Counting down to summer fun

With just 300,000 traditional package holidays on the market this year — down from over a million at the height of the boom — tour operators are encouraging summer holidaymakers to book as early as possible.

The above figures don’t tell the full story, however. While it’s certainly true that fewer Irish people are taking overseas holidays, those that can are also booking in a host of new ways.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair now run scheduled flights to the Canaries, Malaga and Majorca. Ferry links to France and Britain are chock-a-block with family cars in July and August. Dynamic packages sold by the likes of clickandgo.com and lastminute.com allow you to self-assemble flights, accommodation and car hire on a single website, giving greater flexibility with travel dates and durations.