It’s no different with holiday prices, which tend to soar during school holiday periods thanks to high demand. This means that families, adhering to school schedules, find themselves competing for travel options.

Flight prices often seem too good to be true, but when you’ve factored in luggage, seating arrangements and even in-flight refreshments, you could have spent the same as a holiday just by getting on board.

According to research carried out by Which?, airlines that boast low prices can be more expensive than their rivals when additional costs are added to headline fares.

Researchers conducted a snapshot price analysis for the cheapest return flights from London airports to Malaga, Athens and Naples with Ryanair, Wizz Air, British Airways, Jet2 and easyJet booked in December 2023 for travel on weekends this month. They included the price of taking a cabin bag as hand luggage.

The study found that while budget airlines often had the cheapest headline fares, Ryanair and Wizz Air failed to return the lowest price on any occasion when the cost of a cabin bag and seat selection — always included in British Airways and Jet2 fares — were taken into account.

Thankfully, there are some ways in which to save money and maximise your vacation experience.

How to search for cheap flights

Flight prices are forever changing and governed by “complex algorithms” that cannot be fixed by using private browsing and cleaning cookies.

Raphael Giacardi, head of UK editorial at the travel deals platform HolidayPirate says: “There’s an enduring myth that you should use private browsing or clear your cookies before looking for flights, and that search volume impacts prices. There’s no truth in that.”

He recommends that tempted travellers should decide their budget for specific destinations and then set up price alerts on platforms such as Kayak as early as possible, as flights are typically released nine to 12 months in advance.

“Weekend departures for a traditional seven-night holiday always command a premium because they enable people to have a week off using only five days of annual leave,” he adds.

“Any weekday departure will require a sixth day of leave (unless you can find late flights, but that will eat into your holiday time). So, if you’re happy to use an extra leave day, weekday departures should save you some money.”

If you’re not ready to book a trip merely enjoying mulling over the possibility of where you could visit, you can use Google Flights to track prices based on specific flights, routes, and dates.

Don’t assume however, that going direct to an airline is the best way of maximising savings — opt for a price comparison site to avoid alarm.

These sites search both airlines and travel agents — such as Expedia — to find the cheapest options for your destination/date where is the most affordable from which to purchase. Experts suggest checking at least two sites before making a decision, as different sites search through different companies.

Here are some of the most used:

Kayak.co.uk — a user-friendly site with a range of filters including the number of bags you plan on taking. A small inclusion, but one that means you can compare costs more accurately.

Google.co.uk/travel/flights — not the first place you’d think of for jetting off prices but worth the search. As you select a route, it’ll show you how prices vary depending on the flight dates. The price history and trend data will show travellers when to book to optimise the best prices.

Momondo.co.uk — this will offer the most and least expensive dates around your flight, stating the likelihood of flight prices decreasing over the following seven days. It’ll provide insights including the cheapest airport to fly to and from.

Expedia.co.uk – on this site, you can look for multi-city flying options, ideal if you’ve the time to enjoy a break that’s a marathon, not a sprint. Direct flights are, of course, are more convenient particularly if you’re travelling with children. However, if you’ve more time, an indirect flight may only add a few additional hours to the journey… and save you £££.

Skycanner.net — you can add nearby airports and direct flight tabs to your search. Travellers can select a preferred flight provider based on genuine consumer ratings. There’s also an ‘everywhere’ option for the best budget airfare anywhere on any given day. Nifty. There’s also the chance to search for the cheapest month if you have a destination in mind. If you set up a price alert, Skycanner will watch the ticket prices and notify via its app should they fall or rise.

Check the real cost of tickets — the Civil Aviation Authority website (www.caa.co.uk) has an airline charges comparison table which details fees for a host of large airlines. These include seat selection charges, whether a meal comes as part of the tickets and luggage allowances

How far in advance should you book?

Booking your flight early is advisable however if you are flexible with your flights experts do recommend booking your flight at a later time.

Giacardi says: “For people who have very specific requirements in terms of when and where they want to travel, booking early is advised. Prices will be fairly competitive if there’s still a lot of availability in the market.

“But, if you’re flexible, it might be worth leaving it late. As certain destinations underperform against the travel companies’ expectations, you can see considerable price drops.”

The top advice is to establish a budget and book a holiday that suits your preferences.

For those who prefer not to handle the research themselves, there are plenty of travel-deal companies that specialise in uncovering the best offers for you.

Should you book as part of a package?

“Sometimes, but not always,” Giacardi says. “Again, it depends on what type of traveller you are” — as certain travel companies have committed stock, which may include operating airlines or pre-purchasing hotel rooms.

In this case, every vacant seat or unsold room incurs a financial loss for them. Plus, last-minute discounts can be substantial as they strive to fill these vacancies and minimise losses.

“Generally speaking, peace of mind is the number-one benefit of booking a package. Packages in the UK provide full financial protection — if something goes wrong, you’ll get your money back through the ATOL scheme.

When booking elements separately, if anything goes wrong, you’re at the mercy of your travel insurance,” he says.

But when exploring destinations that are not so well served by the major tour operators, booking flights and accommodation separately often proves to be cheaper. Therefore, opting for this approach might be your best strategy for securing an affordable European deal.