Consumer watchdog Which? have crunched the numbers (Picture: Getty Images)
The only thing better than a summer holiday is a summer holiday that doesn’t break the bank.
And thanks to new data from Which?, holidaymakers can be that little bit more savvy as they shop for a week in the sun — whether that be for a package holiday abroad, or a rustic cottage staycation.
According to the consumer watchdog, the most expensive period for booking a package holiday is right when the kids break up from school, during the the final week of July and the first few days in August.
More specifically, Which? cited 27 July – 3 August and 3 Aug – 10 August as the most expensive timeframes. This means that if you’re planning on vacationing on a budget, those are the weeks you want to avoid.
Average cost of a 7-night all-inclusive package holiday per person based on country
Malta: £1,080
Bulgaria: £1,087
Ibiza, Mallorca, and Minorca:£1,127
Canaries: £1,141
Spain (Mainland):£1,163
Croatia: £1,213
Italy: £1,223
Turkey: £1,228
Cyprus: £1,253
Greece: £1,258
Portugal: £1,344
But that doesn’t mean the whole of summer has to be a washout. The researchers also crunched the numbers to find the cheapest summer week to go on holiday.
And the good news is, it’s between 24 and 31 August; when most children will still be off school.
To get these results, Which? used data from 2,223 Jet2 and 5,681 TUI all-inclusive, 7-day holidays for two. Countries looked at included Turkey, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.
The timeframe of all these holidays is 13 July 2024 and 31 August 2024.
The data also shows that, on average, its £123 cheaper per person to book a package holiday during the last week of the school holidays instead of the first.
Similarly, booking between 24 and 31 August is £129 cheaper than booking the second week of the school holidays.
Average cost of a 7-night all-inclusive package holiday per person based on timeframe
20 July: £1,238
27 July: £1,256
3 August: £1,262
10 August: £1,241
17 August: £1,230
24 August: £1,133
As for cottage holidays, the cheapest dependeds on which part of the UK you choose.
In England, cottages were most expensive on the first week of school holidays, with a week’s rental averaging £1,358. But if you’re committed to the cottagecore lifestyle, you don’t have to wait until the end of August book.
Across all the holiday cottages surveyed over the summer holiday period, the most expensive cottages were in Scotland. Meanwhile, the least expensive cottages were in Northern Ireland, with prices averaging at £912 per week.
All in all, the cheapest holiday isn’t until 31 August, where you can bag a cottage for just £736.