Timing affects cost as much as accommodation type. Travelling outside school holidays and bank holiday weekends, even by a few days either side, tends to bring costs down considerably, simply because you're avoiding the weeks everyone else is trying to book. If your circumstances allow any flexibility on dates, this is worth more than almost any other single budgeting decision.

There isn't one single answer to how far ahead you should book, because it depends heavily on when you actually want to go.

A hotel stay suits a different kind of trip. If you want your meals cooked and cleared away without any thought, and you'd rather not do any washing up on holiday at all, that's a fair trade for a smaller room. Hotels also tend to sit centrally in towns and cities, so if your break is built around walking to restaurants, shops and evening entertainment on foot, that convenience counts for a lot.

If you're travelling with children, pack a beach bag that stays by the door, buckets and spades, tingdeneholidayparks.com a windbreak if you have one, sun cream regardless of the forecast, and a full change of clothes kept in the car rather than the caravan, since sandy, wet children rarely want to walk back for it. Bikes are worth bringing if your park has cycle paths or is close to a coastal trail, and a car boot cool bag makes packed lunches for day trips much easier.

Finally, ask about parking, whether each unit has its own space or whether you're sharing a car park a short walk away, particularly if you're arriving with a car full of luggage and a young family in tow.

Find out more at static caravan holiday lets.