Things are hotting up. Tui, Britain’s biggest tour operator, has reported that demand for summer holidays is now 19 per cent above pre-pandemic levels: more than 3.5 million customers have already booked a trip for summer 2022. Meanwhile, ski companies have had an excellent half term and Gatwick’s South Terminal, which has been closed for nearly two years, is to reopen at the end of March, ready for Easter and the airlines’ enhanced summer schedules.
With travel getting back to normal, it’s a reminder that those who are limited to taking time off in peak weeks cannot take their holidays for granted. For many people – including teachers and anyone with school-age families – when you take your holidays is not a matter of choice, but tied to the dates of the academic year. Even among those of us who have greater freedom, plenty prefer to visit places such as resorts when they are at their liveliest, treating a holiday less as an escape and more as a party – and who wants to turn up at a party before it gets going, or arrive just as everyone is leaving?
The main problem faced by peak time holidaymakers is, of course, cost: holiday prices follow the rules of supply and demand. And, generally speaking, the key to planning for peak time is to get organised many months in advance. This is because starting prices have traditionally been set high by airlines and operators and they are likely only to rise as the bookings roll in.
During the pandemic, these rules haven’t necessarily applied. We have been in a strange world when we didn’t even know whether we would be able to go on the holidays we had already booked. But now that the future is looking so much more optimistic and far, far busier, what is the best strategy to adopt? Pressure on peak weeks and weekends looks as though it might be as great as ever. Should we jump in straight away? Have we missed the boat? Here is our guide to navigating a year of peak-time travel in 2022.
How to make the most of the high season
Five tips to get you started…
As you shall see, there are different nuances to watch for and opportunities to grasp depending on which of the school holidays you are focusing on. But there are also some general rules that apply to nearly all peak season bookings. So when you are making your plans – and before you press “pay” – bear in mind the following.
- Now that restrictions have eased, booking six months or more in advance for peak departure dates will nearly always get you the best value. While there are always last-minute deals, you can never know how good they will be or whether they will suit your needs.
- It isn’t only price that is important. If you book well in advance, you will have the greatest choice of departure times, locations and accommodation. So you will both pay less and get a better holiday.
- Keep abreast of the news and the latest developments on the pandemic; we aren’t out of the woods yet. Most particularly, keep up to date with the rules and restrictions for your destination. You don’t want to scupper your holiday because your vaccination record isn’t up to date or you have forgotten that you need to order your tests in time.
- Check the booking conditions: most operators and airlines are currently allowing you to cancel free of charge, but only for bookings departing before a certain date. British Airways has one of the most generous policies which allows you to cancel flights departing before August 31, in exchange for a voucher valid until September 30, 2023.
- Insure as soon as you book. That way you get more cover for your money. See telegraph.co.uk/tt-insurance
The relaxation in restrictions has many of us dreaming of an escape, putting extra pressure on our favourite destinations like Greece
Credit: mkos83/iStockphoto
Easter
- Act fast if you want to ski – and go high
- Try to travel midweek
- Book flight/accommodation packages via airlines
Easter (on April 17) is relatively late this year, which increases its appeal for sun-seekers and for holidays in the UK. The removal of testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers by both the UK and, last week, by the French is boosting bookings significantly. It is even pushing up the cost of skiing, not helped by the fact that the late start to the holidays means that people are keen to travel in the first week, as well as choosing from a limited number of high resorts in order to get the best of the late snow.
One reader from Scotland told me recently that he had been checking the price of a Crystal (crystalski.co.uk) holiday to Tignes which he had booked immediately after France lifted its restrictions on British travellers. He paid £1,058 per person (including half board, flights, transfers) and the price has been climbing steadily since then. Eleven days after booking, it had reached £1,278, an increase of 21 per cent. It has now sold out. So, if you want an Easter break, don’t delay any longer.
If you still intend to book a ski holiday in Tignes or elsewhere you need to act quickly
Credit: Andy Parant
Top tips for Easter bookings
You have at least two weeks to play with, so use the opportunity to scout for midweek flights. You can book a week (or more) away, but find the best value you can away from the peak dates. The comparison site Skyscanner (skyscanner.net) is useful for this. On the site, you can select a whole month from the search options and pick the cheapest days to fly.
