Organise your own foreign holiday schedule rather than relying on a travel agent.
This is particularly easy if you want to go to the USA. *

We went to Las Vegas, Orlando and New York over a 3 week period for my 40th birthday and 8th Wedding anniversary, entirely arranged by Mrs Airman Gabber armed with nothing much more than the internet, patience and a 0% credit card. All our flights combined flying with DELTA airline came to less than our parents paid on a return flight to Vegas and back with Virgin. You don't quite get the same luxuries but the savings were huge.

All the hotels were either booked directly with the hotel website or via the American version of Laterooms/Lastminute. Just make sure you've done your research of the hotels first to avoid any Horror Stories. Most of the usual chains are fine (Quality inn, Best Western etc..)

We stayed at a great hotel right in the busiest area of International Drive for 10 nights and it only cost £350.

Also Don't bother hiring a car in Orlando. Transport is either free, cheap and plentiful and a taxi from the airport is only about $20

For our less epic holidays we sign up to Easyjet's mailing list which gets us advanced notice of all the latest flights when they release them (They tend to release flights about 8 months in advance) and the prices are usually 1/3 - 1/2 the price when booked 2 or 3 months ahead. Booked 8 months in advance we got return flights to Tenerife (including taxes) for £65 each.

Accomodation can also be arranged independently either via hotel websites or privately owned apartments. In the case of Tenerife the Apartment only 8 minutes from a major beach and resort is only £200/week.

This put the cost of 2 weeks in the sun at a total cost of £530 for 2 people... Before we spunked a grand up the wall on booze whilst we were there.

* I know you're not all impoverished Students so this advice may be useful to some here, before you rip me a new arsehole for being elitist or something.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:46, 7 replies)

Saving money
is saving money . . . this all makes good sense.
(username failed moderation, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:51, closed)

I save on foreign travel
by not having a passport. I've not been abroad in at least 10 years - why would I? Airports, planes, boats, trains, and coaches, are all awful.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:04, closed)

More awful than a week in Filey or some other godforsaken hole.
I don't think so.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:39, closed)

Meh, I don't really enjoy holidays.
The occassional day out, does me fine (I like to know that I'll be able to get a decent cup of tea, at the end of the day).
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 19:38, closed)

And a bowl of soup?
You're homeless aren't you?
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Tue 15 Nov 2011, 9:46, closed)

bookings.com
are the best for cheap hotels I've found, it was by far cheaper for a hotel in new york than actually booking directly through the hotels own website.
(Bababoon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 18:17, closed)

forget the hotel
Sleep in graveyards. Villains are generally very superstitious.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Tue 15 Nov 2011, 0:20, closed)