What we each class as a bargain can vary wildly, and it has to depend on the availability of the product or service we are seeking to buy, and of course the main factor here: how much do we want it?.

As you may be well aware if you know anything about this site, we mainly deal in information about camping and mobile home holidays. "Camping" includes tents, Tipis, Yurts, Pods, and of course, mobile homes are included in camping. However, for the purposes of this page we think the info applies to many types of holidays other than those listed, and we hope you are able to benefit a little by it.

If you were offered a holiday to France here and now (March 2009) with 30% off you would most probably think about it seriously because bargain holiday deals like that don't grow on trees. On the other hand, because I know this market fairly well I wouldn't accept it at this time as I am 100% certain that here will be a good few tour operators wanting to unload camping/mobile home hoidays at half price in the near future, and that is what I call a bargain holiday deal.

Not everyone thinks this way (my wife says "Thanks God they don't") but holiday bargains are all around us even now and even if they don't appear to be the best deals yet. Look at things my way for a minute and calculate the total brochure of your holiday except for your projected spending money. Ask them politely for a discount - this won't be forthcoming so ask politely for the manager (ess) and ask him/her for a discount. Say that you are willing to do a deal now and either pay in full (not advisable at this stage) or leave a decent deposit. You may or may not be lucky but you must have the brass neck to ask! This is your hard earned money and you want the best possible holiday deal when you part with it.

I am convinced that by May/June 2009 you will be able to negotiate at least a 1/3 rd discount on the price that the holiday stands at now and probably you will get 50% off. You are still put off that holiday to France, Spain, Italy etc because the £ Pound Stering in worth 1 Euro or thereabouts.

OK, look at it this way: Your £ Pound has crashed 40% since Summer 2008 so spending in France etc will cost quite a lot more. But the cost of your holiday has been reducd by 1/3 or maybe 50% so all you have to do is to calculate what the whole package is going to cost you. My guess is that you will have a bargain holiday deal even though the £ Pound is Monopoly money at present.

I will stand a good kicking if by June this year (2009) there aren't a good few tour operators who concentrate on selling hols in the Eurozone either go bust or have to reduce their prices to such an extent it will be a case of placing bums in tents, or mobile homes, whatever.

Should we feel sorry for these tour operators? Well I do, at least I feel for the smaller companies which have often been run by a family for twenty years or so. Yes, I feel sorry for them because as always the smaller companies don't have as much to back them up when things go belly up as the financial situation has this year. On the other hand, they don't have the same amount of staff and overheads either.

It's tough out there but you have to harden your heart to all this and be able to negotiate the best possible bargain holiday deals for you and your family.