Kids go on the piste for less

IT'S A FREE WORLD:IF YOU'RE booking a ski holiday, ask the travel operator if there are any freebies on offer. A few tour operators have kids-go-free places in some resorts while others provide free ski equipment and lift passes.

Topflight has free child places in a number of ski resorts. In Wildschönau in Austria, kids under 15 get free lift passes and in San Johann, Austria, kids under 14 get free equipment and tuition and there are lift passes for children under five.

In Westendorf, Germany there’s free ski tuition for kids under 14. Crystal Ski also has free places for kids in selected resorts and lift passes for adult group leaders. In the New Year it’s offering adults two-for-one on lift passes for Andorra.

Heffernans (heffernans.ie) travel agents in Cork deals with operators giving free places, ski sticks and insurance for kids.

Catch:the free place is usually limited to one child and subject to availability.

Take note:if you have more than one child, ask if there are discounted child places for the other children.

* THE BUDGET has pushed annual holidays out of many people’s reach but house-exchange is a way of saving on accommodation. If you swap your home with someone abroad or in Ireland, you only have to stump up for travel and spending money.

There are lots of websites – homelink.ie, propertyswap.ie and 1sthomeexchange.com – where you can post photos of your home and search for an exchange partner. Prices vary wildly from just €25 per year (or €2 per month) on propertyswap.ie up to €100 for homelink.ie which offers customer support. It’s a good idea to build up trust and get to know your exchange partner by e-mail, phone or Skype before the holiday.

Catch:don't depend on finding a family living in the Hamptons who will want to swap with your three bed-semi in Clonee.

Take note:"The swap system is really quite simple. It is like choosing a mail order bride," says homelink.ie which advises working out the finer details in advance of the stay, like whether utility and phone bills are paid by you or the guest family.

* SIGHTSEEING bus tours of London can be pricey (over €25 for adults) but londonforfree.net has a self-guided tour where the only expense is your bus fare and you have the flexibility of going at your own pace.

The website provides a full itinerary, complete with historical facts that you can print out or read on your iPhone. It starts at Piccadilly Square and takes in the Ritz, Knightsbridge, the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, Tower Bridge, the VA, Baker St and Trafalgar Square. It tells you which buses to get, where the bus stops are and where to hop off for your next attraction – a one-day travel pass is best to save money.

Catch:reading about Fortnum & Mason or St Paul's Cathedral isn't the same as having an entertaining tour guide impart it.

Take note:some cities operate free tourist shuttles, trams and hop-on hop-off tours like Melbourne, and Adelaide in Australia and West Palm Beach in Florida and Las Vegas in the US.

Found a freebie on holiday? Email emorgan@irishtimes.com