Your Must-Know Travel Tips for 2024

Are you planning a holiday for the second half of 2024 and looking for some travel tips to help make the process easier? If so, we’ve got you covered!

Over that past couple of years, we have started to get back into travelling following Covid-19, which had a huge impact on the travel industry, with restrictions changing by the week and millions of travellers facing disruption.

Because of this, it’s more important than ever to make sure you make smart decisions when booking your next trip. After all, booking a holiday is such an exciting time, we want you to be able to celebrate stress-free!

If you’re thinking about getting your holiday booked for the second half of 2024, follow some of our travel tips below to make your planning as smooth as possible:

Our top travel tips for 2024:

1. Do your research and Always check for ATOL protection

You might be in a rush to book your holiday, especially if you’re booking during one of the key sales periods but it’s important to check that your trip is financially protected by ATOL.

This is because ATOL offers you protection in case your holiday provider stops trading, meaning you won’t lose out on your money.

There are a lot of holiday companies out there and, unfortunately, not all of them are reputable. It’s better to be safe and check the holiday provider within our ATOL database.

2. Consider booking using a credit card

When booking your holiday, we always recommend using a credit card, rather than a debit card.

This is to protect your money; should anything go wrong with your holiday booking, you could be covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and you should be able to seek a refund from your credit card provider.

By using a credit card, you may also benefit from rewards and points, depending on your credit card provider and what incentives they offer.

Just remember to pay off the trip in full so you don’t accrue interest on your booking.

3. Check your travel insurance

Make sure you read the fine print when taking out travel insurance. Check the conditions when it comes to airport strikes.

Often you won’t be covered so it’s important to choose a policy that does cover you in the event of any potential disruption.

We recommend taking out travel insurance as soon as you book your flights; it’s more likely you’ll be covered if a strike is announced after you take out your policy.

However, you should carefully look through the wording of the terms of your travel insurance policy to make sure that this is the case.

4. Make the most of sale periods

Looking to get a travel bargain? To get the best travel deals, shop for your next holiday during peak sale periods.

These are typically:

• Boxing Day and the run up to New Year
• Easter
• September

Shop around to get the best deals but make sure your provider is ATOL protected.

5. Plan ahead to make the most of your holiday entitlement

If you work Monday to Friday and want to be savvy with your holiday entitlement next year, you can time it just right so it coincides with Bank Holidays.

This will give you more consecutive days off to enjoy a longer trip, while using less annual leave.

However, try and book your holidays early – many people will be booking trips around this time so availability might be lower and prices might be higher.

That’s why it’s always good to plan ahead.

6. Stay updated on the latest travel requirements

This includes passport validity, visas, and entry restrictions using the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website. Make sure you have the necessary documents and meet the health and safety requirements of your destination.

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Want to find out if your holiday is financially protected by ATOL?