Traveling to London for Holiday? Find Holiday Deals

For many, London is one of the most beautiful places to be for the holidays. The snow falling over Big Ben, crystalline accents painting Baker Street exactly as it would have been in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books; the city on holiday is evocative of times past. It’s 19th century beauty brought forward into the modern age. That may be why, as London Loves Business predicts, the city’s hospitality industry will grow by 1.8% this year.

20 million people visit London every year, generating nearly £15 million, $24 million, in revenue for the economy. However, as airfare prices have increased with larger fuel costs and extra fees, both hidden and plain to see, traveling to London Town, whether to see the beautiful Museum of London or to have the Doctor Who Experience, has become more difficult than ever before. Luckily, however, there are ways to find holiday deals that reduce the cost of hotel reservations and airfare, if you know where to look for them.

Try Joining Your Hotel’s Loyalty Program
One of the ways bookable holidays quickly turn un-bookable is with hotel blackouts. As Business Travel News writes, more and more hotels across the world are blacking out hotel rooms so that they can create the illusion of low room supply, thereby driving up their asking price. However, the Travel Channel points out that joining hotel loyalty programs, many of which come free of charge, will often remove any blackout restrictions when you make your reservations. In turn, your hotel search for cheap hotel prices gets a lot easier.

Become a Follower on Facebook, Twitter
According to ConsumerReports.org, one of the easiest ways to find holiday deals for your Christmas jaunt abroad is through social media. If you follow your favorite hotel chains and specific locations on Twitter, Facebook, and the like, then you will often be rewarded with early notifications of upcoming travel deals. In some cases, the holiday deals offered on social media platforms are follower-exclusive.

Don’t Let Your Computer Lock You In
Many travelers are surprised to find that the more they visit their favorite travel site, whether it’s Kayak or Travelocity, the less likely they are to find the cheapest prices. As Yahoo! Finance reports, every time you visit a travel website and look into airfare, the site installs a cookie in your browser and a cached visitation record. In effect, this lets travel sites know you’ve been there already and that you’re taking too long to make a purchase. The site will no longer display the best holiday deals for your tickets. If you want to find the best deals, make sure you delete cookies and clear your browser’s cache before you return.

Book Your Arrangements Early
Of course, the best way to find holiday deals for your trip to the Big Smoke is by making your plans early. As TravelZoo points out, booking your Christmas arrangements as early as possible can help you save as much as 75% off your airfare and room and board in your favorite London hotels.

Traveling to London to be with your family for the holidays doesn’t have to mean spending an arm and a leg. With these four tips, you can easily find great holiday deals for your stay in the United Kingdom’s capital. To learn more, read this.