Britons already booking for next summer

PALMA
FAMILIES who want the best deal on next year's summer holiday should think about booking now, according to a survey by Which? Holiday magazine. .
Those prepared to plan ahead could save as much as £1'000, Which? Holiday said.
The magazine's researchers tracked the price of three family holidays to Majorca in July 2008 for a year and found that the cheapest deals were available in August and September 2007, with the cost rising throughout the year.

One of the holidays, available through travel company First Choice, rose by as much as £1'044 - going up from £2'410 in August 2007 to £3'445 in March 2008.

Increasingly, people are booking last minute to get the cheapest deal, but Which? Holiday found that while the holiday in Majorca did drop slightly in price in April 2008, two of the three holidays were not available in May 2008, and by June all three holidays were unavailable. With tour operators cutting capacity for 2009, many families could be left disappointed by the choice and prices offered to them if they leave it late to book. Which? Holiday said.

It also tracked the price of three holidays for two adults travelling to Cancun in Mexico in July 2008, and found that by booking in February or March 2008, there were potential savings of as much as £712, compared to the cost of booking months in advance or waiting for late deals.

However, one of the three holidays did sell out early in the year and was not available from February onwards. This means that while people could get some good deals in February and March, their choice of holidays may be limited.

Which? Holiday editor Lorna Cowan said: “Our research shows that booking at the right time can save you a small fortune, but confusingly the ‘right time' isn't the same for every type of holiday.” “If you can be flexible with your destination and dates, it may be worth waiting to see what deals come up. But, for families wanting to get away next summer with specific destinations in mind, we recommend booking in the next month or so to avoid disappointment when it comes to availability and cost.”