currency when the exchange rate is at its best. Do you have any vacation money tips? If so, share them below!