Martin Lewis has shared a money-saving tip for families booking summer holidays, particularly those in northern England. The financial expert advises that traveling in the last weeks of the school holidays or flying from Scottish airports can significantly reduce costs.
Avoid peak pricing by timing your trip
On his BBC podcast, Lewis addressed a parent frustrated by high summer holiday prices. He noted that global market demand drives up costs but offered a workaround. Lewis said: "If you're in Scotland, going away before the English summer holidays start can often be a lot cheaper. If you're in England, then going away in the last couple of weeks of the English school holidays - and the Welsh school holidays are similar as well - can be far cheaper."
He added: "People always tend to go away in the first weeks - it's much more expensive. Going away in the last weeks of the summer holidays is often much cheaper to book."
Northern families can benefit from Scottish airports
Lewis highlighted an additional advantage for those in northern England. He said: "If you're in the north of England, even better. If you want to go away in those last couple of weeks, once Scottish schools are back, and you can book yourself to fly from a Scottish airport, you can find that prices get even cheaper."
Scottish schools typically break up in late June and return in mid-August, while English schools finish in late July and return in early September. For example, schools in Northumberland, Newcastle, and Gateshead break up on July 17 and return on September 1. This means northern families could fly from Edinburgh or Glasgow airports in the last two weeks of August for cheaper deals, though extra travel costs must be factored in.
Other tips from Martin Lewis
Lewis also discussed avoiding roaming charges and securing good hotel deals. He noted that in a poll of his fans, 30-40% said they choose not to go abroad for holidays, acknowledging that not everyone can afford a trip abroad.
