How to go on holiday cheaply

All-inclusive holidays in July are definitely not one of them. But is it even possible to travel cheaply? Yes, as long as you make the right decisions.

It's a good idea to organise a trip on your own, suggests financial expert Karol Słobodzian in an interview with Onet. The expert also lists other, equally cost-effective solutions that will allow you to enjoy your long-awaited vacation without making a hole in your home budget.

The cost of a vacation largely depends on its date. Holiday prices are subject to the traditional laws of supply and demand.
If you are flexible about the destination, you can try to take advantage of a last-minute offer.
Before leaving, it is worth finding out which attractions in a given place are the most affordable. It is also a good idea to write down a few verified restaurant addresses.

The holiday season is upon us and many people are planning closer or further trips. Is it possible to go on holiday cheaply? Yes, but there are a few things to consider.

Onet asked financial expert Karol Słobodzian about how to organise a holiday trip so as not to damage the household budget too much. The expert suggests several solutions.

How to go on holiday cheaply?

First of all, you need to remember to choose the right vacation date. Holiday prices are subject to the traditional laws of supply and demand, which means that when many people are willing to buy a good, its price increases. This is exactly the case with holiday prices, notes the expert.

During the full season, i.e. July-August, when many people are on holiday, holiday trips are the most expensive. Therefore, it is worth going on holiday outside the season, where prices are usually much lower and we can still enjoy the good weather, he suggests.

Indeed, the prices of foreign trips, e.g. in May or October, are usually much cheaper than in July and August, when most people are willing to go on trips. However, it is known that some people, especially families with school-age children, prefer to go when their children have holidays. In this case, you can reduce costs slightly by choosing a different solution.

"If we are flexible about the destination, we can try to take advantage of the last-minute offer. Then the only thing we know is that we want to fly on a given date, but we don't know where. When an interesting offer appears, e.g. on a website, we quickly buy it and probably go on our dream vacation in a dozen or even a few hours. Such offers are often at very favourable prices" suggests Karol Słobodzian.

What if such a spontaneous trip does not suit you at all? The expert suggests yet another solution, which can also be quite cheap.

It's a good idea to organise the trip on your own. Cheap flight search engines such as Skyscanner, Google Flights, or Kayak allow you to find the cheapest flight option.

Additionally, instead of a hotel, you can rent an apartment via Airbnb. He mentions and adds that it is worth inviting friends to such trips. The costs of renting an apartment are spread over a larger number of people, and thus the entire trip becomes cheaper for everyone.

You can rent an apartment via Airbnb [Getty Images] Business Insider USA

According to the financial expert, the most important thing in cheap travelling is having a good plan. It is worth preparing in advance and finding out which attractions are the most affordable and where it is not worth overpaying.

It is a good idea to write down a few addresses of restaurants recommended, for example, by Internet users - where you can eat tasty meals at affordable prices.

“Planning is key,” confirms Karol Słobodzian. Many tourist destinations have free attractions that are available free of charge permanently or on selected days. Therefore, it is worth looking around in advance, because thanks to this you can visit many interesting places without too much burden on your wallet, he advises.

But that's not all. There is another option for cheap holiday travel and beyond.

"Every year, the number of fans of Couchsurfing, i.e. staying overnight with residents, increases. It's a great way to experience local culture" says the expert. However, in his opinion, this option is not for everyone.

"Some people may be discouraged by the fact that we never have 100% certainty whether we will find the right person" he explains.

Of course, when using this type of solution, you must always be vigilant to minimise the risk of unpleasant surprises. However, without a doubt, if we are brave enough to try, you have a chance to have a super holiday at a cheap price.

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This article was originally published by Onet.