- Cheap Travel
- Family Travel
- Posted: 05/05/2025
Cheap School Holiday Deals
Jenna Carr
Founder of The Travel Mum
Cheap school holiday deals – Do they exist?!
Finding cheap school holiday deals isn’t easy. I get asked for tips on bagging the best deals often and so want to condense all of my advice into one concise post. Although school holiday travel is always going to be more expensive than term time travel (increased demand leads to increased prices), there are some things you can do to get the best family travel deal possible.
Finding Free Child Places
Free Child Places can really help cut costs if you are looking for cheap school holiday deals. Always compare the price for the best package holiday you can find with DIY options. We will discuss DIY bookings later in this post. Jet2holidays and TUI are great reliable companies that offer free child places in the school holidays. Infants (under 2) get to travel for free, so you can save a lot if you have an infant and a child. Single parents can also benefit, i’ve added a section for you further down this post.
We have a package deals page on our website with some great links for free child place finders. We always include school holiday deals in our top deals of the week, so check back there often.
Be aware that different hotels will have a different upper age limit for what constitutes a child. Many will be under 12 but some go as high as 16.
Villa Holidays for Families
Villa holidays for families can be great when looking for cheap school holiday deals. Especially if you’re a big family or group. You may find you can get a whole villa for the price of a budget hotel once you split the cost. Villas are great as you get more privacy, often your own pool and a kitchen area that will save you money on eating out. For families with more than 2 children it can often be difficult finding ideal room options, a villa means you are all together but can still have your own space.
Villa package holidays
Villa package holidays come with flights, luggage, the villa and often car hire. It can be a great way to book a holiday if you want convenience and everything to be sorted for you. Some of these deals will even include free child places which can help cut costs. With these types of holidays you can also pay a small deposit and spread the cost of the holiday with instalments.
Cheap Holiday deals in August
Check out our post on finding cheap holiday deals in August .
October Half Term Holiday Deals
October Half Term is probably the second most common time that families want to travel. The problem many have is knowing where to go! Weather in Europe is starting to become cooler and wetter. Despite this package prices are often through the roof, again due to the increased demand. If it is warm weather you are after, check out our blog post on “Where is hot in October?!” for some destination inspiration.
City Breaks in the October Half Term
DIY bookings for city breaks can save you a fortune in the school holidays. Beach breaks are far more popular, meaning the demand for flights to amazing city destinations is lower. There are tons of amazing family friendly city destinations. Have picnics in the park, visit beautiful lakes, have fun in theme parks and zoo’s and explore new cultures. We have posts on finding cheap flights and cheap hotels to help you with planning. Our DIY Trip Builder was made to make DIY travel booking easier for you. Often you find cheap flights but then cannot find decent accommodation for a reasonable price to match them. Sometimes you find some amazing value accommodation but then can’t find the cheap flights to match. Our platform searches for both simultaneously finding great value options within just 30 seconds.
Some great city destination ideas we have written about:
Tips for booking cheap school holiday deals
Consider missing a day of school
Book early (or risk waiting for a last minute deal)
Avoid the summer school holidays
Choose the right board option
There isn’t a right or wrong answer as to whether you should go All Inclusive or Self catering. We always make sure we compare all the potential options in order to book the best value trip based on our plans. If we are planning to explore the destination and be away from the hotel all day, All Inclusive would likely be a waste of money. If we plan to stay at the hotel and relax, All Inclusive could be the best option. It is worth noting that not all All Inclusive packages are equal. Some hotels may simply have one buffet restaurant, whereas another may have 10 a la carte restaurants with specialty menus. Some may have limits on which alcoholic drinks are available without incurring an extra charge. Make sure you fully understand what you are paying for, so any extra costs on arrival aren’t a shock.
Consider Housesitting
We have a membership with trustedhousesitters and it allows us to get away for next to nothing when we are feeling a bit spontaneous. It is especially great for the school holidays because of how it works. In a nutshell, you look after someones house and pets in exchange for the free accommodation. Families tend to travel in the school holidays, so theres lots of available houses during these periods. Have a read of our blog post on trustedhousesitters for more information. We even have 25% off the membership for our followers, the link you need is in the blog post.
