A TRAVEL expert has revealed five key ways to save money on trips abroad.
Jason Whelan is a travel insurance and holiday expert who helps people save money.
Aer Lingus is currently having a sale[/caption]
He recently revealed some top tips that could help people save money when heading abroad.
Jason said the most popular travel hack is to travel in the middle of the week.
Flight prices tend to go up at weekends because airlines know it’s the most convenient time for people to jet off.
So, opting to fly on Mondays to Thursdays could help you save cash ahead of time.
The second big tip is to book hotels with free cancellation.
Some hotels include a free cancellation policy if you cancel your booking, meaning that you could be left out of pocket if you find a cheaper hotel and decide to book it.
By reserving a room at a hotel with no cancellation fee, you can opt out without it costing you a penny.
Tip number three is to take the self catering option to save on service fees and dining out.
Self catering apartments usually include a kitchen in a home-from-home style accommodation.
Rather than dining out at every meal, it means that you can eat in and do your own shopping to save money.
The fourth tip is fly at anti-social times, when the price of a flight is likely to be lower.
Flying late at night or early in the morning usually means your flight will be cheaper, as there is less demand for seats.
And the final tip is to wait for a flight sale.
Usually taking place at the beginning of the year and the start of summer and winter, airlines often have major sales.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have both had recent sales that saved jetsetters hundreds.
There were also three more tips for smart travellers, the first of which was to book last minute.
Flights that are about to be unavailable are often reduced so that they will sell, so booking late is another clever option.
The other tip was to make lunch from a hotel breakfast buffet to avoid paying for lunch when you are out and about.
And the last one is to hide or wear extra clothing on the plane to avoid overstuffing your carry-on bag.
Jason said: “Holidays will always remain a top priority for people and when budgets are tight there are some creative ways to cut the cost.
“However, Travel Insurance is not one of them.
“With annual Travel Insurance policies starting at €19.95, there is no reason for anybody travelling abroad to not have a Travel Insurance policy.”
He added: “We urge all holiday makers to purchase a policy as soon as they purchase their trip to ensure cancellation protection.
“The cost of travel insurance doesn’t get any cheaper if you leave it to the last minute, so there’s really no benefit to delaying, in fact you are missing out on essential protection.
“Travel insurance is too important to be an afterthought.”
Jason Whelan is a travel and insurance expert[/caption]
