Is it worth skipping school for summer holiday savings?

There’s no sugarcoating it; holiday prices go up in the school summer holidays. Why? Because there’s a sudden surge in demand when millions of families all want to travel at the same time.

And a common dilemma for parents is that it can be tempting to pull the kids out of school early for a potentially cheaper getaway. While we can’t make your moral decisions, we’ve dug into our site data to understand the price differences for holidays that depart during, or just before, the summer break.

There are of course fines in place for parents taking their children out of school as pupils are only allowed to miss lessons for exceptional circumstances. But a record number were handed out last year, showing that many families are willing to break the rules to get away on the cheap.

Read on to find out the differences in holiday prices during and just before the summer holidays, which places have the biggest price swings and top tips on how to find cheaper holidays if you’re travelling in the school break.

How different are prices just outside the summer holidays?

A happy family all sat on a sofa looking at a laptop together

We analysed the price of seven-night family holidays and found that trips departing three school days before the summer holidays result in the biggest price differences, averaging £113 per person less compared to travelling once term has ended. Leaving just one day early is an average of £101 per person less.

But for parents tempted to push it further, the maths quickly turns. Departing five school days early cuts the average price drop to just £58 per person — and it's also the point at which absence fines must be considered.

However, price differences vary hugely by destination. A holiday to Crete for a two-parent family of four, five days before the summer holidays, would be £1,243 less.

Absence fines for term-time holidays

In England, fines are issued once a child clocks up ten sessions of unauthorised absence, the equivalent of five full school days. Fines are issued to each parent, for each child, starting at £80 and rising to £160 if not paid within 21 days.

As penalty notices are issued per parent, per child, the fines multiply quickly.

As an example, a two-parent family of four (with two school-aged children missing five school days) would face £320 in fines.

A record 459,288 school holiday fines were issued in England last year, according to the Department for Education (DfE), underlining that parents are being tempted by term-time breaks.

The DfE says “there is really strong evidence that time out of school – even a few days - damages children’s learning and future earnings.”

Which destinations offer the biggest price differences?

View of a curved white-sand beach with small boats bobbing in the clear turquoise waters.

Crete stood out in our research as a destination with significant price differences for those who travel before schools have broken up. Families would pay less at every point in the final week of term, with the peak being three days early when holidays are £357 less per person.

Fuerteventura also sees significant differences, with a price drop of £192 per person one day early and £253 per person five days early.

On the other hand, travelling to Costa Blanca early actually sees a price rise. Our research showed that families leaving three days early would pay an average of £146 per person more, and those leaving five days early £28 per person more.

Kos strikes a fine balance. Leaving three days early sees a drop of £217 per person, but stretching to five days adds £277 to the per person price for a family holiday.

Average price difference per person by destination — departing before the summer holidays

Destination	One day early	Three days early	Five days early
Majorca	£77	£38	-£4
Tenerife	£175	£137	£106
Antalya Area	-£15	-£38	£109
Crete	£186	£357	£311
Rhodes	£107	£238	£39
Costa del Sol	£130	£49	-£23
Lanzarote	£46	£148	£92
Fuerteventura	£192	£134	£253
Kos	£106	£217	-£277
Costa Blanca	£3	-£146	-£28
Average	£101	£113	£58

Seven ways to make savings in the school summer holidays

Rearview shot of a happy family walking towards the sea on a beach

1. Travel at the end of the school summer holidays

The cheapest holiday prices in the school summer holidays tend to be in the final couple of weeks of August. Why? Because families are keen to get away for a break as soon as the schools have broken up so there’s often better deals later.

2. Swap airports

As different parts of the UK have different school holiday dates, you could make savings by travelling from an airport where the schools have gone back – or are still in.

As an example, in Edinburgh, many schools break up on 26 June whereas in Newcastle it’s 18 July. So Scottish families could look at the prices of holidays from Newcastle airport early on in summer. In reverse, Edinburgh schools generally go back on 12 August whereas in Newcastle it’s 2 September – so Newcastle families could look for deals from Edinburgh at the end of the break.

3. Go to where’s offering value for money

As we’re passionate about saving our customers money, we keep a close eye on the destinations that are offering value each year. If you remain flexible on your destination, you can take advantage of these trends.

In April, we revealed that the Neapolitan Riviera – which includes Sorrento and Naples – is the top destination where prices are falling this summer while Bulgaria is the place to head for an all-inclusive bargain. Sign up to the TravelSupermarket newsletter for expert insight like this each week.

4. Compare prices

To make sure you’ve found the best deal for you, it’s worth comparing prices from a number of travel companies side-by-side to see the package that best meets your needs at the lowest price. To take the hassle out of having multiple tabs open, TravelSupermarket allows you to do this in one place – and our customers save an average of £350 per holiday by comparing prices with us.

5. Look for deals with free child places

While many are snapped up early on in the year, there are still free child places available on holidays with companies such as Jet2 and TUI – so look out for these offers as they can slash the cost of a family holiday significantly.

6. Don’t forget about the extras that soon add up

Your flights and hotel are just two elements of a family holiday so don’t wipe out your good work finding a deal by paying over the odds for car hire, travel insurance and airport parking. You can compare prices on every element of your holiday on TravelSupermarket and the savings from doing so can be hefty.

7. Think differently this year

It’s easy to form holiday habits but, this year, consider looking at different types of accommodation to save. Always stay in four-star hotels or above? Consider staying in a two or three-star hotel with excellent customer reviews to pocket savings of up to £285pp on average. Travelling as a group? Compare the price of splitting the cost of a villa rather than staying in a hotel.

Please note: Our research analysed prices of seven-night family holidays clicked on via TravelSupermarket between 1 January and 8 June 2026, comparing average per-person prices for departures during the school summer holidays (18 July – 23 August) against departures one, three and five school days before term ends (17, 15 and 13 July respectively). Destinations were selected from among the most-searched summer holiday destinations and included only where search volumes were sufficient across all comparison points. Fine calculations are based on the national framework for penalty notices in England: £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, applicable once a child has ten sessions (five school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling ten-school-week period.