Family Holiday Deals Found by Mums
Written by: Jenna Carr
Founder of The Travel Mum
Our family is passionate about helping you save money. We are real people who understand the need to make your budget go further. With The Travel Mum we have created a vibrant community of over 840k+ savvy travellers who want to travel more while spending less. No problem is too big or small, together we will do everything in our power to make sure you are making the absolute most of your well earned budget!
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Comment EUROCAMP and I’ll send you the link to the search I showed on the video, plus a link to a post I’ve written with lots of our favourite parks.
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Everyone seems to fancy a Eurocamp, but not everyone wants to book all the bits individually (flights etc) - The common question I get when I post about Eurocamp is can we book them as part of a package - yes you can! It’s a relatively recent thing that Jet2holidays have started doing.
Comment EUROCAMP and I’ll send you the link to the search I showed on the video, plus a link to a post I’ve written with lots of our favourite parks.
The links in the post are affiliate links.
#thetravelmum #familytravel #eurocamp #jet2holidays✈️
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I was nervous posting the video before this one. I asked the internet what they think when they see something like this. My dad filmed this video after a LONG day, we’d only just lost my mum after a short cancer battle, the kids had been wild, everyone was side eyeing us, so I did this to get them quiet.. But I know how it looks. So I thought I’d see if I was right.
I could NOT believe the hilarious, compassionate and wonderful replies from fellow mums. Yes of course there were replies like this one, calling me lazy or a rubbish mum. But a huge majority get it. This is my side of the internet ❤️ the side where mums support each other, never judge, and offer a helping hand to each other. I can’t imagine being on that cold, bitter side of parenting where everyone is perfect and expects you to be too.
Love you girlies ❤️
#parentingishard #mumssupportingmums #thetravelmum
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We had two very different responses (yes, to us minding our own business 😅🤣)
#thetravelmum #familytravel #travelwithkids
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Copenhagen!
The city is gorgeous, has lots of Xmas markets and you can fly there for super cheap 🥳
Comment COPENHAGEN and I’ll send you a link with these flights (prices correct at time of posting)
#copenhagen #citybreakwithkids #familytravels #thetravelmum
It’s one city where you won’t be short on things to do as a family.
This is a great example of somewhere I would book if I was planning a trip for this year. It’s central, has lots of space, would work for a big family, and is a great price!
Comment COPENHAGEN and I’ll send you the link for this.
On arrival you can mooch around the city and visit Freetown Christiania which is a super interesting place. I’ve got more information about this on the blog I’ve written (I’ll include it in the DM I send with the flight and hotel links).
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Research the Copenhagen Card - it gets you unlimited public transport and access to lots of attractions!
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My favourite Christmas city break with kids goes to…
Copenhagen!
The city is gorgeous, has lots of Xmas markets and you can fly there for super cheap 🥳
Comment COPENHAGEN and I’ll send you a link with these flights (prices correct at time of posting)
#copenhagen #citybreakwithkids #familytravels #thetravelmum
It’s one city where you won’t be short on things to do as a family.
This is a great example of somewhere I would book if I was planning a trip for this year. It’s central, has lots of space, would work for a big family, and is a great price!
Comment COPENHAGEN and I’ll send you the link for this.
On arrival you can mooch around the city and visit Freetown Christiania which is a super interesting place. I’ve got more information about this on the blog I’ve written (I’ll include it in the DM I send with the flight and hotel links).
You can visit Christmas markets and go ice skating in the winter season.
We all loved this zoo. The animals were well taken care of, it has playgrounds and enough to keep a family busy all day. We took the bus there. It’s included in the Copenhagen card (last slide)
Tivoli Gardens is a highlight and is gorgeous at Christmas time. We have a whole blog post on it if you need more info.
One interesting thing about this theme park is there’s a price for admission and then another price for a ride pass. This means people who don’t like rides, don’t have to pay the same as the thrill seekers!
A canal boat tour is a great way to see a lot without having to walk plus the kids love the novelty of a boat ride!
This fun science museum is incredible for kids. If you have the time, you could spend a whole day here. It’s included in the Copenhagen card (see last slide!)
There’s so much more to do if you have the time. I’ve put a long list on the blog post I’ve written (that I’ll send in the DM). Ripley’s is a bit of a poor recommendation as you can do this anywhere, but, Leo loves them!
Research the Copenhagen Card - it gets you unlimited public transport and access to lots of attractions!
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