With the New Year just around the corner, many of us will be planning our 2024 holidays. But what can you do to save money on your next trip? And how can you make your money go further in 2024? 

The travel experts at Bounce have put together their top tips to help your money go that bit further when booking your holiday for the new year.

Cody Candee, CEO, and Founder of Bounce comments:

1) Be a savvy booker – It may be well known that flight prices can fluctuate throughout the week, but few people know to book in the afternoon. Prices can drop cheaper during later hours of the day after business travelers book most of their flights. To make sure you are getting the cheapest prices on flights, don’t just look on the major comparison websites, as often the smaller sites can have bigger discounts. Staying loyal to a hotel chain is another great way to save when booking your trip. This way you can open up a credit card with the hotel to collect points which can be used the next time you travel.

2) Set up price alerts for flights – This sounds simple, yet so many travelers forget this key step in grabbing the best flight deals. Setting up price alerts will allow you to be notified any time a flight you’re interested in drops in price, meaning you can be the first to get the deal. Apps such as Skyscanner offer this service as well as the website Kayak.

3) Be flexible – This goes for both your destination and time of travel. If you have a region in mind, don’t just look at flights to/from the main airport, look at others nearby. You can then weigh up the cost of flying directly to the main airport or traveling to your destination from a nearby airport. You could also consider staying outside of popular tourist destinations and traveling in.

4) Save on insurance – Travel insurance is often left until the last minute, but this can drive costs higher. Consider if you will be traveling more than once this year, in which case, annual cover may be cheaper. Finally, don’t buy insurance from the travel operator straight away – shop around. This type of cover from the travel operator is unlikely to be tailored to you, and may be more expensive than you can find elsewhere.

5) Try a wonky weekend – It is commonly known that traveling mid-week will offer you cheaper tickets when it comes to flights, trains, and buses, but what if you can’t take that much holiday from work? Traveling from Saturday to Monday rather than Friday to Sunday will mean not only bagging cheaper deals but avoiding those chaotic ‘rush hours’.

6) Stay in a home away from home – Whilst the luxury of a 5-star hotel is appealing, house sitting can be a much cheaper alternative and may offer the home comforts you didn’t realize you’d miss at a hotel. Sites such as Trusted Housesitters and Mind my House allow you to choose from a range of locations across the world in which you will stay in a home for free in return for looking after a pet or watering the plants. Whilst many of these sites require a subscription fee, it can still be much cheaper than alternative accommodation if you are looking to travel frequently.

7) Take tips from the locals – When visiting tourist hotspots such as New York or Paris, the most popular activities will often be the most expensive. However, local residents may offer you some insight into how to experience hotspots without breaking the bank. This could include off-grid activities such as hiking to an amazing viewpoint rather than taking a busy train or taking your own boat out rather than joining a day cruise. This type of activity will allow you to build your own itinerary and explore how you wish.

8) Utilize luggage storage – Accommodation check-in times typically fall after 3 pm. If you arrive at your destination earlier than your designated check-in time in the hope of dropping your luggage, it is likely that you will have to pay a hefty early check-in fee. Instead, why not consider locating your nearest Bounce luggage storage partner? With more than 8,000 bookable locations, you can store your luggage at your convenience for a small fraction of the early check-in prices. Similarly, with nothing weighing you down, you’re free to skip the pricey taxi fares and explore your destination on foot for the day!