Itching For a Holiday? Shoulder Season Could Be the Answer

Are you one of those people who just loves being on holiday? Same. There's no better feeling than escaping reality for a few days or even weeks for a far away location with scorching weather, free-flowing drinks and a pool or beach just centimetres away. True bliss.

But our holiday dreams are slowly slipping away from us, as holiday prices appear to be on the rise. According to a HolidayPirates survey, the average cost of a summer holiday package in 2024 has increased by 17%. But don't go scrapping your holiday mood board just yet, there is still some hope and a way to get around rising prices and secure a trip to your own version of paradise — shoulder season.

Chelsea Dickenson, better known as the Cheap Holiday Expert, tells PS UK that travelling in shoulder season, the sweet spot between a destination's peak and off season, could be your best bet. It might be out of our comfort zone or traditional holiday plans, and we understand that school holidays and work timetables might not make this the easiest route for some, but Dickenson has shared her money saving tips and hacks to make shoulder season work for you, so keep reading.

Chelsea Dickenson is a cheap holiday expert who has appeared across TV, radio and print and continues to help thousands of people save money on their trips.

Shoulder season is the time between a destination's peak season and 'off' season. "The exact dates will change based on where you're heading to, but for Europe the shoulder season tends to arrive in late Spring (April — May) and shows up again after the school summer holidays in the Autumn (September — October)," Dickenson explains.

Shoulder season travel helps you tick off popular holiday hotspots like Spain, Greece or Italy without experiencing spiked hotel and flight prices, intense heat, fully booked restaurants and overcrowded beaches, but it is a step out of the ordinary. Dickenson tells us: "The biggest impact travelling in shoulder season has on travel plans is that it requires you to shift away from the traditional 'summer' holiday, or from travelling in the major school holidays."

Typically, the cost of holidays is determined by demand. You can't be shocked that everyone and their dog wants to go to Mykonos when its beauty has been plastered everywhere. Dickenson shares that the more in-demand a destination is, the more airlines and hotels can charge - especially when they're bound by strict school holiday dates.

"Therefore, by travelling in the shoulder season, it's very likely that prices will be cheaper than the peak periods," she tells us. "For example, I found a five star all-inclusive holiday to Turkey for £955pp in mid August, yet this drops to £755pp by mid September, and down further to £585pp by mid October."

To find shoulder season deals, Dickenson recommends finding out when the school holidays are around the area you're travelling from and to. "Don't forget that dates can be different between boroughs, counties and countries and that private schools have different holiday dates," she advises.

Next, you'll want to check for the average monthly weather to make sure you're able to book the months of ideal weather for you, without being in the peak period. And finally, it's time to find out when the shoulder season starts for your chosen destination.

"To do this, I head to Google Hotels and I search for my destination," Dickenson says. "Then, I select a few hotels to look at - it doesn't really matter which ones they are - and I click on the date selection. This brings up a calendar which details the cost of each night. It's then simply a case of clicking through the calendar to see when the prices start to drop.

"Armed with all this information, you're in a great place to start searching for your shoulder season holiday," she continues. "For hotel only bookings, I often end up using Booking.com, Hotels.com or Expedia - or book direct. As for packages, I love to use a comparison site to make sure I'm getting the best price possible."

Shoulder season travel might seem impossible during the school holidays, but Dickenson says it's worth looking at trips that land in the school holidays but are in shoulder season. For Europe, this tends to be the Easter, Spring half term and Autumn half term holidays.

"My top tip is to check the school holidays of the area you're travelling from as if your child's school's dates are different, this could be a great time to pounce," she adds. "For example, Scottish school holidays are often different from those in England and Wales and so if you don't mind a drive to the airport either way, you could end up bagging a bargain."

So, for a quick roundup of everything we've learned about shoulder season and how to minimise your holiday spending, check out Dickenson's list below for the top shoulder season hacks and tricks.

Lauren Gordon is the editorial coordinator at PS UK, where she creates lifestyle and identity content. Lauren has a degree in journalism from University of the Arts London and previously worked as a showbiz and TV reporter at The Mirror US. Lauren specialises in pop culture, hair and beauty, focusing on trends, sharing in-depth tutorials, and highlighting hidden gems in the beauty industry.