Families who want the best deal on next year’s summer holiday should think about booking now, according to a survey by Which? Holiday magazine.
Those prepared to plan ahead could save as much as £1,000, Holiday Which? said.
The magazine’s researchers tracked the price of three family holidays to Majorca in July 2008 for a year and found that the cheapest deals were available in August and September 2007, with the cost rising throughout the year.
One of the holidays, available through travel company First Choice, rose by as much as £1,044 – going up from £2,410 in August 2007 to £3,445 in March 2008.
Increasingly, people are booking last minute to get the cheapest deal, but Which? Holiday found that while the holiday in Majorca did drop slightly in price in April 2008, two of the three holidays were not available in May 2008, and by June all three holidays were unavailable.
With tour operators cutting capacity for 2009, many families could be left disappointed by the choice and prices offered to them if they leave it late to book. Which? Holiday said.
It also tracked the price of three holidays for two adults travelling to Cancun in Mexico in July 2008, and found that by booking in February or March 2008, there were potential savings of as much as £712, compared to the cost of booking months in advance or waiting for late deals.
