Nine ways we cut the cost of a trip without making it worse

1. Move the dates by three days

The difference between a Friday and a Tuesday flight is often the price of two dinners. Same with the last week of June against the first week of July. Check three days either side before you book anything else.

2. Book the trains as soon as the dates are fixed

Advance fares in Spain, Italy, France and Germany are released months ahead and climb as they sell. Madrid to Seville booked early can be less than half the walk up price. This is the biggest saving most people leave on the table.

3. Stay one street back

A room on the main square against one two minutes behind it is usually 30 per cent, and the second one is quieter.

4. Have the big meal at lunch

In Spain, Italy, Portugal and most of central Europe the same kitchen serves a set lunch for a fraction of the dinner price. Eat properly at one, keep the evening small.

5. Skip the city card unless the maths works

Add up the entry prices for the things you would genuinely do, not everything the card covers.

6. Check what is free on which day

Many national museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, and plenty are free for the last hour or two midweek. Free also means busy, so use it for the second tier things.

7. Two paid things a day, maximum

Three or four paid attractions a day is expensive, tiring, and the reason people come home needing a holiday. Two anchors and a good walk beats five tickets.

8. Buy the transport pass on arrival, not before

Airport transfer packages and pre bought tourist passes are usually worse than the local machine. Check the price of a single fare: if it is under two euro you probably do not need a pass at all.

9. Decide the souvenir budget before you go

Not romantic, but it works. The trips where people overspend are the ones where nothing was decided, so everything is a small yes.

The one that is not about money

Leave the last morning empty. Every trip we have planned where the last day was packed ended with someone stressed about the airport. An empty last morning costs nothing, and it is the thing people say they would repeat.