Whether you're on a budget or just want to get the most for your money, it's always worth looking into ways to travel more cheaply. By learning how to save money on travel, you can get more bang for your buck and enjoy even more trips throughout the year.

These tips work whenever you're booking, whatever time of year it is.

Here are 10 money saving travel tips to stop yourself overspending on your next holiday.

1. Sign up to travel clubs

There are lots of travel websites that offer big discounts to members, including on luxury destinations. Sites like Secret Escapes and Travelzoo are worth a look, and signing up to these is free. Some other travel clubs charge a paid membership instead, so it's worth checking before you sign up.

I've also seen some great deals on Groupon for weekends away and experience days, not just standard holidays. You can check the latest offers and last minute deals to get up to 70% off some trips. These clubs often have a dedicated team of travel experts who find the latest deals, negotiate prices and share them directly with members, so it's worth having a couple on your radar.

2. Book early

Being prepared and booking a holiday early can definitely have its advantages. Not only does it give you more time to pay for the holiday if you can't afford it upfront, but you can often lock in some of the best prices.

As an example, we once booked a three night Twixmas stay in Wales for £420. We hadn't decided at that point if we wanted to return the following year, but just two weeks later we were ready to book. In those two weeks the price had skyrocketed to £569.

That's almost a £150 difference just for booking the same holiday two weeks later.

3. Use return customer discounts

Continuing with my example above, many companies offer a return customer discount. Luckily we were able to secure a £25 discount on the new price, but had we booked whilst we were already holidaying there we could have bagged ourselves a £50 discount.

If you can plan far ahead and know you'll holiday in the same destination the following year, keep an eye out for any customer loyalty schemes or returning discounts.

4. Use Airbnb

If you're going to an obscure location with limited hotel options, consider using Airbnb. This is a platform where people list their holiday accommodation, or even rooms in their own homes, that you can rent just like a hotel room.

When we visited my brother-in-law in a random rural location in Portugal, we once found accommodation via Airbnb for just £19 per night as a family of four. We called it "the dungeon" as it wasn't the best accommodation, but at the time it meant we could afford to go.

When we were in Bruges, I once found hotels charging £300 per night when we tried to book last minute, but I tried Airbnb instead and found a two bed apartment for just £60 per night. What a difference!

Cashback sites list Airbnb too, so it's worth clicking through from Top Cashback or Quidco before you book, on top of whatever you already save by going with an apartment over a hotel.

5. Book travel through cashback websites

Many of the major travel operators are listed on popular cashback websites such as Top Cashback and Quidco, so you can get money back on your holiday bookings. It costs you exactly the same to book your holiday, the only difference being you need to click through to the travel site from one of these cashback websites for your cashback to track. If you've not used either before, I've got a full Top Cashback review and Quidco review explaining how they both work.

We've received around £60 cashback several times over the years when booking family holidays, including one trip to Fuerteventura, just for clicking through Top Cashback before booking.

We use Booking.com a lot too, and their free Genius membership often gets us automatic discounts on hotels without having to do anything extra.

Whether you're booking flights, hotels, travel insurance, or airport parking at somewhere like Gatwick, you'll usually be able to get cashback from a range of popular travel websites to reduce the overall cost of your trip.

6. Pack light

Airports seem to want to charge for everything nowadays, from choosing your seat to putting luggage in the hold. We once opted to only take hand luggage on a holiday to save ourselves £80 in hold luggage fees. If you can, pack light and take hand luggage only to avoid baggage costs if they aren't included in your holiday package deal.

7. Find cheap split train tickets

If you're travelling within the UK by train, don't overpay for tickets. Some websites check for split train tickets to see if you can pay less by splitting your journey.

Rather than buying one single ticket for your whole journey, it could actually be cheaper to split it into two or three parts, or even to buy two singles instead of a return. Split tickets still cover your entire journey and you can still choose a direct train, so you don't need to change trains.

It's just a more affordable way to book, since a single long-journey ticket can carry a premium. Search for split ticketing websites in the UK to see how much you could save.

8. Be flexible with your dates

If you can, it pays to be flexible with your travel schedule. Flying on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday could save you hundreds of pounds, and the same goes for accommodation.

We once booked a two night stay in London on a budget and originally planned to stay Saturday to Monday. The accommodation was actually double the price on a Saturday night compared to every other day, so we switched our dates to Sunday to Tuesday and saved ourselves a third of the cost.

9. Use discount apps for activities and eating out

Keep an eye out for apps that offer discounts on days out, theme parks and attractions. Many have free or cheap trials, and even if you sign up for a paid membership, you'll likely make your money back in one or two visits depending on the offer.

Kids Pass offers savings on meals out with kids and ticket prices to top UK attractions, as well as family travel discounts. If you're holidaying in the UK, Tastecard offers 50% off or 2 for 1 in thousands of restaurants.

10. Join a heritage organisation for access to historic sites

In the UK there are two main heritage organisations, National Trust and English Heritage. It's worth checking whether there are gardens, castles, manor houses or other attractions near where you're holidaying, since you'll get free entry as a member of one or both.

They'll also help you discover things to do, offer free parking at many of their sites (including some beaches), and support the preservation of historic buildings. We visited Stonehenge one summer, and entry would have been around £40 as a family of four. Joining the National Trust cost around £11 a month, and we now have access to 500 special places across the UK.

Save money on National Trust membership

If you're interested in a National Trust membership, you can save on the annual cost by getting cashback. Use my link to sign up to TopCashback and see the latest saving at National Trust here.

Quick recap: 10 ways to save money on travel

1. Sign up to travel clubs for member-only discounts
2. Book early to lock in lower prices
3. Ask about return customer discounts
4. Use Airbnb for cheaper accommodation
5. Book through cashback websites
6. Pack light to avoid baggage fees
7. Look into split train tickets
8. Be flexible with your travel dates
9. Use discount apps for days out and eating out
10. Join a heritage organisation for free entry to attractions

Final word

None of these tips need much extra effort, just a bit of planning and a willingness to shop around before you book. Do even two or three of them on your next trip and the savings soon add up. If you want to take it further, I've also written about how to get a free holiday.

For inspiration on where to go on a day out in the UK, also check out Where to go with Kids for loads of up-to-date ideas.