What travel bargains can you book in January?
For many people, summer holidays are very far from their mind after all the expense of Christmas.
If you can afford to book now, there are plenty of bargains to be had as all the major airlines are desperate for cash.
Ryanair had a flash sale last week and another one is expected soon.
“January 15th is your closing date [for the Aer Lingus sale],” travel expert Eoghan Corry told The Pat Kenny Show.
“If you’re looking at the Transatlantic options - and there’s very good fares there - May 31st [and] June 15th is your close off date for European fares,” he said.
“British Airway have a sale [and] Emirates are discounting individual destinations - one of the reasons for that is Australia is a big route and they never really discount that anymore.”
Where to go?
Travellers will always want to visit classic holiday destinations such as London, Paris, Rome or New York.
However, Mr Corry said places that are a little bit off the beaten track usually offer the best value.
“Aviation executives will look at a new route and say, ‘Oh, it’s going to take us a while to get this into the public mind’,” he said.
“They put fares [out at low rates] and sometimes it grows and by the second and third year, the fares are back up.
“What that means for our listeners is that new routes are the place to make hay - particularly where you have more than one airline entering a route.”
What to do?
For those who have children, Mr Corry recommended booking a camping trip on the continent.
The prices go “up and down” depending on the season but it can be superb value in June when most European children are still in school.
“It spikes terribly in July and August when the other main markets, Britain and Germany, arrive on the scene,” he said.
“The other great secret is St Patrick’s Day - no one else has time off around that time of year.
“That’s terrific - particularly if you’re going skiing.”
Main image: A Ryanair jet is seen at Dublin Airport. Picture by: Niall Carson/PA Archive/PA Images
