Holidays can be expensive, particularly when travelling with the whole family to a popular destination. Once you have booked your transportation, travel insurance, hotels and budgeted for food, entertainment and spending – it can quickly eat up your entire holiday fund.

So, with this in mind, here are a few money saving tips for families when travelling to save those all-important dollars when booking your next family holiday.

Packages deals and special offers

Around the summer break from school and Christmas, you can find a number of special offers available for family holidays. Two-for-one deals, ‘kids go free’ and family discounts are available to it is worth shopping around online before booking your holiday. Here, the Internet is your friend and you can compare dozens of package holidays and do-it-yourself alternatives to find the best one for you and your family.

Book in advance

Most people know the year before where they are heading for their next big holiday, so get a jump on things and start looking for bargains well in advance. Like train tickets, booking your holiday early can save you a lot of cash and also gets the stressful part of your planning out of the way sooner than later. Also, if you know where you are going in advance, you can start saving early and build up a proper holiday fund in preparation for your time away.

Book last minute

As an alternative to booking way in advance, for all you easy-going types out there you can also book last minute. There are some terrific deals out there for anyone happy to travel on a whim and see where fate takes them. Through cancellations, changes to circumstances and one-day special offers, you can bag a real bargain if you’re not too fussed about where you spend your holiday. There are a number of websites online now that list available spaces on planes and in hotels, giving you quick and easy access to a fantastic last-minute deal.

Go off the beaten path

The more popular a destination is, the more expensive it can be. Therefore it is worth taking a look at some holiday locations that aren’t as widely known about. You can still find fantastic destinations filled with entertainment, sightseeing and activities if you’re willing to put a bit more effort into finding them. Ask friends, family and the Internet for suggestions and maybe you’ll discover a hidden treasure out there somewhere for your next family holiday. However, remember to make sure you organise some adequate holiday travel insurance that will cover you and your family, no matter where you end up – the last thing you want to happen is your big adventure turning into a big financial nightmare, should you run into some difficulties.

Look at alternative transportation

Flying may be considered the quickest way to get where you’re going but it might not always be the cheapest. When booking for transportation for your holiday, browse around first and see if travelling by boat, coach or train will save the pennies. You can even make your travelling part of your holiday, with scenic train routes, whale-spotting cruises and coach journeys through the countryside becoming part of your holiday experience.