Have a great city, beach or career break on a budget without lowering yourself to stag-infested city centres, Brit-packed beaches or over-tramped backpacker trails.

If you’re craving a break but feeling the squeeze, don’t panic. It is possible to travel on a budget without compromising on quality. By following a few simple rules and choosing your destination wisely you can still get away and avoid the middling crowd.

Rule one: Be flexible on dates. Travel mid week and outside of school holidays if at all possible.

Rule two: Sign up for newsletters and be the first to hear about special offers. Ryanair sends regular e-mails giving subscribers the chance to book the cheapest flights before anyone else, as well as special members-only flight offers. Travelzoo sends subscribers a weekly Top 20TM newsletter featuring fantastic deals compiled from hundreds of companies’ sales.

Rule three: Research, research, research. Use as many travel comparison sites as possible to vastly increase your chances of scraping a rock-bottom deal. Check out the offers of travel agents in your local high street; they’re often desperate to compete with the online agencies and will put in that extra effort to get you a deal. Finally, try booking your flight and accommodation separately through the no-frills airlines and specialist hotel comparison sites.

Rule four: Choose your destination carefully. While there’s something to be said for simply going to wherever the flights are cheapest, if you get there and find it costs £6 for a pint, it’s not exactly going to do wonders for your bank balance.

Source: World Travel Guide