However, when booking, I would avoid clicking on the links to online agents. You get more protection going direct with the airlines and arranging a package if you can, through Easyjet Holidays (easyjet.com) for example. Alternatively, go to a tour operator who will book the flights for you as part of a package.
Your best chance of warm sunshine without travelling long haul are the Canaries, Marrakech and the Red Sea. In the Mediterranean, Cyprus, Crete and Sicily are the best bets. And there is still availability at reasonable prices. With Olympic Holidays (olympicholidays.com) for example, I found two different apartment holidays in Paphos in Cyprus for less than £700 per person in the first week of the Easter holidays (departing April 9) and four at under £800.
For half term, destinations such as Morocco, Egypt and Jordan (pictured) work well for family adventure holidays
Credit: Angel Villalba/Moment
Meanwhile, if you don’t mind a longer flight, Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk) says that it still has good availability for Mauritius over the Easter holidays: LUX Grand Gaube, Attitude Properties, Constance Resorts and Sun Resorts all have large rooms suitable for families.
If all else fails, you might still find a holiday cottage in the UK. Most agents still have at least some availability. With eight weeks to go, a search of the Premier Cottages website (premiercottages.co.uk) came up with 123 possibilities for a family of four starting on the weekend of April 9.
May half term
- Book now for all holidays – some flights are already very expensive
- Country villas are less affected by peak pricing
- Consider self-drive holidays
This year’s May half-term week is an unusual one. The normal Monday bank holiday has been shifted until the end of the week and an additional day added to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, making it a four-day weekend. This means that even those people who aren’t tied to school holidays may see it as a good chance to get a week away while only having to take three days off work. The extra demand has already put huge pressure on airfares. When I checked this week, the cheapest return fare from a London airport to Palma Mallorca on the first Saturday of half term (May 28), returning a week later, was £356. Fly a week earlier and it would have cost just £20 (both with Ryanair – so you will probably want to add more to pay for a decent amount of luggage). Package prices for classic package destinations are also on a par with the peak summer weeks.
Book now for a holiday to Mallorca in May
Credit: Massimo Ripani
Top tips for May half-term bookings
A self-drive touring holiday of France is an excellent way to get round the pressure on flights and airfares. Peak time ferry crossings may be heavily booked on longer routes, but it’s always possible to find good value on the Dover-Calais route (poferries.com). Current returns for a car plus passengers are less than £200. And in any case you can avoid the peak by not travelling at the weekend, taking a break from Monday to Friday instead. Arrange your route and book hotels or other accommodation in advance and rates are unlikely to be much affected by the half-term week.
If you want sunshine, then as at Easter, the further south or south-east you go the better your chance of properly hot weather: Puglia, Andalucia, the Turkish coast and the Greek islands are all good bets.
If you are happy with a slightly milder climate, don’t neglect the south of France. Temperatures will still be pleasant, and as villa specialist Vintage Travel (vintagetravel.co.uk) points out, there will be much more choice and availability than August, when the French descend en masse.
Although headline prices for specific hotels might be comparable with peak season, if you use an operator and are flexible about which hotels you stay in, you can still find value. For example, family specialist Stubborn Mule Travel (stubbornmuletravel.com) says that it has just priced an eight-day family trip to Croatia and it came in at £5,475 for May and £6,985 for August.
La Canonica di Cortine in Chianti and other rural villas in Italy can be a great-value option
Credit: Villa Carnonica
Rural villas in Italy can also offer value. But this isn’t always the case for accommodation, including villas. A cottage for four – La Canonica di Cortine in Chianti in Tuscany – with Simpson Travel (simpsontravel.com) only costs £50 more for the half-term week than for the week before. And it is actually £50 less than the following week. Airfares are still steep for the May half term (returns to Pisa from £183) but still a lot less than to a more popular destination such as Mallorca (see above).
