savings tips
4 tips to save money on your summer vacation
With children, summer holidays can quickly become expensive…
© NadyaEugene / Shutterstock
Summer vacation 2022 could be more expensive than ever. Here are four money-saving tips that you can use to save money when booking.
Experts agree that summer vacation prices will continue to rise this year. The reasons: After two years of the pandemic, the desire to travel is greater than it has been for a long time and the demand is correspondingly high. At the same time, the supply is falling: closed hotels and a lack of employees are also a result of Corona. The international umbrella organization of business travel associations (GBTA) assumes a price increase for hotels in Europe of 10.4 percent this year and 7.6 percent in 2023, reports “Welt”. The biggest price increases are likely to be for rental cars again, because many rental companies have reduced their vehicle fleets during the pandemic.
Families with school-age children in particular are pinched several times during the summer holidays: Not only do they have to set off with half of Germany at the same time – they also have to buy everything several times (tickets, ice cream, swimming rings) and are also forced to do so on the flight and accommodation to pay high season rates.
How to save on summer vacation?
But there are several parameters that can be used to save money on a summer holiday: not only the holiday destination comes into play, but also the time of booking, the airport of departure, the travel period and the device you use to book.
Saving tip 1: The cheapest travel period
When choosing the travel period, you should pay attention, among other things, to which federal state has summer holidays and when. This was determined by the travel portal “Urlaubsguru”. A distinction was made between the best and the cheapest travel time. The best travel time is the period in which very few federal states have summer holidays: it is often not quite as crowded at the holiday destination and arrival and departure are less stressful. The cheapest travel time is the period when you pay the least for a summer vacation. Sometimes both coincide, for example in Saxony or Baden-Württemberg, where, according to “Urlaubsguru”, travelers can save up to 500 euros on a holiday in Turkey during the best travel time.
© holiday guru
Saving tip 2: The best time to book
The cheapest way to book a summer holiday is either in the early bird season or last minute. If you don’t have a problem making a commitment early, it’s best to book at the beginning of the year, four to six months before the trip. Many organizers then lure with early booking discounts and generous children’s conditions. A short-term booking two to four weeks before departure can also be inexpensive. Of course, then the selection is no longer large and you have to take what you can get. But it can also be exciting.
Saving tip 3: The cheapest departure airport
The choice of departure airport can also be decisive and, according to “Urlaubsguru”, can lead to savings of up to 600 euros. For this you have to accept a longer journey to the airport. Some package travel offers already include the train-to-plane ticket. If this is not the case, you should buy the train tickets as early as possible in order to save here as well.
Saving tip 4: Change end device and browser
The end device and browser we use to book our vacation also have an impact on the price. A study by the “Austrian Chamber of Labor” has shown that tariffs vary depending on whether we book our vacation via PC, laptop, notebook, smartphone, iPhone or iPad. The browser can also have an impact on the price. With the help of “cookies”, it remembers that you are planning a trip for a specific period of time at a specific location. If you search for offers for a longer period of time, you are showing great interest – the prices are already rising. It is best to compare prices on all available end devices and delete browser history and cookies shortly before booking.