Great British Dog Walks

I love going on holiday with my dog, but finding accommodation can be super expensive – particularly if they start charging more money just to bring your four-legged friend – so here are my top tips to reduce the cost.

Tip one: Try and be flexible on your dates

Dates naturally flucuate throughout the year, particularly if something is going in in that region. I found that holiday cottages in the Cotswolds increased dramatically in price around Cheltenham Festival for example. Top things to look out for:

• Check school holidays in the area – remember that these vary by region and can hugely impact accommodation cost. Look at the local council website to find dates.
• Look for regional events and consider avoid these dates – head to the local tourism website or what’s on site to see when there are any large events taking place… and avoid those weeks!

Tip two: Don’t be too specific on location

Location, location, location, right? Wrong! OK, location is a huge consideration when booking accommodation, but prices can vary drastically just because a cottage sits within a certain down or even national park.

Look on a map and consider other less known villages and towns that are close enough to where you want to visit, but won’t be as expensive.

When we stayed in the Cotswolds for example I really wanted to stay in Bourton-On-The-Water (really well known place name) but it was considerably out of my budget.

By just opening up to places that were a 30 minute walk way I was able to reduce my accommodation cost by almost half, all whilst being able to still explore the place I wanted to without even moving my car. Plus, I could escape the hustle and bustle of all the tourists.

Tip three: Shop around for the best price

OK, so you’ve found your dream cottage but its a bit out of your price range? Shop around and check that is the lowest price advertised on the internet.

Lots of holiday lets will advertise on multiple platforms and you’d be surprised how much the price can vary. Try typing the cottage name in to Google or another search engine to see if it is listed elsewhere.

The cheapest I generally find is booking through the host directly – plus it means the money you are paying is going directly to a person, rather than a company.

If you did want to book through a larger company, consider contacting the host directly to ask for a discount, particularly if the date is a little last minute.

What are your top tips for reducing your accommodation costs? Let me know in the comments.