It's peak overseas holiday booking season, here are 20 need-to-knows to get more bucks for your bang

Beat new roaming charges, free airport lounges, cheap euros, flights and hotels, travel insurance, Eurostar deal, school holiday hacks, Covid protection and more...

With travel restrictions relaxing, bookings have taken off in recent weeks, and some predict trips abroad this summer may be back to pre-pandemic levels. So whether you want to head for paella in Palma, moussaka in Mykonos or a burger... anywhere, here are our key need-to-knows...

1. Is it financially safe to book a summer or other holiday? Martin's view... "It seems, hopefully, the pandemic's grip on our hospitals and economy is weakening. Across the UK, things are opening up and attitudes are loosening. "Yet holidays aren't just about being allowed to depart our shores, it's whether we're welcomed elsewhere. Rules vary. For example, catch Covid in the UK and the vaccinated can leave self-isolation after as early as five days. Currently, to go to Spain you must declare you've not even had close contact with a confirmed case within the last seven days - see top destinations' travel rules. "Of course uncertainty still exists, things may, and have before, changed rapidly. Yet I think with travel we can and should (and I will) proceed, with caution, to book holidays again. Caution means... - Try to get flexible bookings. Check if you have the ability to cancel (and diarise the last date it's allowed) or, as a minimum, the ability to change trip dates at will. Far more airlines (see airline-by-airline cancellation policies) and hotels allow this than they did pre-pandemic. - Pay by credit or at least debit card. Flexible booking protection is worthless if the travel firm goes bust. Credit cards have the advantage of both Section 75 and chargeback protection, while debit cards have only chargeback. Both can be a get-out-of-jail free option. - Understand you've few rights if something happens so you can't go. Many contact me irate as Covid or their child's broken arm means they can't travel and the airline or travel firm won't give them a refund. Yet much like breaking your arm doesn't give you a right to return a tennis racket as faulty, you're not legally due a travel refund because something is stopping you going. That's what travel insurance is there to protect you from, so get it ASAB (as soon as you book) so the cover's in place whatever happens. Full details on cheap travel cover and what Covid protection it provides below. - Package holidays can give extra protection. Under the Package Travel Regulations - with a package holiday - where you get a flight / hotel / car hire all together, you're legally due a refund if the travel agent or one of the firms goes bust, or your destination closes its borders to Brits. More on cheap package holidays below. "And that's it from me, all that's left is to wish you a happy, safe and cost-effective holiday. Now over to the team..."

2. Don't just go direct to an airline - use our tricks to slash flight costs. We've a suitcase full of tips in our How to bag cheap flights guide, including the top comparison sites to try, the best time to book, how to hunt down mega-cheap bargain flights and when splitting tickets could save you £100s.
   
   
3. Don't simply book a hotel on the first site you see. The same room is often sold at vastly different costs. There's huge variation in what you pay depending on how you book - our Cheap hotels guide will take you through it (and similar in Cheap self-catering accommodation). Nick told us: "Booked five nights for two people in a 5* Zanzibar hotel, all inclusive, for £714 via Trivago - less than half the £1,620 price booking direct."
   
   

4. Going to the EU? Ensure you've a valid GHIC or EHIC - millions expire this year. If you plan to travel to the EU, these cards give you access to state-run hospitals or GPs at the same price as a local. So if it's free for them, it's free for you.
   
   If you've the old European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), check it is still valid. If you don't have one, since Brexit it's been replaced by the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) [though frankly it's misnamed, as it actually covers fewer countries and all are EU - Martin], and you can get a GHIC for FREE. Never pay for either card (not even if they promise fast track - that's a scam).

5. Eurostar sale - can you find £70 returns from London to Paris, Lille or Brussels? Eurostar's just released 48,000 cheap returns when you book by Tue 8 Feb for travel from 21 Feb to 19 May - excluding Easter.

