Most people assume that it is better to hold out and put off booking their holiday flights, once they know where they want to go, in favour of a last minute bargain.

While this sounds good in theory, the travel operators know that the actual cost of airfare increases the closer to the date you get. Therefore, you will find there are lots more travellers looking for cheap flights.

If you really do want to benefit from lower prices and a greater flexibility in terms of dates, it is usually advisable to book your air travel as soon as you possibly can.

If you managed to find a specific deal or have a discount code for a particular site then fine, but if not, it is now worthwhile doing a search using a comparison site.

This means that with so many travel agents websites to check on, they will do all the hard work for you. They will be able to provide access to the majority of hotels in and around the area of the country you wish to go to.

You can then search on the prices for the level of comfort you wish to stay in during your trip and get the best value for money around.

These days, there are so many options when it comes to booking a holiday and indeed sorting out the place where you will be staying. If you want to get the best deals on your hotel, it is wise to do a bit of research first.

If you have decided where you wish to go on your trip, you can whittle down the hotels in the area and get a general idea on how much you will have to pay as a standard price.

It is then time to see if there are any deals around at the moment for you to benefit from.

It may sound obvious, but leaving enough time to pack everything you need for your holiday and ensuring you arrive there with a decent amount of time to spare is important.

The taxi may be late or there may be traffic on the way to the airport so if you do not allow sufficient time in taking these things into account, you will be in a rush to check in your luggage and get through passport control in preparation for your flight.

By ensuring you have left time for unforeseen delays, you can relax in the lounge and maybe grab a coffee and a snack instead of panicking that you might miss the plane, thus ruining your plans.

If you can’t decide where you want to go on your summer holidays this year or maybe don’t have the funds to do anything too extravagant, why not consider a weekend break to a European city as a viable option?

Visits to big cities in the UK and Ireland like Edinburgh, London and Dublin may not be all that cheap generally speaking, but as you are only going away for a shorter period of time your budget only has to stretch across a few days.

What you can do is look for ways to make the holiday as financially sound as possible by staying at off-peak times and searching for online discounts. You can put the money you save on expensive flights towards enjoying yourself for the weekend exploring the city.

As we are now part way through July, booking any holiday this summer can prove to be a nightmare. It can be difficult trying to find a decent last minute deals, but it can still be done.

Here are a few pointers on saving your pounds when booking a holiday at this time of the year.

Renting a villa / apartment

With some travel companies you can get better rates during the last few weeks in August.

Booking your flights

If you avoid flying at the weekend you can find some top deals. When you decide to fly can impact the cost of your flight greatly.

Consider a package holiday

When scouring tour operators’ websites to find the latest deals, check out the bargains in late August instead of holidays beginning at the start of the month.

When it comes round to the time when I have to contemplate getting or renewing my travel insurance cover (I usually get an annual policy), it’s always good to look around for value.

With the ash cloud crisis affecting many travellers this year already, it is worth checking with each insurance provider on where they stand on this issue - especially as the problem expected to return at some point in the future.

In choosing a deal I usually look to the buyer’s guide on the Money Saving Expert website. This is because they offer impartial advice on single and joint policies as well as annual trips, like I normally buy.

Be sure to see for yourself and take into account the cheap insurance which is available and balance this against more comprehensive cover to ensure you get the best deal for yourself when going on holiday.

If you are going away on holiday at any point during the festive season, make sure you don’t forget to plan ahead. In this blog, we will be looking at some of the important things to consider if you are going away on holiday during December.

Pets

If you have a pet such as a cat or dog, it is always best to make plans well in advance to put your beloved animal in the cattery or kennels to ensure there is enough room to house them for the duration of your trip. Unless you are only away for a few days, it is not wise to leave the pet unattended. If you are going away for a long weekend then you could ask the neighbour to feed your pet for you.

Christmas cards and presents

Get all your Christmas cards sorted before you go away, plus any presents you may need to post. The Post Office may be overworked, or even on strike, so it is best to find out first and then make the necessary arrangements.

Your Home

If you are going away, don’t advertise the fact on Facebook or other social networking sites. This is just asking for trouble. Thieves will be operating in the area looking for easy targets and people going away during this popular time. As your neighbours to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

In the not-too-distant-past when someone went away to travel the world it meant the best you could expect was the occasional long-distance phone call waking you up in the middle of the night or a scruffy-looking generic postcard about places visited.

These days, with the internet becoming widely available even in the most remote of areas, there are really no excuses not to keep in touch with – and update – those back home with how you are getting on and what interesting stories you have to tell.

You could write a blog using free blogging software so people will be alerted whenever there are any updates to your blog. You can also write emails to a wide range of people all in one go, or, if you are feeling a little more adventurous, you could send an online text which has the same effect, but sends your message direct to your recipients’ phone. Research has suggested that people ignore texts far less than they check their emails, so this may be worth considering.

Whatever method you decide, you can now go away, knowing you will be able to make use of many internet cafes, libraries and hotel lobbies and keep in touch with those eagerly waiting to hear from you back home.

If you are still thinking of going somewhere nice this summer for your holidays, then do not despair – there are plenty of last minute deals for the discerning traveller.

Many of my friends have enjoyed cheap camping holidays in Wales while others have braved it across the English Channel to France (by car of course) for a sunny holiday break. If camping seems like your kind of fun, be careful to pick the right campsite.

If you like camping AND music – rock, indie or dance – then you could still try and get last minute tickets to one of this year’s remaining festivals; either T in The Park or The V Festival. You may get bogged down in the mud while you try and erect your faltering tent – but hey, this is all part of the fun!