The price of a holiday has soared with the cost of some package holidays in Mediterranean destinations rising by more than 20 percent this summer according to Travelsupermarket.

Luckily, there are still a few ways that British tourists can save money on a holiday. A travel expert told Express.co.uk how they save money on a family holiday.

In an exclusive experiment for Express.co.uk, I wanted to see whether I could save money on a hotel room by booking direct.

Many travel experts advise travellers to book a hotel room with the company rather than through a third party platform, such as Booking.com, to save money. But is this always the case?

For this experiment, I looked at hotel costs in London on Booking.com and then compared them with prices on the hotel’s website.

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The results were mixed. Some of the hotel prices were exactly the same on Booking.com as they were on the hotel’s website.

In one case, a Booking.com offer meant the hotel was £32 cheaper on Booking.com than it would have been booking direct.

I also found two hotels offering rooms for £20 cheaper on their own website than the rooms were listed for on Booking.com.

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However, these savings were only possible if travellers agreed to sign up to the hotel’s free membership scheme.

Ultimately, that’s what this experiment taught me. Signing up to a hotel company’s membership scheme, if it’s free, can help travellers pick up great deals on hotel rooms.

It’s free to sign up to the Hilton Honors scheme and travellers could get better deals on rooms and earn points when they stay at a Hilton. Accor’s Life Limitless scheme is free and members can get a 10 percent discount on rooms.

Signing up to Booking.com’s Genius scheme could also earn travellers exclusive deals and better prices on hotel rooms.

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I’d recommend checking the price of a hotel on Booking.com and on the individual website before committing. It’s also a great idea to sign up to free membership schemes for the best deal.

Although individual hotels are unlikely to have membership schemes, guests could always try calling to see if there’s a deal or upgrade possible.

Looking to book a hotel in London? Check out some of Express.co.uk ’s reviews of the capital’s best stays.

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