The summer peak
- Don’t delay much longer – prices are only going to rise for peak weeks
- Consider the Alps instead of the beaches
- Prices drop a little towards the end of the holidays
This is the big one, when demand is strongest and prices hit their highest. But it also offers you the most flexibility. Even though it is tempting to kick off the school holidays by going away as soon as the children break up, if you want to keep costs down, the key is to avoid the first weekend of the school holidays if you possibly can. This year, it is July 23-24. For many destinations, package prices and airfares ease towards the end of August. But don’t delay. There may be six months to go, but if Covid restrictions continue to ease, confidence will continue to build and bookings and prices are only going to go in one direction.
Top tips for summer bookings
While the Mediterranean coast is obviously packed and expensive throughout July and August, the great thing about the Alps in summer is that it is low season, not high. The ski resorts have far more accommodation than they can sell and fares for flights into Geneva or Lyon, Innsbruck or Salzburg don’t peak in the way that they do to Mallorca or Malaga. It works best for active families with children who enjoy getting out into the open. Operators such as Peak Retreats (peakretreats.co.uk) can organise holidays that include everything from gentle Alpine walks to white water rafting and bungee jumping.
Consider the Alps in summer, when prices are attractive because it’s considered low season
Credit: Roberto Moiola / Sysaworld/Moment RF
Private pools add hundreds of pounds to the cost of a villa. Book one within walking distance of the beach – the Greek islands and northern Spain are great locations for finding these – and while you may miss out on the privacy, you will have the sea on your doorstep.
Early booking is especially important if you are planning to visit a destination with relatively few flights – perhaps one of the smaller Greek islands, or if you prefer to fly from a UK regional airport.
Tui (tui.co.uk) points out that the flexible length of its holidays and different airfares on different dates mean that it is often possible to book 11 nights for the same price as 10, or even less. For example, departing July 22, 10 nights all-inclusive at the Catalonia Punta del Rey hotel in Tenerife costs £896 per person, while 11 nights is only £834 (based on two adults sharing, including flights).
When booking flights, be sure to think about timings as well as the dates. Those departing at less sociable times can be far cheaper and may suit you perfectly well. Take easyJet fares from Gatwick to Malaga on Saturday July 23. Depart at 11.20am and you will pay £309 for the outbound leg. Leave at 7.05pm and the fare is £129. For a family of four, that’s a saving of £720 on one flight alone.
If you are looking for a villa holiday, consider teaming up with one or two other families. The biggest properties often offer better value per person than smaller ones.
Prices tend to drop a little during the last week or two in August, and if you are struggling to find availability, it is worth including these weeks in your search.
Early booking is especially important if you are planning to visit a destination with relatively few flights – perhaps one of the smaller Greek islands
Credit: Getty
Beyond the summer
- Hold for October half-term sunshine
- Book now for Christmas/New Year
- Skiers: choose Christmas over New Year
The October half term is the trickiest of all for family holidays because the weather in most of the popular Mediterranean destinations is really past its best. So, for those looking for sun and sand, this puts a lot of pressure on flights to the Canaries. If you would prefer to keep your options open, there is no need to rush into booking just yet, but it is worth keeping an eye on flight prices and reviewing your options after Easter.
The story for Christmas and New Year is different, however. If you want to fly anywhere on one of the peak weekends, you need to think about booking now, or risk paying a premium for the privilege. And if you want to celebrate with a break in a cottage in the UK, don’t delay. Some of the most popular properties with, for example, National Trust Cottages (nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays) have already been booked, not just for December 2022 but for the festive period in 2023.
Top tips for booking later in the year
You need to head a long way south for reliable sun in late October. Cyprus and the Canaries are among the best options.
For half term, destinations such as Morocco, Egypt and Jordan work well for family adventure holidays – especially if you sign up to an escorted trip where you will join with perhaps three or four other families. Exodus (exodus.co.uk) and Explore (explore.co.uk) both offer good options. Jordan is especially rewarding. The strategy is simple – book now for the best choice of itineraries.
Demand – and therefore prices – for ski holidays is significantly higher over the new year week than over Christmas. And the pistes are quieter at Christmas, too.