10 cheapest holiday destinations 2024

The age of budget holidays is over, but there are still cheap destinations out there. 50 years of Which? Travel price data shows that the golden age of budget travel might be over with prices going up and  Which? Travel states that in it’s first ever edition, published in 1974, it was reported that a summer flight to Alicante, Spain, was listed as £50 – around £452 at today’s prices. 

In summer 1975, you could get to Malaga on the Costa del Sol for £64 (around £474).

 Plane tickets

Since the pandemic, average fares have increased, and extras now cost more.

In the summer of 2010, the average return flight to Europe cost £123. In summer 2023, the average price had risen to £322. 

If you're flying with a budget airline, you’ll probably have to add £45-£50 to put a cabin bag in the overhead locker. Checking a larger suitcase into the hold could cost between £50 and £75 return.

You might also buy food and drink, which would have been included in the 70s and 80s.

Package holidays

In the 70s and 80s, Which? says that the basic cost of a flight might have been expensive – but the rest of your holiday was very cheap.

In 1986, they reported that a week’s package holiday on the Costa Blanca would cost up to £456 at today’s prices.

By 1991 a package, including two weeks half-board at an average hotel, cost £986pp at today’s prices in Spain, £1,417 in Portugal and only slightly more – £1,485 – in Florida. 

In summer 2024, Which? says you could pay an average of £955 for just one week, half-board, in Spain. This is mostly because hotel prices have soared across Europe.

 The 10 cheapest package holiday destinations 2024

So is there anywhere that’s considered cheap anymore?

Which? said its analysis of more than 4,500 package holidays found the least expensive were often in locations which people generally “assume to come with a higher price tag”, such as Italy’s Amalfi coast or Greek islands.

Which? Travel, said: “Travelling in the summer holidays is notoriously expensive, and demand is again high this year – but our latest price analysis shows that by being flexible on your destination, you can potentially save hundreds of pounds.

“Many of the locations we found aren’t those you’d necessarily assume would be the cheapest – but from tiny, traditional Greek islands to the glitzy Amalfi coast, there are bargains to be found this summer.”

10 cheapest package holiday destinations according to Which?, with average price per person in brackets for one week:

1. Kalymnos, Greece (£847)

2. Thassos, Greece (£862)

3. Lefkada, Greece (£935)

4. Costa Brava, Spain (£952)

5. Venetian Riviera, Italy (£965)

6. Amalfi Coast, Italy (£977)

7. Skopelos, Greece (£985)

8. Costa de la Luz, Spain (£994)

9. Campania, Italy (£998)

10. Malta (£1,006)