Before we know it summer will be here and it’s time to start planning those long awaited and well deserved holidays. The only trouble is it’s been a difficult year, most of us have had to tighten our purse strings and no one has much cash to spare for luxuries like going away. You most likely feel like you need a holiday more than ever, and it’s a depressing thought that it might not happen. But fear not, it’s still possible with some cunning thrifty thinking and a bit of careful planning.

Firstly, you could consider not even going away at all. No I haven’t gone mad, and I don’t mean cancel your holiday. There are plenty of relaxing, fun and exciting destinations right here in the UK that are cheaper and less stressful than travelling abroad. With a little bit of investigation online you can find pretty much anything you could want, whether you’re looking for family holidays or romantic mini-breaks. Somewhere like TLH leisure resort in Torquay offers a wide range of pampering and sport entertainment from swimming pools, spas and gyms to specific golf, dancing and bowls holidays.

If you can’t stand the idea of not getting away from the notorious British weather at all this summer, you could still be able to get your couple of weeks in the sun for an affordable price. The first thing to think about when booking holidays is to make sure you plan ahead and book everything early. The earlier the better for the cheapest price, although if if it’s already too late for that you can get some great deals at the last minute as well. Booking online is usually cheaper than going to a travel agent, unless you’re an exceptionally good haggler!

Don’t forget, flights and hotels will cost more at popular times. If you book flights at antisocial hours you will find they will be a lot cheaper. Yes you may have to get up in the middle of the night, but you’ll be saving loads and you’ll probably be about to change time zones anyway. Avoid travelling in the school holidays as that’s when accommodation prices will be highest. And don’t forget to check when the school holidays are in your destination country too as they will probably be different and could get you a great deal after their kids have gone back to school.

Check out the exchange rates – Spain and Italy are some of the most popular destinations but at the moment Europe is not a cheap place to be. It might be cheaper to travel further away, last year’s Post Office index ranked Thailand, South Africa and Egypt as the best value countries to visit, and you’d probably get more sunshine there too!

Think about whether you really need to stay in a posh hotel. You could look at renting a house or cottage instead, or maybe go camping. These options are usually cheaper as they are self catering and you won’t have room service and tips to think about. If you know anyone who lives abroad why not see if you can stay with them, or look in to house swapping for a couple of weeks?