Six mistakes you're making when booking a holiday in the January sales

It’s tempting to line up a sunshine break at one of the dreariest times of the year. But in our eagerness to book, there's a danger we'll be seduced by too-good-to-be-true holiday deals.

Which? Travel is constantly tracking flight, hotel and holiday prices. There are some good deals in January; our research has previously found flights for the summer holidays are often the cheapest when booked in January - whether they're on sale or not. But we also frequently see deals that don’t offer a genuine saving and would be cheaper at other times of the year. 

Make it your resolution to avoid buyer's regret in 2025. These are the common traps to watch out for.

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1. Believing the sale price

Last month, Eurostar got into hot water for advertising sales prices that didn’t exist in a reasonable quantity to satisfy demand. Consumers struggled to snap up fares ‘from £39’ as promised, prompting the Advertising Standards Agency to rule that the ad was misleading. 

Which? Travel also found hotel chains Travelodge, Accor, and Hilton exaggerating the number of bargains in their promotions. We collected thousands of rates, and in some cases, the sale price didn’t exist at all. 

Not only does this cynical price practice frustrate and disappoint consumers, it can  boost sales for retailers. It’s known as the ‘commitment and consistency’ principle: consumers are far more likely to buy - even at the higher price - if they’ve already invested time and effort in the purchase.

Don’t take the bait: if you can’t find a deal at the price you’ve been promised, be prepared to walk away and shop elsewhere.

Read more on our investigation into hotel chains and too-good-to-be true discount claims

2. Thinking Ryanair is always cheaper

The low-cost carrier may have the lowest headline fares, but those prices quickly skyrocket if you want to take a cabin bag and select seats. Once we added extras, British Airways was cheaper than Ryanair for two out of three routes we checked.

On a return flight from London to Malaga, Ryanair’s basic price was £36 less than BA. But when we added a cabin bag to put in the overhead locker – and chose a seat with Ryanair – BA ended up £25 cheaper.

Ryanair has repeatedly introduced extra fees over the past few years. Its basic fare now only includes a backpack or handbag that fits under the seat in front of you, while parents must pay to sit next to children as young as three years old.

Wizz Air’s extras were even more expensive. Just putting a bag in the overhead locker cost a startling £89 for each return trip. Seat selection was also the most expensive we found – £24 for a return booking. 

That’s why it’s essential to always take extras into account when booking a flight. 

3. Booking a hotel using your laptop

If you regularly book hotels using your computer, you could be paying over the odds for your stay.

It’s little-known that Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com offer mobile-only discounts on selected hotels—promising up to 40% off—but only if the booking is made on a smartphone. Using this trick, we slashed £270 off the price of an apartment in Amsterdam on Booking.com. 

These mobile-only prices are only visible if you’re using your phone. If you always browse on a laptop, tablet or desktop, you’ll have no clue they exist. 

Just make sure the deal is all it’s cracked up to be before committing. When we cross-checked Expedia and Hotels.com on a laptop, we found they were offering ‘mobile exclusives’ that were the same price. Even when the mobile price was cheaper, the savings were sometimes exaggerated.

The Expedia Group (which also represents Hotels.com) agreed that our findings breached their promotions guidelines and has since made changes.

Still, we recommend always comparing booking site deals on your computer and mobile phone (preferably with a loyalty account).

You should also contact the hotel directly to ensure you’re getting the best-possible price before parting with your cash.

4. Ruling out a package holiday

You might assume that a do-it-yourself holiday - where you organise your flights and hotels separately - will cost less than a package. But, when we checked, it was cheaper to book an all-inclusive holiday in seven out of 10 popular destinations.

A three-star all-inclusive holiday to Cancun, Mexico, for a family of four worked out at £1,389 in our spot checks - more than £500 cheaper than the DIY price.

Entertainment, kids’ clubs and transfers are usually thrown in, as well as three buffet meals a day. Just bear in mind that some travel companies are more generous than others when it comes to perks. Find out which in our guide to choosing the best all-inclusive holidays.

Cost isn’t the only consideration: package holidays also give you financial and legal protection. If something goes wrong, your travel company has to resolve the issue, offer an alternative or provide a refund. You’re also protected if the company goes bust. 

Make sure to do the sums before you decide what type of holiday is best for you.

5. Not choosing a reliable provider

It's easy to get carried away with a cheap deal, but be careful which provider you book with. The airline you choose could affect your chance of a stress-free getaway. We found that KLM had the highest number of cancellations when we analysed flight data between October 2024 and September 2024. British Airways also continues to have much higher-than-average cancellations. 

Over the same 12-month period, it cancelled 2.4% of flights within 24 hours of departure.  

If you’re booking a package holiday, choose a provider which has been highly rated by customers on all elements, including customer service. Whether you’re looking for a traditional fly-and-flop beach resort, an escorted tour, walking holiday or city break, you’ll find a recommended provider in our reviews of the best and worst package holiday companies.

6. Being swayed by fake reviews

It's easy to be influenced by five-star reviews when planning a getaway, but those glowing write-ups can't always be trusted. Last year, Tripadvisor blocked a record ywo million misleading reviews - with four out of five, it says, prevented from ever appearing on the site. But a significant number are still slipping through the net.

It's a red flag if the majority of reviews are from people who've never posted anything else on the site. A flood of five-star reviews all at once is also cause for suspicion, along with repetitive language (as fakers are often given a template to follow). Read more on how to spot a fake review before reaching for your credit card.