Every year holiday firms advise people to book their summer holidays early. Yet in the past few years those who ignored this advice and booked at the last minute still managed to bag a bargain as tour operators slashed prices to fill empty seats. No longer. “The game is up,” says Juliet Dennis in The Guardian. The demise of Britain’s third largest tour operator XL Leisure Group along with the tough economic climate suggests that package holidays will be thin on the ground next year. Not only is no one willing to pick up the vacant routes left by XL but most major operators are also cutting back the number of holidays they will offer next year: “There will be around a fifth fewer package holidays available next year.” That means higher prices. Indeed, Thomas Cook has already announced that its prices will jump 8% next summer, while TUI Travel – owners of Thomson and First Choice – are putting prices up by 12%. The lesson? If you want a deal, get in early – there may be no bargains around by the time next year’s holiday season rolls around.
Trick the children into a cheap holiday. The kids might want to go on the holiday of a lifetime, but that doesn’t mean you have to take them on a Kenyan safari, says The Guardian. Instead, “con the brood into thinking they’ve had the adventure of a lifetime, without incurring a lifetime’s debt, with a unique experience close to home”. Travel with Four Season’s France and you can stay in a bungalow on stilts overlooking wallowing rhinos, monkeys and wallabys for a mere £395 for four nights including the ferry crossing. Sure, the wildlife will be less wild than confined – you’ll be staying at a safari park in Lisieux, Normandy, but odds are your children won’t know the difference. l Save money on your TV licence. Unfortunately this only works if you have a “handy septuagenarian”, says The Guardian, but if you do live with someone over 75 switch the TV licence into their name. That way it will be free.
Get a free eye test. Head to your nearest Tesco opticians before 2 November and you will get a free eye test and earn 100 free Clubcard points along the way. Just make sure you mention the free offer when you book.
Eat out on the cheap. Various restaurants are trying to lure people out for dinner in these tough economic times with vouchers. Moneysavingexpert.com have rounded up some of the best deals. Pizza Express is offering 2 for 1 on main meals between Sundays and Thursday until 19 October. Take a voucher down to Yo! Sushi and you can buy five plates and get another five free between Sundays and Thursdays (until 250,000 plates have been sold). Or if you fancy Spanish cuisine, print off a voucher and head to your local La Tasca, where you’ll also get five free dishes if you buy five. The offer is valid from Sundays to Wednesdays until 29 October.