TRAVEL agents in Swindon are advising families planning holidays during the school holidays to book as early as possible to avoid the huge price hikes.

Companies say that, rather than taking children out of school in the last weeks of term, parents can pick up deals if they plan far in advance.

Their advice comes after three parents, who took their children on holiday during term time without authorisation, were fined at Swindon Magistrates’ Court this week.

Swindon Council had previously offered them the chance to avoid prosecution by paying a £50 fine but no payment was received.

Chris Ketteman-Miles, a travel consultant at Travel Angels in Havelock Street, said: “The price difference for holidays between term time and school holidays comes down to supply and demand.

“If you have got a family that’s got children, the operators are going to capitalise as much as they possibly can. And every time there’s a break in terms of school holidays, the operators know this and they put the prices up.

“I don’t personally agree with the price hikes during the summer holidays. I don’t think the price should be different, because the cost to the operator is no different whether it’s April or August.

“My advice, and the advice of our agency, would be to book early, get ‘one child free’ places, get whatever you can out of those tour operators, to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.”

Estimates from travel website Expedia show that one week in Disneyland World Resort in Florida for two adults and two school children would cost from £573 per person the week before the Easter holidays, compared to £723 during and £604 the week afterwards.

And quotes from Center Parcs show that a week’s stay for the same family in Sherwood Forest would cost from a total of £1,078 the week before Easter, compared to £1,338 during and £793 afterwards.

Sue Sheppard, a partner at Astral Travel, in Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill, said: “The operators, as soon as they see it is half term or the summer holidays, they put up their prices because of demand.

“Obviously for some families, providing they are happy taking children out of school, they will make a big saving.

“But if people won’t take their children out of school and they just take their children when it’s half term or the summer holidays, then they are always best booking their holiday earlier because there are a lot of savings the earlier it’s booked.”

Mr Ketterman-Miles, a father-of-two, who has a child at Shaw Ridge Primary School, said he knew some parents had risked the fine for taking their child out of school during term-time on the basis they will overall make significant savings through cheaper holiday bookings.

He said: “I have heard people waiting in the playground say ‘Let the school fine me £50, because I will still be £350 better off’.

“It’s very important for children to be in school but does it really matter for someone who is in Year 2 of primary school being pulled out of school the day before they break up?

“Because I know the last week before they break up is just tidying things up and sorting things out for the summer, or just mucking around playing games and taking in toys to show and tell.”