We all deserve a break from the daily grind and everyday setting of our neighbourhood. Many people planning a holiday on the cheap with plan a ‘staycation’ – which involves not leaving the country. Whilst this can still serve as a beautiful getaway, you shouldn’t feel that you’re unable to venture abroad on a budget. There are plenty of ways to travel overseas on the cheap. Here are just a few ways to spend little on a holiday break abroad.

Check your passport

First thing’s first, check that your passport isn’t close to expiry. Some airlines won’t let you travel with less than six months left on a passport. A passport can be expensive to renew and can take a few weeks to process, so plan to do this first. Whilst you can speed up the process, this usually involves paying extra and travelling to a passport office – not ideal for those on a budget.

Time your holiday right

Timing is everything when booking a holiday. If you’re taking away kids who are in school, you may be limited by school holidays. These are sadly the most expensive times to vacate – with the demand so high, many hotels and flight companies don’t feel the need to slash prices. The period leading up to Christmas is also expensive, with many people flying home to see their families.

All in all, your cheapest times to travel are February to May and September to November. For a summer holiday, May and September are excellent options as the weather is generally still hot and you don’t have the high costs or crowds. These may not be options for those with kids in school however.

You should also consider foreign holidays and festivals when planning a holiday abroad as these can affect prices. For example, travelling to a Caribbean island when carnival is on or travelling to China during Chinese New Year is bound to be more expensive.

Use comparison sites

Comparison sites are great for finding the best deals. Sites like Skyscanner compare all the cheapest flights for your select dates. You can also use travel brokers. Your high street travel agent is likely to be a little more than an online company, but some may prefer the clarity of dealing with staff face-to-face. Many online holiday companies will advertise jaw-droppingly low deals, but these may only be for a specific day and time – something you’ll only discover upon ringing up. Find as many quotes as you can and don’t let holiday brokers rush you into a deal.

Plan far ahead or book last minute?

Some people claim that booking months ahead is cheaper. Others claim that booking last minute is the best way to go. Who is right? Well, in some respects, both are equally good strategies.

By booking far ahead, you can often get cheaper deals on hotels and flights. Even extras like airport parking can be cheaper to book ahead. On top of this, you can pay in smaller instalments over a longer period of time. You’ve also got more options booking ahead as less places are filled up. That said, there may be some obstacles when booking ahead (you can’t book flights more than a year ahead).

That said, last minute deals can also be some of the cheapest. Few people are willing to pack their bags and go the next week – a sly option is to book the time off work months before, save up and let it be a mystery holiday until the week before when you finally book it. There are even some sites such as Srprs.me that won’t tell you where you’re going until you reach the airport (a daring option, although you may struggle knowing what to pack).

Overall, to up your chances of a cheap holiday, either book far ahead or last minute. Booking three to four months before like everyone else could result in you getting the worst deals.

Try alternative tourist destinations

If you’re not picky about where in the world you go, why not try somewhere that isn’t the typical tourist destination.

When it comes to Europe for instance, many people may plan a city break to Rome or Paris or a Mediterranean beach holiday to Greece or the Algarve. You could save costs by trying somewhere a little out of the ordinary. The likes of Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia are steadily growing in popularity as tourist destinations – you may be able to get the same luxury of other Mediterranean beach resorts for a fraction of the price. A city trip to Budapest or Prague meanwhile could be far cheaper than the usually cities.

Such alternative destinations exist around the world. In South East Asia, Vietnam and Cambodia can often work out much cheaper than Thailand and Bali in Indonesia, whilst offering a similar climate and culture. Meanwhile, instead of opting for Caribbean islands, why not try Central American countries like Costa Rica and Honduras for an equal amount of sun and sea?

Break up long-haul flights

Planning on travelling somewhere very far away? Breaking up your flight instead of travelling direct can often bring down costs dramatically. Most people don’t like the idea of having to take multiple flights to get to their destination and would rather cut the travel time down. However, you don’t have to necessarily hang around in an airport. You could add to your holiday by adding a new destination en route and staying there overnight. A flight from New York to London with a stopover in Iceland and a hotel room will still work out cheaper in most cases than a direct flight.

Go all-inclusive

All-inclusive holidays are brilliant as they cut out the hassle of having to plan every component individually, whilst bringing down overall costs. All-inclusive hotels include the hotel price, the flight, transfers and – most importantly – free food and drinks. Being able to eat three meals a day for free can bring down costs significantly, preventing you having to eat out for meals at restaurants or buy food for self-catering purposes. Free drinks meanwhile means less alcohol spending (you may have a limited selection of drinks, but this is usually enough to suffice most holidaymakers). You can still opt to eat and drink out occasionally, but you’ll always have the option of free food and drink if your holiday spending money starts to get low.

Be wary of flight extras

Some flight companies – especially budget airlines – will try to sell you all kinds of extras. This is where these flight companies make their money. They may charge you everything from your luggage to your seats. This can all start to add up and could turn a cheap deal into a not-so-cheap deal.

Can’t afford your next holiday installment?

When not booking last minute, many holiday companies will offer you the ability to pay in installments with a deposit up front. Life may result in emergency costs, which could leave you unable to pay for an installment, but in doing so you could lose your deposit.

In these cases, it’s worth considering a loan. Online you’ll find many lenders such as this New Horizons website, which won’t require a good credit rating. Check that the interest you’ll owe isn’t more than the holiday deposit, otherwise you may as well lose the holiday deposit and pay for a new holiday.

Travel insurance is also handy to have for cancellations. It can also help to pay for any emergency medical costs abroad, cancelled flights and lost baggage.

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Research into cheap currency transfers

On your holiday break abroad, you’ll likely need to transfer some currency to use as spending money. Transfer rates aren’t the same everywhere, with some places charging a larger transfer fee on top. As a general rule, never transfer money at the airport before departure. Sometimes the airport at your destination will have cheaper rates. Otherwise, buying currency online or using a pre-loaded card is a good option. Avoid using your credit card whilst abroad or using cash points when possible as you could end up spending more money. Also, whilst some less developed countries may accept all kinds of currencies, you’ll generally always get the best rate paying in that country’s own currency.

Say no to airport parking

Airport parking is a rip-off. Whilst you can save money booking a parking space months ahead, you may be far better off asking a friend or family member to drop you off and collect you from the airport for a small payment. Alternatively, apps like Just Park can help to find cheap parking nearby – you may then be able to get a bus from a local town and still save money on parking overall.

Keep a strict spending money budget

Whilst you’re on your holiday break abroad, enjoy yourself – but don’t go over your spending money budget. Too many wild excursions or too much fine dining could have you returning home in debt. Make the holiday something to look back on fondly and not something you financially regret.