It may seem a bit late in the game to be offering advice on booking your family summer holiday but think of this as early advice. This could be the perfect time to start making plans for your dream family holiday next summer. Right now you are probably sick of being met with exotic photos as you scroll through social media. So strike while the iron is hot and start making your dream a reality now. 

• Avoid using a travel agent. Think of it as a middleman that you really do not need. The travel agent ties things together with a pretty ribbon on top but you will pay the price. Booking flights and accommodation separately will almost definitely save you money. Use a website like Sky Scanner to scroll through different flight options and packages. Once you have booked your flights you are almost there. There are going to be a huge number of accommodation options and many websites will give you the opportunity to pay a small deposit and the balance six to eight weeks before you travel. The benefit of this lies in the fact that you will know exactly what is due and when. You will have time on your side to make a plan regarding how much money you need to save each week or month.
• To lighten the load choose a holiday destination that will afford you the opportunity to cook food if you need to. This will ultimately mean that you will need less spending money. If you are going for seven days you might decide to eat out 50% of the time and cook 50% of the time. Every little helps. Read trip advisor reviews and do some research on the area to see if there is a local supermarket. You will also find reviews of restaurants from other families who will have had similar requirements as you. 
• Be open-minded with your travel times. For example, consider travelling midweek as flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday is usually considerably cheaper than a Friday and Saturday. The cheaper flights tend to be early morning unsociable hours which may not suit you in terms of your family routine and your children’s sleep cycles. However, think of this as a once-off and all will revert back to normal within a few days of you returning home from the holiday. When booking a flight for several people this may be the very reason it becomes affordable.
• Be smart with your luggage. A suitcase for each person will add on a couple of hundred euro in total. Holiday clothes are light and as humans we notoriously overpack. One suitcase for every two or three people is more than enough. Each person will have at least 10 KG in the form of hand luggage. Using this to your advantage will make a big difference. Fewer suitcases mean less logistical stress when travelling too.
• The small stuff really adds up. Think cleverly when it comes to eating at the airport/on the plane, booking the airport car park, travel insurance and transfers to and from your resort. There will most likely be a discount code for many of these services if you look hard enough. As for airport/plane food and drink you might consider that in a couple of hours time you’ll pay 75% less for the same amount. That family meal in a local restaurant is a lot more attractive than a flat beer and an airport fry up eaten in the midst of stress.