Last minute family Easter holidays for under £200

If you're planning to get away this Easter, here are some last minute bargain breaks...

The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer, and the Easter break is just around the corner. As a result, many of you will be thinking about booking a holiday.

However, if you have kids, jetting off for a much-deserved break can be very expensive. So just how can you keep costs to a minimum?

How to cut the costs

Here are six top tips to help keep the cost of your holiday down:

1. Shop around online

Firstly, always shop around online using websites such as Yahoo Travel, Expedia, Travel Zoo and Kayak. These websites allow you to compare flights, hotels and holiday packages so that you can easily find the cheapest deal! Take a look at The best websites for bargain holidays.

It’s a good idea to sign up to any email services they offer too as these will allow you to hear about the best deals first.

2. Be flexible

Flexibility isn’t always easy if you have children because your holidays need to revolve around the school break. However, try to be flexible if you can – for example, try to avoid booking a flight for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday as prices will be higher. Early morning flights are also usually cheaper.

3. Ditch the hotel!

Hotels can be very expensive – particularly if you’re booking a couple of rooms. So it’s worth considering other options instead.

How about going camping or caravanning? Or, if you don’t fancy that, you could stay at a youth hostel. Many hostels provide rooms suitable for families and couples – you can check out the Youth Hostel Association for more information.

Alternatively, you could opt for self-catering accommodation. Not only will you save money on accommodation costs, you also won’t have to eat out every night as you’ll have your own private cooking facilities! Check out holiday-rentals.co.uk to locate self-catering accommodation around the world.

4. Stay in the UK

Rather than jetting off abroad, it may work out cheaper to have a holiday in the UK. So make sure you look into this before you book your flights. The weather may not always be as good, but there are some beautiful places to visit on your doorstep!

5. Use a reward credit card

Reward credit cards can be very handy when it comes to paying for your holiday. That’s because many of them allow you to collect airmiles – which can go towards the cost of a flight.

For example, the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo Credit Cards gives you two cards – an American Express Card and a MasterCard (because American Express isn’t accepted everywhere).

With the American Express card, you will earn one airmile for almost every £1 you spend for the first three months, and one airmile for every £10 after that. With the MasterCard, you’ll earn one airmile for almost every £50 you spend. You will also collect double airmiles abroad. You can then redeem these airmiles on flights – and your flight includes the cost of taxes and fees!

Alternatively, the British Airways American Express Credit Card allows you to collect one BA Mile for every £1 you spend on the card. And if you spend £500 in the first three months, you’ll earn a bonus of 3,000 BA Miles! You can then redeem these BA Miles on BA flights! (Taxes and fees are not included.)

Just bear in mind these credit cards are only suitable for those of you who pay off your credit card bill in full each month – otherwise the interest rate you pay will far outweigh any benefits.

You can find out more about these cards in Get a free holiday in Italy!

6. Go last minute!

Booking your holiday last minute can be risky, but at the same time, you can get some fabulous bargains. Providing you're flexible about where to go, you can often save a lot of money by booking just a week or two in advance – as I am about to prove!

Bargain holidays!

Let’s take a look at some bargain last minute family holidays for the Easter break that are currently available for under £200. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to include travel costs in this price tag so prices below only include accommodation costs. However, if you use a reward credit card, as I mentioned above, you may get to travel for free!

All holidays are based on a family of two adults and two children (aged four and six) and do not include travel costs. 

Please note, all prices were correct at time of writing but are subject to change.

The majority of these are, of course, in the UK, but you can still get some great self-catering deals in places such as Cyprus and the Canary Islands. But of course, the flight won’t be included.

Larger budgets

What about if you’re prepared to spend a little more? The table below highlights some of the top deals you can currently get for under £400 – again, travel costs are not included.

Please note, all prices were correct at time of writing but are subject to change.

So as you can see, you can get some great last minute deals at fabulous prices! Have a fantastic Easter break!

More: The best websites for bargain holidays | Property swap shop | The cheapest holiday destinations for 2011