10 tips to avoid being scammed when booking a holiday
Recent 2025/2026 data from Action Fraud and ABTA reveals that holidaymakers remain high-priority targets for cyber-criminals, with over £15 million lost to travel-related scams annually.
Surveys indicate that approximately 25% of travelers admit they would overlook red flags—such as lack of ATOL protection or poor reviews—if a deal appeared significantly cheaper than the market average.
Furthermore, with the rise of AI-generated 'clone' websites, nearly 1 in 10 consumers now report falling victim to sophisticated phishing scams while searching for last-minute accommodation, highlighting a growing vulnerability in the 2026 travel market.
Travel expert Rob Staines, who has appeared on shows such as BBC One's Morning Live and Rip Off Britain, ITV's Good Morning Britain and Channel Five's The Jeremy Vine Show, said it was imperative travellers checked terms and conditions and were suspicious of unknown websites or those with negative reviews.
He's given 10 tips to avoid travel scams when booking a holiday (and we've added our insight in too)
1. Purchase travel insurance at the moment you book your trip to ensure you are covered for cancellation due to fraud or provider insolvency. If you plan to travel more than twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy often provides the best value. While specific promotions vary, many leading providers in 2026—including the Post Office—continue to offer family-friendly incentives, such as discounted premiums for online applications or 'kids go free' add-ons on select policy tiers.
(NimbleFins has reviews of the top providers and key questions answered in our travel insurance guide here).
2. Book direct - online agents aren't always cheapest. You also get better service - especially if things go wrong!
3. Research destinations to see where your money goes further - the Post Office's City Costs Barometer is great for this. (NimbleFins also has research on the cheapest holidays from the UK. Our research also includes the most expensive!)
4. Don't get caught out by star ratings - they are often based on amenities like conference rooms and don't always reflect quality.
5. Don't just look at economy seats - sometimes during holidays business travel is reduced as are the fares!
6. Airport parking - consider a "stay and fly" package with a hotel that lets you stay before your holiday and leave your car whilst you're away, it can be very cost-effective.
7. Haggle on Airbnb - yes you can! (NimbleFins has some details on what you need to know about Airbnb guest insurance)
8. Pre-order foreign currency and never buy at the airport - the Post Office is usually most reliable!
9. Book flexible for everything - if prices come down you can cancel and rebook.
10. Be scam aware - if it's too good to be true it probably is. Never book via social channels or pay by bank transfer. Only book through trusted channels/companies. (NimbleFins has a list of rogue websites wrongly claiming to be ATOL protected plus info on what ATOL, ABTA, SAFI and ESF mean)
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