If your relationship is anything like mine, conversations about holidays come up roughly every two months. Always initiated by my wife.

She tells me we should start thinking about booking in a holiday. I tell her it’s really expensive and we still need to get the bedroom window replaced because the seal has failed. She tells me we can’t put a price on family time or memories made with the children.

She’s right of course, and actually, a holiday doesn’t need to be as expensive as you think – especially not with the free child places that so many holiday companies offer these days.

There are millions of places available, and there is no catch. One child really does fly free and stay at the hotel for free. The specific terms with each holiday company are a little different, but usually, the deal is that two full paying adults qualify for one free child. Often, that comes with free baggage, free food and drink at the hotel in some cases, and even free kids clubs if you book the right place.

This is a life saver for cash strapped families who don’t want to sacrifice their annual family holiday, as it brings the cost down substantially. We saved more than enough to replace our dodgy bedroom window, put it that way!

So if you are interested in a free child’s place for your next family holiday, look no further.

TUI Free Child Places

What I love about TUI, is the interesting range of destinations available with free child places. The likes of Bulgaria, Tunisia and Morocco – not countries you would immediately think of. A lot of these are also ‘big holiday’ destinations rather than quick getaways in Spain, although TUI have them too.

Two adults paying full price qualify for a free child place, so for single child families you are essentially paying the same as it would have cost before you became parents, which is great. If you want ‘premium’ holidays at a discount, this is the place to look for them, but they have loads available at the cheaper end too.

Jet2holidays Free Child Places

With Jet2holidays, simplicity is key. Their free child places are available across their entire range of family package holidays, and the offer is applied automatically using your passenger information when you search. That means there is no messing around trying to work out if the holiday you are looking at qualifies for the offer. All the holidays that come up in the search results are included. It’s a year round offer too, so it doesn’t even matter when you want to go.

Places are limited, but there are millions available. So availability might run out at specific destinations or during busy times of the year, but there will always be something else available. For single parent families, they offer a special discount instead of a free child’s place, although infants always go free with Jet2, so any children under two are always free.

easyJet Free Child Places

easyJet have free child places available on a select range of package holidays, but that range is large. You can take advantage on family holidays from three to fourteen nights long, and destinations include lots of European favourites as well as places like Turkey and Egypt. Infants only cost £25 extra too, provided they sit on a parent’s lap on the plane. Probably best for shorter journeys.

What makes easyJet stand out is their flexibility. They have a range of tools in place to make planning a holiday easier for even the most chaotic of families. From personalised payment plans to low friction ways of changing details like dates, upgrades, and even destinations, if you want options, easyJet is for you.

First Choice Free Child Places

First Choice are probably at the more budget end of package holidays, so the hotels may be a little more ‘no frills’, but the destinations still range from European hot spots to long-haul adventures. The free child places tend to be seasonal here, so it’s best to book early to avoid missing out, and they include the usual such as flights, accommodation, transfers and the same board basis as the two full paying adults.

To qualify, children need to be under 12 in most cases, but some hotels accept children up to the age of 15. You should also be aware that First Choice package up their deals quite specifically, so making changes to the airport or dates could disqualify the free child place promotion. First Choice are particularly good for families looking for last minute holidays.

On the Beach Kids Stay Free

On the Beach offer something a little different in that the kids stay at the hotel for free, but their flights and transfers etc. still need to be paid for. On the surface, this sounds like a worse deal (although it’s still a great saving), but they include a range of hotels and destinations that include two children staying for free, not just one. So for certain families, it might work out better value.

What On the Beach offers in terms of holidays is the complete range, from cheap and cheerful to luxury, although the brand and the booking experience are aimed at affordability and flexibility. For example, payments can be spread and deposits start at just £19pp, and because it is technically a marketplace, you can combine flights and hotels from different suppliers.

loveholidays Free Child Stays

Another holiday marketplace, loveholidays offer thousands of hotels around the world with free child stays. They are known for having a large choice of destinations, low prices, and low deposits. The free place applies to the hotel stay only, so flights and baggage etc. will still be charged. However, this is one of the few holiday companies with selected free places available for children up to the age of 17, although the age limit varies between hotels.

The offer is applied automatically to all eligible bookings, and if you can get the same holiday cheaper with a different offer, you will be shown the lower price instead. So you know the price you see on the screen is always the cheapest price available with loveholidays.

Mark Warner Free Child Places

Anyone looking for a higher end holiday can still get a free child’s place with Mark Warner. This company is known for offering family activity holidays at beach club resorts, and although the destinations are limited to places like Greece and Turkey, they often include lots of extras. This includes things like sailing, windsurfing, padel, pickleball, cycling, fitness classes, and loads more, plus, all resorts come with very good kids clubs for ages 2-17.

