'I have no idea why I thought of one thing I most definitely wouldn't do on holidays'

We are bombarded daily with information, so it is funny what sticks in your brain and what doesn’t.

I was on the Claire Byrne Live show last week and I talked about batch cooking at the start of a holiday to save money.

I have no idea why I thought of one thing I most definitely wouldn’t do on holidays. But I get to share with you the travel tips I do think are good ideas with you now.

My personal top tip for cheaper getaways is to target trips on the new routes opened up by many airlines from Ireland every year.

It is best to avoid popular hotspots and opt for locations “off the beaten track”.

I would always recommend people to look at the airlines’ new routes. Each year, Ryanair has new routes going from Dublin, Shannon or Cork, and the first year of those new routes on Ryanair, or even on Aer Lingus, are always cheaper because they’re trying to introduce and encourage people to go to these places.

These routes are new to Ireland so they’re less popular, meaning they’re cheaper, but also when you get there, more often than not things like accommodation and food etc. are also a lot cheaper as well.

There’s some beautiful places in northern Spain, like San Sebastian. Or you could try Biarritz, in France.

They have amazing food, there’s great walking there, lovely coasts, so being a little bit more imaginative like that could be just what is needed.

Sardinia is another place that I would really love. It has that Italian influence, but it is also very different from other parts of Italy.

Ryanair flies into Alghero in Sardinia and the nearby beach of Stintino has turquoise waters like the Maldives but in Europe.

But the top places I’d recommend would be Puliga, in southern Italy. There are flights to Bari, and from there you can go down into the heel.

This is where the Italians go for holidays and where every village has its own character. Another place - and it’s my favourite place actually - is the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece. It has spectacular mountains, stunning little seaside villages, and it is very reasonably priced.

The demand for foreign holidays has taken off as many people have saved up two or three years worth of summer holiday funds during the pandemic.

When combined with rising fuel costs and inflation this has led to the perfect storm of spiralling costs and increased demand.

It has been reported in the press about the high cost of car hire in Ireland with one American tourist pricing a car hire price of €10,000 for two weeks car hire in Ireland in July.

I have seen similar cost increases for car hire abroad.

I am planning to go to Greece during the summer, and for six of us the car hire for two weeks was going to cost over double the price of the flights for six.

This is going to be a major issue everywhere because during the pandemic these companies weren’t renewing, or even sold off stock.

So that’s something that people need to be aware of.

I would recommend to book accommodation near amenities so you don’t need a car or look at the public transport option this summer.

The cost of fuel for car hire should also be factored in when thinking of booking a car.

The holiday destinations of the Algarve, Costa Del Sol and the Canaries are still the most popular destinations with Irish tourists but they are also some of the most expensive locations this summer too.

My recommendation would be to go off the beaten track.

For my own personal holiday, I noticed that flights to Athens in Greece were a little bit more expensive than pre-Covid, so I decided to go to Thessaloniki, which is the second biggest city in Greece.

The flights were nearly half the cost of flying to Athens. So by going to places that are off the beaten track, you will be able to make massive cost savings.

Another great option that I know people are taking this year is hiring campervans so that their travel and accommodation are reduced.

Not only are you saving on those costs but also the cost of a campervan berth at campsites is much cheaper than hiring a mobile home.

You could save over half the price this way.

There is a great website called www.yescapa.ie that is essentially Airbnb for campervans where you can hire from private owners.

I have a friend that did this in Bordeaux who was met at the airport by the owner with the campervan and they dropped off at the airport too.

This company mainly operates in France but also Spain and Portugal.

If you go for the campervan hire then a great website is www.park4night.com which lists great campsites in often stunning locations.

My tip of going off the beaten track also applies to Ireland. Despite the increased costs in Ireland value for money can still be had with staycations - but again holidaymakers must be willing to look outside of the typical tourist hotspots.

For example, there are stunning places to visit and stay in Longford where you will have a great holiday and great value for money.

I’ll be writing more about that next week. The Munster Senior Hurling Championship between Clare and Limerick sold out within minutes of going on sale last week.

This is the first meeting of Clare and Limerick in a Munster Final since that famous final in 1995 that led to the glory of that legendary Clare team.

My GAA Minor Moments Podcast guest this week is Clare man Jamesie O’Connor who was one of the leaders of a team that is considered the best in a golden age for hurling.

He talks about that time and his hurling philosophies and how Tipperary’s Eamon O’Shea was one of his most influential mentors.

Listen on all podcast platforms including https://shows.acast.com/gaa-minor-moments.