How to hack your summer holiday

Since it’s June, here is your cut-out-and-keep guide to hacking your summer holiday.

One possibility. Don’t bother. Unless you have school-age children, why book your main overseas holiday in what is the nicest part of the year at home? As my late father often reminded me: ‘The three worst things about living in Britain are January, February and March.’ If you head south in these three months, almost anywhere will be an improvement. When flying in July, you risk sitting on the tarmac at Gatwick on a perfect summer’s day destined for a place where your shoes will catch fire. And you miss out on the long, light evenings, too.

But it’s hard to generalise. After 40 years of holiday-making, I have only one firm conclusion. Holidays where you have a car are better than those where you don’t.