In the know: 5 tips & predictions to find great-value holidays in 2024

The best thing about being a Pirate is that you spend your life thinking, reading and researching all things travel.

And since we always have our ears on the ground, we tend to see trends form and develop before others.

Here are the latest things we've noticed and what they might mean when it comes to saving money on your travels in 2024.

1) Embrace the Med's shoulder season

We've always loved the shoulder season (an industry term that covers the period just before and after the high season) – you tend to get good weather and super-low holiday prices. For the Med, that means April-May and September-October.

Of course, not everybody can travel in the shoulder seasons (families and teachers spring to mind). But many other people still prefer to travel when the weather is hottest in July and August. But we think this might soon change.

Summer 2023 has been brutal in the Med between never-ending heatwaves and devastating forest fires. This isn’t the first time this has happened – temperatures across the Mediterranean basin remained firmly in the 40s for weeks in July and August 2022.

As global warming makes summers more unpredictable, we think those who can travel in the shoulder season will increasingly shun the hotter months. This, in turn, means we should see prices go up.

So, if you love shoulder-season bargains, book them before they become a thing of the past.

2) Take over someone else’s home

Inflation has taken a bite out of people’s budgets worldwide. Apart from a few destinations, we’ve seen holiday and staycation prices climb. Even short-term rentals (a sure way to find value for years) have become more expensive. We’ve all seen the #airbnbust backlash, with people complaining about crazy-high service charges and cleaning fees.

This means people are looking for value elsewhere. And that elsewhere is house swaps. While the idea is not exactly new (heck, the movie The Holiday is nearly 20 years old and its entire plot is based on two strangers exchanging homes), it’s now gaining momentum.

In 2023, HomeExchange, one of the leading platforms in the space, claimed to have seen a 41% increase in the number of new members and a 75% increase in exchanges at the start of 2023 compared to the previous year. We think this trend is only going one way.

3) Give London another chance

Remember 2021? We were slowly coming out of the pandemic, and London hotels were desperate for your business. You could stay at excellent 4-star hotels for less than £100, and the cheaper end of the 5-star market started at around £129.

Fast-forward a few years, the pandemic is long gone, business travel is back, inflation has been rampant – and hotel prices in the capital are just crazy high. That is until the last few weeks.

We're starting to find amazing offers for stays in January and February. It might not be the 2021 level, but breaks in the Big Smoke look like they’ll be more affordable next year.

4) Stay longer at your destination

Don’t get us wrong, you will still pay more for a longer holiday than a shorter one. But the increase in flight price are making longer holidays more appealing.

In the last couple of years, a mix of factors, including higher fuel and maintenance costs, alongside supply-chain issues, has pushed prices for flights up.

Since our plane tickets have become a larger part of the cost of a holiday, the idea of fewer longer holidays starts making a lot of sense. We are finding a growing number of amazing offers for holidays that depart from the traditional 7-night duration, including this fantastic 17-night 5-star Thailand break for less than £1000.

5) Let your company pay for your travels

Want free flights and hotel stays? Let your employer pay for them. In 2023, business travel has made a comeback – and it’s predicted that global spend on corporate trips will surpass 2019 levels in 2024.

And with more and more of us having to pack our suitcases for work, we’ve started hearing a new word: bleisure (mixing business and leisure travel). The idea is to tag on some leave days before or after a business trip.

Your employer is forking out for the flights – and may have even negotiated special corporate rates at certain hotels – you’d be foolish not to.

At HolidayPirates, it’s our job to find great deals – we’re paid to do it. If you want to hear more tips on how to save money on travelling or are just looking for amazing holiday offers, follow our social channels, download our app and sign up for our deal alerts on WhatsApp.

Check out our latest deals.