Finding the best early booking deals...

We are often asked whether it’s best to book 2013 holidays early or wait until nearer the time. Will you get a deal by waiting until the last minute?

There is no right answer. It depends on your personal circumstances, and how comfortable you feel taking the risk of not finding exactly what you want.

If you have children in school it’s almost always better to book early. That’s because you will find great deals including free child places, guaranteed prices and low deposits. You are restricted to certain weeks and demand for those weeks will only increase, pushing up prices.

You will also have the reassurance of knowing your holiday is booked, and be able to plan and look forward to it.

If you are not tied to school dates you have a lot more flexibility and it may be worth waiting until nearer the time.

Remember that most hotels and airlines can now accept bookings yet for 2013. You can now find cheap holidays in spring 2013 and cheap half term holidays along with cheap singles holidays and guides to popular resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh.

Other features on this site include our ask the experts page.