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SAVING ON HOLIDAYS AND VACATIONS

There are scores of options of places to go, and how much you pay is ruled by a number of key factors;

• timing - booking months in advance may mean you pay full price or have limited chances of a better deal.
• seasons - winter, off season is often cheaper with high summer the dearest, it depends on the way seasons and features make the destination area more or less attractive.
• sellers of packages or accommodation begin to panic the nearer the time frame gets and the time period of the break remains unsold, this is when they start to carve off some of their prices in the form of discounts of normal rates.
• bargain deals on offer often do not hang around long, so if you spot a deal and it suits your needs take it. Tomorrow it will be gone for sure, even a few minutes from now.
• source deals in several ways
  • direct with a travel agent over the phone or in their office, but be ready to pay a deposit and know what you seek.
  • online - loads of choices of travel agents and booking firms and the same applies, have your credit card ready and know what you want.
  • direct with the hotel, leisure centre, or owner, perhaps somewhere you have been before.
• Being open minded about where and when you go gives more choice, this way you buy on PRICE alone - to get this best deal you need to be packed and ready to go as often you could be off next day or certainly within the week.
• Check you have all travel documents needed, and other vital items - passport, visa, money, inoculation certificates, phrase book, travel sickness pills etc.

Self catering breaks

Here you hire a house, flat, chalet and feed yourself, and keep the place clean, make beds etc. Hardly a break from the work, but a change is as good as a rest.

Most bookings of accommodation are done via owners or independent agencies of varying size.

Accommodation costs vary with size and location and more importantly WHEN, off peak winter months are cheapest, whereas summer periods especially those around national holidays or school breaks are dearest.

Buying off season, or last minute breaks gives the best savings.

Source on line using "self catering x" where x is the county, state, city, town or country of your choice.

Ocean cruises

A cruise is something special and a trip many dream about, a travelling hotel if you will, which can take in many places during a few weeks of the trip.

Based on the location in the cruise ship rules how much you pay, the top cabins or staterooms are the most luxurious and costly whereas a lowly cabin "down below" can be the cheapest and more basic accommodation.

Check quality of accommodation v prices and the distance to travel to connect with the ship, plus car parking charge while you are away. Some cruise offers include rail fare to the port. Allow plenty of time to get to the port of departure otherwise like aircraft they could set off without you.

Prices are highly competitive so search simply for "cruises" or " cruises bargain deals" to find online specialist agencies like;

Home Exchange or Home Swapping

Under this program you swap your home with another member of a home exchange program, as such rent free for 1 or 2 weeks or more.

You get to know your trade partner before the trade via phone or email and can trade internationally or within your own country, choice is enormous.

The quality of homes is usually good and the method is favoured by many professional people and the retired.

Trading is for singles or whole families so the actual savings can be huge, and the entire event can be one big experience which is planned for months ahead which is part of the reason why this method attracts hundreds of thousands of participants.

Home trading does not suit everyone, many do not like letting "strangers" in their home. Many participants own 2nd homes, normal rental homes so use that to home swap giving greater flexibility and value for money, by trading empty or unlet periods for exciting foreign accommodation.

Time frames need not be simultaneous if 2nd homes are traded and it is possible for 3 parties to inter-trade although more complex to arrange.

Typical web based firms most of which operate worldwide can be found by searching for "Home Exchange" to find typical services like;

Please feel free to Contact Us with questions or to give us information to add to our knowledge base.