school holidays
School holidays are the most popular time of year to go on holiday or take a city break and notoriously hard to get good deals as the school holidays tend to fill their allocations very early in the year. Whether it is during the long summer holidays or for a fortnight in Easter, this usually provides families with the best opportunity to get away.
Some regions of the country still have occasions where their schools are on holiday whilst the rest of the country is still working. Potters week in Stoke, Scottish school holidays or TT week in the Isle of Man can provide the perfect opportunity to getaway for less if you live in one of these areas.
In general, bank holidays tend to fall within school holidays, which means you can get away without having to use up additional leave from work. Easter is always a popular time because of the two bank holidays either side of the weekend.
The most popular destinations during the school holidays remain Greece, Turkey, Spain and Florida heading to other destinations during the school holidays should work out slightly cheaper as there should be greater availability.
For any families wishing to visit Disneyland in Orlando, Florida we recommend trying to book this at least a year in advance. Flights direct to Orlando sell very quickly during the school holiday periods and only alternate flights to Fort Lauderdale or Miami usually remain.
If you have been unfortunate enough not to arrange a holiday to Disneyland Florida, why not consider Disneyland Paris as a realistic alternative. Still popular during the school holidays Disneyland Paris can provide an alternate destination at a much more reduced cost.
To help families not to have to take their children out of school during term time, the Government has created a joint initiative with the Association of British Travel Agents and the Federation of Tour Operators called Every Lesson Counts.
Part of the campaign aims to address the problem, which accounts for one in six of all absences from school, by identifying incentives available to families who book their breaks early - both in the UK and overseas - for the school holiday periods. And that's where The Co-operative Travel come in to help you find the best offers and holidays available for school holiday dates.