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People booking holidays have been warned to be careful

Travellers looking for their next getaway have been urged to make simple checks while booking the holiday as it could save them some cash and earn some freebies along the way. BBC expert Holly Hamilton put her “serial holidaymaker” skills to use on Morning Live.

The journalist shared the top tips she’s picked up to enjoy summer on a budget. And she said: “I will say when you do find the dream holiday, don't book the first one that you see, because that might not actually be the best price.” Holidaymakers might often find themselves stuck between choosing package deals from third-party booking sites or going direct to each airline, hotel and activity website to complete their holiday.

Holly delivered her verdict on this decision, saying there’s is no simple solution for everyone and urged people to put plenty of time and effort into research. She explained that these third-party sites act as a modern day travel agent or “middlemen” without actually owning any of the airlines, hotels or companies you’ll be interacting with on your getaway.

These sites get their money through commission and advertising so they may sometimes have cheaper prices than if you were to go directly to the provider. However, Holly explained she uses these sites as a price comparison tool and urged people to check the fine print on the provider websites.

She explained: “Sometimes it can be cheaper but very often if you do go directly to the airline or to the hotel it can actually work out even cheaper if you dig a little bit deeper and read the extras.

“You might find that on the third party site, just the flight is £50 but for £60 booking it directly (with the airline) you might get your luggage included. Or in a hotel, you might get a flexible fare to avoid any cancellation fees, all that does add up very very quickly. Just read the small print on that, even a free breakfast.”

She also warned that, from her own person experience, people who use third-party booking sites might have a bit of trouble if things go wrong. Holly added: “You might end up stuck talking to a chatbot for a little while. It's very difficult sometimes to get a refund.

“There is no one-size-fits-all argument here effectively. You have to think about the price, the convenience, and the security. What order you put that in, I find for me has changed throughout my life.

“There was a time in my 20s, I was very happy to hop aboard and take the risks and get a cheap price. These days, travelling with small children, I want to know where I'm going. I want to know that there's somebody at the other end of the phone.

“I do like a package holiday. You get all your consumer rights with that… it can prove a little bit cheaper. Talk about things like your free breakfast.”