There is no need to queue outside a travel agents if you want to save money when organising a cheap holiday, writes Conor Pope
IF YOU'RE not sufficiently motivated to queue up overnight in the depths of the winter sales for a cheap sun holiday, as some people seem to do every year, but still don't want to break the bank, there are ways to cut corners on your globe-trotting. Here are just some of the savings that can made.
1 Travel insurance
If you plan to take more than two trips annually, multi-trip policies are much better value. It is, however, essential to shop around, as prices on similar policies vary substantially.
The standard price for a year's multi-trip insurance with the AA is €145 while a policy with ACE is €49. The Bank of Ireland charges €107 and the VHI just €49, although that policy is available to members only.
2 DIY deals
Booking your holiday independently using the web will almost always get you a better deal. Nearly all airlines take web bookings and most hoteliers now sell directly to tourists, allowing you to take full advantage of the strong euro if you're visiting outside the eurozone.
Online travel services, such as lastminute.com and expedia.com, also offer some good low-cost deals.
If you're not too web savvy but are up for a challenge, get a brochure from your travel agent, find a resort you like, type it into Google and see if you can get there cheaper on your own by following a few links.
3 Be flexible
Finding cheap flights can take work but the savings are worth it.
Make sure to check flights over a number of days as prices can fluctuate wildly.
Flexibility is crucial - the difference between a US-bound flight departing on a Friday and one leaving on a Thursday can be hundreds of euro.
Flight specific search engines including www.expedia.co.uk and www.travelocity.co.uk are useful but also check with individual carriers and broaden your horizons so you're not just checking out the carriers which leave from Ireland and Britain.
4 Off-peak
Timing is crucial if you're on budget.
People without children of school-going age should never book holidays in July or August if they can possibly avoid it.
A two-week holiday in the Cretan resort of Stalis in July has a price tag of €709 on the Budget Travel website.
Whereas a fortnight's holiday in the same hotel in the same resort in the second two weeks of May costs €497, a saving of €212.
5 Book well in advance
It pays to plan ahead. A return ticket from Dublin to Paris (well, Beauvais) with Ryanair next Friday had a price tag of €265.24 in the middle of last week. Flights to the same airport for a weekend at the end of May cost just €95.24, a saving of €170 by being just a little more organised.
6 Home swapping
House swapping is back in vogue and while it might not be for everyone, it is a route which can offer incredible discounts, with advocates claiming savings of thousands of euro each year.
Not only does it save money on accommodation, it can save on car hire and dining out as well. And you don't have to have to live in a stunning house in a location of breathtaking beauty to exploit the savings.
While your humble two-up two-down in Stoneybatter might not be comparable to a beachfront villa on the Florida Keys, a compact little pad within walking distance of a buzzing European capital might be just what the owner of said villa is looking for. Check out www.houseswap.ie, www.homeex change.com and www.homelink.ie for more details.
7 Go freeloaders
If house-swapping sounds a bit too 1970s, there is its very 21st-century cousin - www.global freeloaders.com.
This online community has tens of thousands of registered users all over the world who are willing to offer you a couch to crash on as long as when you get home you'll return the favour to them or to some other needy traveller.
Some people will just give you a place to sleep, while others will introduce you to their friends and cook you meals. It's a karma thing.
8 Go via Belfast
There are big savings to be made by using Belfast as your departure airport, especially as the road connections are now so good. Both a weakening pound and the fact that school holidays are often at different times north and south of the Border work in your favour.
One person who contacted Go recently found family holiday packages out of Belfast for as much as €1,200 less than identical deals out of Dublin. It's not only the holidays that are cheaper - the airport cafes, shops and parking cost a lot less too.
9 Avoid taxis
Any international airport worthy of the name has easy to use public transport links with the nearby cities. It will take longer but will cost at least a quarter of the taxi fare - and sometimes a lot less. A subway from JFK to Manhattan costs $3 (€2) while a taxi costs $45 (€28).
10 Go last minute
If you are going it alone or as part of a couple, it might pay to book late, particularly if you don't mind where you end up. Check out www.holidayson line.ie, a site which searches a range of Irish tour operators and will tell you what last-minute deals are available next weekend in less than 30 seconds.
Cheap and cheerful
Do . . .
Do sign up for a European Health Insurance Card (left) if you are travelling within the EU. It's free and while it is not a replacement for travel insurance, it is useful all the same. The relevant forms can be downloaded from www.ehic.ie.
Do avoid restaurants and bars in the shadow of the tourist attractions. You'll save yourself a fortune and have more of an adventure.
Do know the baggage restrictions and the allowable dimensions of carry-on items. Do walk as much as possible in a new city, unless it's a particularly crime-ridden place. If walking is not your thing, look up the public transport in your chosen destination to see how it works and find out about any day or weekend passes that could make your life easier and cheaper.
Do pack your heavier items in your hand luggage and wear as many of your clothes as is feasible.
Do your research. TripAdvisor is the biggest online travel information and advice destination and with more than four million travel reviews and opinions, it allows tourists to check out what's on offer before they check in.
Don't . . .
Don't eat in restaurants with pictures of the food on their menus. The food will be as overpriced as it is horrible.
Don't be limited to airlines you're familiar with. Lufthansa and KLM have Frankfurt and Schipol as their hubs. Both airports are as easy to get to as Heathrow and offer scores of flights for less on a daily basis.
Don't rely on travel insurance offered with credit cards - the cover is limited, at best.