Cheap holidays from Co-op Travel

Following on from my tips on how to travel cheaper, I had a look at these tips from Co-op Travel on how to get a cheap holiday this summer.

Here are their tips : I have rated them out of ten as to what I think of them.

1) Go beyond the Eurozone (5/10) - So the Euro is killing the pound at the moment, that's well known, so top holiday destinations are now Egypt, Turkey and Bulgaria. All fair enough but there are still bargains to be had to Euro destinations simply because the tour operators have either already paid for the beds already and now need to fill them or the hotels are desperate for customers and are discounting heavily. If you are not after the typical bucket and spade destinations, it is worth noting that the Swedish crown has fallen in line with the pound so that's another option.

2) Go All - Inclusive (6/10) For same reason above, high Euro, It makes sense to go all inclusive rather than pay high restaurant and drink bills. This is true up to a point but the restaurants and cafes in resorts still need your business so don't worry too much, there will be lots of special offers around. My tip is to go self catering and fill the fridge with supermarket booze. I've been in Spain very recently and that's still way cheaper than UK.

3) Be flexible with your dates (8/10) - This is the number one for me. If you are willing to fly mid-week or at less desirable departure times and can leave from a variety of UK departure points you will stand a good chance of getting a good deal on your holiday. If you have a large departure date range this will also help you hold out for an irresistible deal.

4) Get a late deal (7/10) - It's true, if you are flexible and open minded you can get a great deal by booking late. Bit like a game of chicken with the tour operators. They have to fill their planes and hotels or lose out, but just bear in mind that after the bankruptcy of XL along with the merger of Thomson & First Choice and Thomas Cook & MyTravel, there is a lot less capacity than last year. Getting a late deal only works if you can be flexible. In some cases you will be allocated your hotel on arrival.

5) Go in May (5/10) - The May half term still makes a seven night holiday very expensive in that week but the other weeks will be cheap, consider thought that it might not be that much fun to go to a half open resort at the beginning of the season. June should also remain cheap as there are no bank holidays or school holidays then (except Scotland starting late June).

Visit Co-op Travel for more deal hunting!.