This Friday sees the start of the great Easter getaway with millions of us heading off on holiday overseas or taking a break in the UK.

It’s traditionally seen as the curtain raiser for the summer and with temperatures in the Southern Mediterranean set to be in the early twenties with good sunshine, so if you’re lucky enough to be heading overseas you’re in for a very pleasant few days. However I can’t deny that it’s not one of the cheapest times of year to travel.

...spring is actually one the nicest times of year to travel.

Easter is clearly a bank holiday throughout Europe and many other parts of the world, so there is very strong demand for flights and bed spaces and prices go up accordingly, so it is definitely a time when it pays to book as early as possible for lower prices and wide availability. Easter can also be a fascinating time to travel with colourful and dramatic religious festivals being held in many countries.

As we move away from Easter prices will start to come down as not many people travel in April and May compared to the summer months, but spring is actually one the nicest times of year to travel. Of course you can’t guarantee sunshine and high temperatures every day, but the weather on the continent is generally much more predictable than in the UK and if you head south the weather will be a lot warmer. The countryside will be at its best with wild flowers in bloom and you will be able to visit beauty spots and beaches without the crowds that they will inevitably attract in the summer.

My personal spring favourites are the Mediterranean islands, southern Turkey and the Costa del Sol. I will never forget being in Sicily in May for the first time with the air full of butterflies and the fields a deep shade of green rather than dry and parched land you will see in the summer. And if you really love those high temperatures then the only place to go at this time of year is Egypt; Sharm El Sheik is an incredible 30C over Easter.

In my blog last week I gave you a lot of good news affecting the cost of your holidays, I forgot to mention one last one. For fairly dry and dusty reasons which I won’t go into (but you can find out more here if you’re interested) from 1 April 2015 the UK aviation tax on long haul flights is coming down for flights to places like the Caribbean and Australia. That’ll help cover the cost of a few Easter eggs, happy holidays!

Sean Tipton, Media Manager, ABTA