There are hundreds of free child places available at select times through the year, and they apply to all kids up to age 17. Two adults booking together qualify for a free child place with Mark Warner, but availability is much more limited than with other holiday providers due to the niche nature of the company.

How Free Child Places Work

Free child places are a pretty common offer among the bigger holiday companies, and although they all approach it in their own way, the basics of the deal are more or less the same.

If two full paying adults book one of the selected holidays included in the promotion, they can take a child with them for free. Exactly what counts as a child can vary between holiday companies – and even between hotels with some companies – but that’s the basic idea.

So parents with one child only pay for themselves, while parents with two children only have to pay for one of their kids. The deal is often stackable too. So if there are four adults and two children, both pairs of adults can get a free child. They just need to be booking separate rooms.

The free child place includes:

• Flights
• Accommodation
• Baggage
• Transfers
• Food and drink (if the adults have booked a package including food and drink)

You might even get free kids clubs if your hotel provides them, but this should not be presumed.

The deal is usually applied automatically, with a clear indication when a free child place has been included in the booking. The holiday company sites are designed to make booking as easy as possible, so you can search the appropriate section of the site safe in the knowledge that everything you see is included in the offer.

What About Single Parents?

Single parents can benefit too, but it depends on your specific situation.

Although most companies talk about two full paying adults, what they really mean is two people paying full price. So if you are a single parent with two children, you could still claim a free place for one of them because you would be paying full price for the other.

Single parents with one child have the roughest deal, because although they might qualify for a free place by paying for themselves and their child, they don’t have another child to take with them. Some companies offer small discounts to single parents, but it is usually a token gesture rather than a meaningful saving, albeit a very welcome gesture.

Things to Know

While these are brilliant deals saving families hundreds of pounds per trip, you should be clear on what you are getting.

Room Sharing

The free child’s place does not come with a separate room for the child. The booking is for one room, which everyone must share. So if you have two children that means four people staying in the same room. If you wanted an additional room for the children you would need to pay more.

Length of Stay

You should also check the length of the holiday. Some companies have a limit to how long the free child’s holiday can be, so anyone thinking of an extended holiday would need to check the terms. Additional costs may apply after this. Equally, very short holidays may also be discounted.

Children’s Age

As mentioned, different companies have different upper age limits for what they will accept as a child. Whatever that age is, your child must still be under that cut off point on the date you return home. So if one of your children is right on the cusp, and they have a birthday during your trip, you could run into trouble.

Places Are Limited

Remember too that each company has limited free child places, so they can and do run out. There are often millions of places available, but they may be spread out across the year, for example, so free places at busy times like school holidays are likely to run out more quickly.

Cancellations May Be Charged

Cancellations are sometimes charged per person, not per holiday. So if you book a holiday for three including a free child’s place and have to cancel, you may have to pay three cancellation fees, not two. The child’s holiday place might be free to book, but it’s not usually free to cancel.

Infants

An infant is usually a child under 2 years old. In most cases, children this young go free even without the free child place offer. Or if they are charged, it’s a very small fee. What’s more, you can often get two pieces of baby/toddler equipment included in the hold for no extra charge. So you can take your pushchair and your car seat, for example.

Booking Tips

Free child places can save you a significant amount of money, but don’t assume the first one you find will automatically be the best deal.

Keep these tips in mind when booking:

• Compare the total holiday price: A holiday offering a free child place can still cost more than a discounted package elsewhere. Compare the final price for the whole family, not just the advertised saving.
• Enter every traveller’s correct age: Age limits vary between holiday companies and hotels, and providers use the child’s age on the date you return, so make sure the details you enter are accurate.
• Check exactly what is free: A full free child place might include flights, accommodation, baggage, transfers and meals. A “kids stay free” deal might cover only the hotel, leaving you to pay for the child’s flights and transfers.
• Look at the board basis: If the adults are booked on an all inclusive deal, the child’s meals and drinks will normally be included too. However, upgrades and optional extras may still cost more.
• Check the room and departure details: Offers can be limited to certain room types, dates, airports and holiday durations. Choosing a different flight or upgrading the room could remove the free place.
• Don’t be put off by a child deposit: Some companies charge a deposit for every traveller, including the child travelling free. This will be deducted from the final balance.
• Book early for school holidays: Free places can be available during the school holidays, but they are limited and the most popular hotels and departure airports tend to fill up first.
• Compare nearby airports and dates: Travelling a day or two earlier, choosing a different flight or departing from another airport can uncover free child places that did not appear in your original search.
• Check before changing your booking: Moving to another date, hotel or room after booking could mean losing the free child place and having to pay the new child price.
• Don’t waste a free place on an infant: Babies under two are already free or very cheap with some companies. If travelling with an infant and an older child, check which child the offer will be allocated to.

Finally, save your booking confirmation and a copy or screenshot of the offer. Free child place terms can change, so it is useful to have a record of exactly what was included when you booked.