Booking far in advance is a favourite  choice for holiday makers who enjoy the security of knowing when and where they are going, giving themselves a long time to plan their trip. However, while this situation works well if booking in popular months, it’s often last minute holidays and quick bookings that can lead to the very best deals out of season, providing you aren’t too fussy about where you want to go or what resort you want to stay in. Some of the best last minutes deals you can get are on cancellation holidays.

Cancellation holidays occur when someone else cancels their holiday - normally only a few weeks before they are due to go - for budget or health reasons. Because of the short notice of the cancelation it’s often the case that the previous customer only got back a percentage of the price they paid, which means cancellation holidays are often sold at much cheaper prices of other holidays because part of the money has already been paid.

The nature of cancellation holidays mean that these are extreme last minute deals, which makes them ideal for retired couples or students but more difficult to arrange for professionals and families. It also means that you will basically be told where you can go and when and how the rooms will be set out as everything will be designed to the previous owner’s specifications. In some cases tour operators can be reasonably flexible and offer you extras on top of the existing package or upgrading your board or flights.

The beauty of cancellation holidays though is simply how cheap they are. Providing you are willing to drop everything and just fly out in a few days notice, you could save hundreds of pounds compared to booking in advance, particularly if you find cancellation holidays that were already budget choices or taking place out of season.