How to find budget ski breaks + holiday giveaway!
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This blog post and giveaway is in collaboration with Hucksters Ski Lodges.
Skiing and snowboarding breaks have got a name for themselves in the travel sphere as being an expensive holiday. We’re here to demystify this statement! Too many people are missing out on the magical and majestic mountains by thinking a ski holiday is out of their price range. There are many top resorts, and accommodation providers, in the French Alps who offer holidays to suit the budget-savvy traveller.
In this guide, you’ll be privy to insider tips to spot and secure a budget ski holiday that’s perfect for you and your wallet. Plus, there’s a special giveaway for one lucky reader in collaboration with Hucksters Ski Lodges and a discount code!
Tips on how to get a budget ski holiday
Photo credit: Hucksters Ski Holidays
Monitor the sales
Every ski company will offer incentives throughout the year to encourage people to book their holidays. Check the time of year that sales become typical within the industry. You may find this is in the run-up to the ski season which starts in December, New Year sales or promotion for empty booking slots before or after the half term peaks. Travel operators typically reward early bookers or those who book last minute with the best deals, so you want to aim to be one or the other depending on your schedule, flexibility and organisational skills. Talking of deals, Hucksters have several last-minute offers which you can check out on their website if you fall into the latter group.
To ensure you stay up-to-date on the sales, sign up to newsletters or follow social media profiles to make sure you don’t miss out on the deals that are first come, first served.
Early bird deals
Early bookers also get the benefit of flight deals which can reduce the overall cost of their ski holiday. Flights from the U.K. to France are relatively inexpensive anyway, but for every pound shaved off, you can put towards enjoying the après lifestyle like drinking at the bars, buying gifts in the village markets or visiting a spa. Early bird deals are also applicable to ski passes, so the more time you have to plan your holiday, the more you are likely to save in the long-run.
Travel out of peak times
If you can be flexible with your dates, you may find the price of your ski holiday will drop significantly. Peak times like Christmas, New Year, and school holidays attract more people and are therefore more expensive. Travelling outside of peak times will not only save you money on ski accommodation but also the travel costs associated with this kind of holiday. The best times to pick up a ski bargain and still make the most of the snow on the slopes is early to mid-January after the New Year rush, or in early February.
This isn’t to say that you won’t find a bargain for skiing at Christmas. Companies will offer appealing last-minute deals to fill up their rooms for this festive season, but these opportunities are rare and if found, you should jump on them! For example, Hucksters are offering Christmas ski dates in Serre Chevalier’s half-board accommodation for 2019 at just £469 per adult!
Travel as a group
Ski travel operators want groups because they will take up whole chalets or large apartments. To encourage this, tour operators will offer large groups irresistible deals like Hucksters buy 12 places get 1 free! If you’re desperate to get out to the slopes, why not see if you can turn it into the holiday of a lifetime with friends and/or family?
Photo credit: Canva Pro
Consider cheaper resorts or ski areas
Some resorts will come in cheaper than others. Prices will range depending on whether you go for luxury or budget-friendly accommodation, but the resort will also impact the cost. You may find you get a cheaper, quieter and just as amazing deal if you go for a ski holiday that’s not in the popular resort areas. Vallandry is just down from the popular Les Arcs resorts, with a ski lift connecting the two. Staying in Vallandry will undoubtedly offer you a cheaper stay, ski-in ski-out accommodation with Hucksters, but also the opportunity to ski the popular slopes of Les Arcs too!
Kids offers
If you’re taking the kids with you this holiday, look out for ski operators that offer a good price for children. There are many operators that offer half price (or even more) for children between certain ages as there may be rooms in the chalets where an additional bed can be taken by a child.
Opt for the half-board chalets
When you stay in a half-board chalet, you won’t have to work out additional budgets for food (which can be pricey in the Alps). Half-board accommodation includes breakfast options, afternoon tea and dinner every day except for one. For Hucksters, this is on Wednesdays when hosts have a day off!
Short breaks
If you want to do a ski break on a tight budget, have you considered booking a short weekend break instead? Prices for weekend ski are considerably cheaper than week-long stays. The bonus is that it won’t cut much into your holiday allowance at work meaning you could do multiple ski breaks in one year if you wanted to! And just because you’re cutting your holiday in half, it doesn’t mean you will be missing out. As the travel times to the French Alps are very reasonable, you will have plenty of time to ski and be merry.
Hucksters Ski Lodges discount code
One final tip is to source a discount code. Hucksters Ski Lodges have kindly shared a £20 reduction on any holiday booked by my readers! Simply quote BLOG1 on booking to receive this exclusive offer.
Hucksters Ski Lodges holiday giveaway!
Win a 7-nights’ holiday for one person. Includes airport transfers and half board accommodation at either Serre Chevalier or Vallandry, Les Arcs *
* Excludes travel, ski passes, insurance and equipment hire expenses. Subject to availability and excludes peak times. Full terms and conditions below.
Simply enter using one or more of the entry options in the Rafflecopter widget.
Good luck!
Hucksters Ski Lodge giveaway terms and conditions
- There will be one winner
- The prize is for one week’s holiday at either our Vallandry or Serre Chevalier half-board accommodation for one including airport transfers, excluding peak times and subject to availability. (The winner will have to cover any additional costs themselves such as extra people, travel, insurance, equipment hire, ski passes or any other general expenses they incur. Hucksters Ski Lodge can advise the winner on how to source the best deals for these if needed.)
- There is no cash alternative
- There is no limit on the number of entries per person, follow the instructions to enable multiple entries
- Winners will be notified within 28 days
- The winner must claim their prize within 28 days or it will be forfeited
- All entries must be received by midnight 11.12.19
- The winner will be picked at random by Rafflecopter
- This giveaway is open to UK only and entrants must be aged 18+
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