Families across the UK are discovering that a clever travel hack promoted by money-saving expert Martin Lewis can lead to substantial savings on their summer getaways. By strategically booking flights from airports in regions with different school holiday schedules, Brits are reporting savings of hundreds, and even thousands, of pounds.
How the Airport Switching Strategy Works
The core principle, as detailed on Martin Lewis's MoneySavingExpert (MSE) website, involves capitalising on the staggered school holiday dates across England, Wales, and Scotland. For instance, most schools in England and Wales break up around the week starting 20 July. However, if your local school finishes earlier—such as many in Leicestershire, which break up on 8 July this summer—you can book a holiday for before the national peak.
MSE highlights a concrete example: a week's four-star self-catering holiday in Dalaman was priced at £449 per person for a departure on 10 July, but soared to £736 per person just two weeks later.
Targeted Advice for Different Regions
The advice is tailored depending on where you live:
- For those in northern England or northern Wales: Consider departing from Scotland in the last two weeks of August. Scottish schools generally return around 12 August, so flying the family out from a Scottish airport during this period can yield significant discounts. MSE found the same all-inclusive holiday to Rhodes was £354 per person cheaper when flying from Edinburgh compared to Manchester.
- For residents in southern Scotland: Look at flying from northern England in late June or early July. The website notes that on 27 June, a three-star all-inclusive week in Majorca cost £1,010 per person from Glasgow, but only £695 per person from Liverpool.
Real-World Savings Testimonials
This strategy is not just theoretical. One supporter, Alison, informed MSE that her family saved approximately £6,000 over three holidays by choosing to fly with Tui from Manchester instead of their local airports in Glasgow and Edinburgh. This impressive figure even accounted for additional costs like petrol, extra meals, and a hotel stay the night before the flight.
Furthermore, the MSE website itself highlights a specific deal where a family of four can save a remarkable £1,148 on their holiday by applying this airport-switching logic.
Additional Holiday Booking Strategies
If the airport-switching approach isn't feasible, Martin Lewis and MSE recommend several other timing strategies to secure better deals:
- Book for the final two weeks of summer: Holiday costs typically plummet sharply at the end of August. For example, a week's three-star self-catering trip to Lake Garda was priced at £1,019 per person departing 29 July, but dropped to £752 per person for a departure on 22 August.
- Consider an October half-term break: Opting for a 'summer' holiday during the autumn half-term can also lead to major savings. MSE found a week's five-star all-inclusive package in Crete cost £1,121 per person in October, compared to £1,832 per person in early August.
As a personal endorsement, the writer consistently saved several hundred pounds by taking their daughter on her main holiday in May during her school years, further proving the value of travelling outside the peak summer weeks.
With the January holiday planning season in full swing, these evidence-based tips from Martin Lewis offer a practical roadmap for families looking to enjoy a memorable break without facing exorbitant costs during the school holidays.