6. Grab cheap or FREE access to airport lounges. Airport lounges aren't just reserved for first class or elite frequent flyers. Access can be free with certain credit cards or bank accounts, or you can get it cheaply via frequent flyer schemes such as Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club. Our Free or cheap airport lounges guide has top tips, including the credit card that'll get you two free lounge visits.
   
   
7. Warning. EU roaming charges are back. Many Vodafone customers already do, and most Three and EE customers will soon, pay £2/day to roam in Europe. So whether you're sticking within the EU or leaving, check what's the cost of roaming - and tricks to beat it.
   
   
8. Ryanair trick to save up to 60% on seat reservations and cabin bags. It's all about booking 'Value' fares with add-ons, rather than opting for 'Regular' fares. See our 20 Ryanair tips for how it works. MoneySaver Trudy tried it, and told us: "Looked at flights to Malta - booking it this way saves around £100." 

10. French and Dutch Center Parcs can halve the UK price - especially in school hols. That's even after you've factored in the cost of flights or ferries. See our Center Parcs tricks for lots more ways to save. Steve told us: "We're going to France Center Parcs in the school holidays. Longleat for four adults and four children was £3,200. France is £1,500, including crossing."
    
    
11. Is your passport still valid? Rules have changed. Since Brexit, many EU countries now require you to have at least 3mths of passport validity still left after your visit to be allowed in. So check yours now, as there could be application delays closer to the summer. See Passport rules and renewals.
    
    
12. Planning to park at the airport? Pay less by booking early - but prioritise flexibility. Use our discounted airport parking comparison site links, including SkyParkSecure* (5-35% off), Looking4Parking* (5-35% off, £1 booking fee), Holiday Extras* (10-30% off) and Airport Parking & Hotels* (16-20% off).
    
    For example, you can get a week's parking at Birmingham Airport for £16 via our links, compared to £92 on the day, though as these sites usually compare parking for you, do also check the provider lets you cancel or move your booking if you need to. See Cheap airport parking.

14. Beat airlines' seat reservation charges & sit together for FREE on BA, Easyjet, Virgin and others. A family of four could spend £100s to be certain they'll sit together on return flights - yet unless your heart's set on particular seats, it's usually unnecessary. See how to Beat seat reservation charges for many airlines. 
    
    
15. Package holidays can be the cheapest route. These days, many web-savvy folk like to do DIY booking, yet if you're travelling to a traditional holiday destination, don't diss a package holiday (especially because, as mentioned above, you can get extra protection).
    
    For example, you can get Majorca flights + four nights in a 4* hotel in May from £109 per person. See Cheap package holidays.
    
    
16. Beat school holiday travel price hikes. We've loads of tricks to help in our Beat school holiday price hikes guide, including:
    
    - Find hidden cheap booking dates (if your term differs from others).
    - Check other countries' holiday dates. For example, book Disney World when US kids are still in school.
    - Fly from Scotland in the last two weeks of August - even if you don't live there. Wendy said: "We saved thousands by flying out of Glasgow. The same hotel, board and dates flying from Gatwick was over £2,000 more."
    
    
17. Apply for a Covid pass to show your vaccination status. Many countries require this to see proof of vaccination status or test results - see how to get a digital Covid pass for each part of the UK.
    
    
18. Book car hire early to save up to 70% - and beware the hard sell on 'excess insurance'. Our Cheap car hire guide takes you through it, from how to find the cheapest prices (including booking via a firm's foreign website) to how to easily avoid the insurance con many firms try, which can more than double your costs once you hit the desk to pick up your car.
    
    
19. Cheap Covid travel tests. While fewer people now need to test when returning to the UK, you may still need it to go away. See our help on what tests are needed in our Cheap Covid travel tests guide.
    
    
20. Learn to talk like a local for free. Don't be a classic 'Brit abroad' - there are clever apps to help you learn the lingo before you go, and to translate 59 languages offline when you're there. Free language apps.