How I’m helping teachers beat the holiday price hike

Rachel Bickford

A teacher’s story of founding a travel club to help school staff and families find affordable holiday deals and challenge peak-time price hikes.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to travel. Growing up, my family spent summer holidays caravanning in Cornwall, and I still recall the excitement of my first trip abroad to France as a teenager. Travel, for me, has always been about adventure, discovery, and making memories with the people I love. But when I became a teacher, over 20 years ago, I quickly realised that travelling frequently and whilst on a budget was going to be a serious challenge.

Like all my colleagues, I was tied to the school calendar, forced to book holidays during peak travel periods when prices were at their highest. My husband James (who became a teacher “because of July and August”) and I became experts in hunting for deals, finding ways to book dream holidays without breaking the bank. Over the years, we discovered countless travel hacks that made a massive difference to our holidays.

We had our son in 2015 and continued to travel, but now as a family of 3, which also brings challenges, as many of you will know. Since getting his first passport at just four weeks old, we’ve visited 14 countries across three continents, building a bank of knowledge that has allowed us to travel more, for less. Eventually, it became clear: we weren’t the only ones struggling to find affordable school holiday deals. So, we decided to do something about it and that’s how OTTO Holiday Club was born.

Beating the system: Why I started OTTO Holiday Club

For people who work in schools, travel during the school holidays is a non-negotiable expense. Everyone deserves a break, but the travel industry has long taken advantage of our limited flexibility. You’ve probably lost count of the times you’ve seen an enticing deal, only to find that the advertised price was only available outside the school holidays. Flights, accommodation, and package deals are all inflated in line with demand, leaving us with a stark choice: pay up or stay at home.

I knew there had to be a way to challenge this unfair system. I was inspired by businesses like Jack’s Flight Club, which helps people find cheap airfares. So why not create something similar, but specifically for school staff? That idea became OTTO Holiday Club: ‘Outside Term Time Only’, a travel community dedicated to finding the best deals during school holidays, saving school staff and parents both time and money.

Top money-saving travel tips

While OTTO finds and shares the best school holiday travel deals, we also promote plenty of other ways to save money on holidays. Here are some of my favourite hacks:

• Know your term dates: Take advantage of a two-week half-term or where your dates fall before or after most holiday dates across the country.
• “DIY” to save hundreds: Cut out the travel agent and arrange flights and accommodation separately by booking these elements yourself.
• Book flights early: Airlines release tickets around 11 months in advance. Booking as soon as they go on sale can mean big savings.
• Be flexible with airports: Checking nearby airports, both for departures and arrivals, can make a huge difference in price.
• Use rewards, cashback and discount sites: Websites like Quidco offer cashback on travel bookings. Blue Light Card gives discounts to school staff, and supermarkets like Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar offer travel-related rewards.

The mission: Making travel affordable for school staff

At OTTO, our motto is simple: travel more, pay less. We scour the internet for the best school holiday deals, cutting through the noise and endless research so our members don’t have to. Whether it’s an all-inclusive beach break, a last-minute city escape, or a family-friendly UK stay, we find and share the best deals available when we can actually travel. For those who sign up to our free membership, we send regular email alerts with travel tips, hacks, and discounts. Our premium members (who pay just £29 a year) get access to even more exclusive deals, travel guides, and more.

Some of the examples of savings you can make include:

• £750 on a half-term holiday to Gran Canaria
• £600 on a summer getaway to Crete
• £128 on a family trip to Legoland
• £87 on a B&B stay in Cumbria
• £460 on a cruise with TUI

If we can do it, you can too! I love hearing from people who’ve booked their dream holiday for a fraction of the price. It proves that travel during school holidays doesn’t have to cost a fortune – you just need to know where to look.

The bigger picture: fighting for fairer travel pricing

But OTTO isn’t just about finding deals. It’s about changing the conversation around school holiday travel. Millions of people who work in education settings across the UK are tied to the peak pricing system, frustrated that they’re financially penalised simply for working in schools.

That’s why OTTO Holiday Club is more than just a membership, it’s a movement. We need to challenge how the travel industry operates and push for fairer pricing structures. There are independent, family-run businesses that offer reasonable rates year-round, but they’re often overshadowed by major tour operators hiking prices for peak dates. By spotlighting affordable, ethical travel options, OTTO will shift the balance and make holidays accessible to all.

I also want to work directly with travel companies to negotiate better deals for people who work in schools. The demand and numbers to make a difference are there. By proving there’s a huge market for fair-priced, peak-time travel, we can start to shift the industry in a more inclusive direction.

Want to ‘Travel More and Pay Less’? Join Us!

If you work in education and are tired of being ripped off by holiday price hikes, I’d love for you to join us and make a real difference for school staff across the country. Sign up for free at www.OTTOholidayclub.co.uk and start receiving deals straight to your inbox, or consider upgrading to our premium membership for just £29 a year, it’s an investment that could save you hundreds.

Together, we can rewrite the rules of school holiday prices and make travel affordable for everyone.

Rachel Bickford
Co-Founder of OTTO Holiday Club