Holiday Finders
Find cheap holidays and great value with my favourite tried and tested apps and websites
If you need some help finding the best deals check these places out, they're my go-to sites and apps to scour through for the best and most original places, travel planners and budget savers!
If you need some help finding great value deals and cheap holidays check these out, they're my go-to websites and apps to scour through for the best and most original places, travel planners and budget savers!
For family holidays look for a package holiday through a tour operator, this often provides the best protection in uncertain times through ATOL or ABTA . These packages include flights and accommodation with a choice of catering options and extra addons including transfers from the airport to the hotel and back and car rental. These holidays tend to be best for seven to fourteen days.
Lucky Trip
This app is fun and genuinely finds some exciting destinations and amazing places to visit - that's not only locations but places to visit whilst you're there. I love its comical description of the weather and useful filters make it easy and fun to and whatever you're looking for. If something takes your fancy you can save it using the love heart - cute! The website and app are sleek and easy to navigate for finding film location recommendations, wildlife hot spots or the best in Europe so easy.
On top of all this, their customer service is top-notch – it’s definitely worth a look!
BA Holidays
This website is great for finding the cheapest time of year to head to destinations, for instance, if you're not tied to school holidays or certain times of the year and planning a trip around America it might be cheaper to single out the cheapest states to fly to and what month and start your tour there.
They also have cheap holidays and city breaks from £149pp, Christmas market breaks and their holiday finder is easy to use. Don't forget to check out their things to do section while scouting their website!
kiwi
Kiwi has some amazing deals to choose from and can help you find holidays like most other websites but what I really mentioned this website for was the multistop journeys. For instance, you want to travel around Europe or Asia or maybe the world. Plan your dates or leave them empty, Kiwi will find the best, cheapest and fastest versions for you to choose between. You can alter how many days you spend in each place and travel via different modes of transport and carriers.
Don't forget to shop around for other options as their website may not cover all airlines but it's definitely one of the best for planning a multistop stop. They also supply travel itineraries, travel tips and fun facts and also have an app for ease.
Holiday Pirates
Holiday pirates have a huge range of holiday offers from your usual city breaks and cheap family beach holidays to glamping, skiing, holiday homes and cruises. Their realistic prices and easy website make searching effortless. Although you can search for ideal locations and dates their offers are usually the best value, when looking at a holiday offer, you'll find all the information about their offer which includes TripAdvisor ratings. When going to book, you can also see how different dates, flight times or carriers could affect the price.
They are so confident they boast a "Price Match Guarantee - we won't be beaten on price".
GROUPON
I have included Groupon not so much for their cheap holidays abroad but for their UK hotel, B&B and leisure vouchers. From glamping to stays on some of the most unusual places their prices are great and offer better flexibility than that of the city break or holidays abroad do. We often find great value vouchers for a day at a theme park or zoo and turn it into a weekend away with the kids. If you are planning a trip abroad it might be worth searching for leisure activities in those places, you may find you can dine in luxury without breaking the piggy bank or visit castles and gardens cheaper than the on the door price.
Groupon regularly has big discount codes and not just for new customers either, it's worth signing up and downloading the app. Just remember you may have to print the vouchers or book ahead.
WOWcher
Wowcher is very much like Groupon and you probably already know all about it, you can use it for great value local leisure activities and meals out the only Wowcher is slightly better for finding vouchers for theme parks, tickets to big attractions such as zoos and sealife centres, cinemas and Pontin's caravan holidays in the UK.
Bear in mind you may have to print the voucher and book ahead.
HOTUKDEALS
Hot UK Deals has become one of my favourite bargain hunter sites, a website of great value deals all posted by members of the 'bargain and good deal hunters' community. This site is not limited to holidays and leisure activities so you might also find yourself stocking up with household items or presents while you’re there.
Deals come from all over the internet and you can often find voucher codes or great advice in the comments section. Deals in the travel section can include cheap holidays, B&B's, theme park stays, zoos and leisure activities and vouchers.
Sign up to receive a daily newsletter of the hottest deals, by signing up you can also vote a deal hot or cold which can be a friendly way of showing appreciation for posting the deal.
Rome2rio
Now I'm fairly new to using this website but I do like what it got. They're mainly a transport search engine, say you want to find your way from the airport to a hotel or a landmark to an attraction Rome2Rio will find the best modes of transport, how long it will take and how much it's gonna cost you! You can also book with some companies and works with Booking.com to make it even easier.
Download the app to use booked tickets on the go!
Free tour
Started in 2014, these appeal to those on a budget, as the name suggests these are Free tours... you may think how good can it be for free but the tour guides rely on good-natured tippers and ask you only give as much as you see fit, therefore they set out to impress, unlike other tours they don't get a penny of your money unless you feel they've earnt it! A good tip is around £10-£15.
These are generally walking tours and aren't a quick walk around the block, no we're mostly talking hours and not minutes. If you're lucky they may include some free tasters too! The site also has many paid tours such as pub crawls, and tours including transport and generally have a few language options and time slots available adding value to your budget holiday break.
Inspirock
If you have limited time to see pack all the sites in check out Inspirock, their handy travel itinerary can pack in reservations, suggested places to visit and tours available all into a short trip. Search for your destination (you can add multiple) and days or add your flight reservation and it'll plan around your flight times. Narrow it down by your personal preferences such as slow and easy or fast-paced, or do you want the most popular attraction or to find the hidden gems? You can also add your own reservations, bookings and flight times or make up your own activity. The timeline lets you know how long it takes to get from each attraction or to visit one. The 'Where to stay' section can find the best TripAdvisor recommended hotels and its checklist will help you make sure the tours and transport are booked.
The only thing it’s missing is an app but you can print it off and take it with you or access the website from your mobile.
