This is a question I've asked the internet many times. Although I'm yet to find a real answer to my question. So of course budget is the main concern when travelling. Cheap flights and cheap accommodation are much easier to find today than they have ever been. With the help of sites like booking.com, airbnb.co.uk and skyscanner.com. Of course if you dig a little deeper you can sometimes find cheaper options to these sites. Did you know they don't show all flights and all hotels?
Not many sites can keep up to date with all the flights in the world, but I've found http://flightmapper.net/ helpful, and then I've been able to go direct to the airline's website. Another way of tracking down a cheaper flight is to look at your arrival and departure airports, as they sometimes list the destinations and airlines they go to.
Tripadvisor.com is a great site, and probably most people's goto site to check out how good a hotel is going to be. Although of late they seem to just highlight those where they can sell you a room. By changing some settings you should be able to see all hotels. I was able to find a great guest house when I went to Puerto Rico, which at the time was not available through booking.com (http://www.dreamcatcherpr.com/) and I booked direct. Sometimes (although not always) you might find the price is cheaper on booking.com anyway.
Time is also a crucial factor, I've read that hotels are at their best price around 6-4 weeks before, and flights can vary by airline. Booking early does not necessarily mean a good price, neither does booking last minute. Most flights shoot up in price a week or so before hand, and hotels may sell out. Timing is everything. There is an app on android called hopper that help you identify when flights are going to be at their best price.
Although one thing people over look is the package holiday. Booking separately is cheaper isn't it? Would you believe not always? Last year, I ran away to Madeira for a break and a week in the sun, I found the hotel I wanted to stay in, and after some research I found that booking through thomson.co.uk actually made the trip quite a lot cheaper.
It's just worth doing your research and checking things out. Personally I love spending time looking for holidays and making travel plans.
Another thing is to simply just ask. Yes ask for a discount. If you phone up and book somewhere, ask the question "if I book now, what discount can you give me?". Or "I saw you were running a promotion, does that still apply?" They may say no, but sometimes they will offer you something.
Occassionally people fall lucky and get an amazing deal. That is just luck of being in the right place at the right time. Also, don't feel that you're not as good at finding a deal as your friends because some people lie about how much a holiday cost. They don't want to brag about how much they are spending on a holiday, so they just play down the cost.
For a more indepth look at how to find a cheaper holiday see these blogs:
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