Bag a last minute summer holiday deal

With family finances squeezed more than ever, and parents worried about the amount of money they'll need to spend on the kids now the school holidays are in full swing, a family holiday abroad seems like a unaffordable dream.

But if you know where to look, it is still possible to bag a last-minute holiday deal; and pay bargain prices.


The first thing to remember is that if you're flexible about when and where you go, you've got a much better chance of finding a great deal.

Flights
I think Skyscanner is great for flight searching if you don't know exactly where you're heading. You can enter your dates and then simply select a country - it'll tell you cheapest flights to various locations all over that destination in one search result - brilliant!

STA is also worth a look. Contrary to popular belief they sell flights for people of all ages not just students, and have some really great deals. In fact they even promise to beat any airfare you've been offered. They also have some great last-minute European package deals including 7 nights self catering in Kos, Greece for £265pp.

Accommodation
For self-catering, Holiday Lettings is a great place to look. They have a huge variety of private properties all over the world at incredibly competitive prices. Their summer sale includes properties with up to 60 percent off the usual weekly price - including a holiday home in the Canary Islands with a pool and a villa rental in the Costa Blanca both for £120 a week.

Hotels.com also has a huge summer sale running with up to 40 percent off hotels all over the world. Including hotels in Madrid from £45 a night, in Paris from £73 a night, Vienna from £69 a night and loads, loads more.

Packages
If you'd rather book a package deal, Teletext Holidays is the place to head to. They have some fantastic last-minute offers at the moment including 7 nights 3* self-catering in Corfu from £199pp or 7 nights 3* all-inclusive Tenerife from £259pp.

Thomas Cook also have some good looking last-minute deals to all the most popular European destinations and beyond, including 7 nights 3* Tunisia, half-board from £281pp.