How many browser tabs did you have open the last time you booked a ski trip? For most of us, it’s a lot. One for flights, one for transfers, a couple for accommodation, and at least one weather forecast you’ve refreshed so often it’s stopped meaning anything.
Planning and booking a ski holiday shouldn’t feel like a puzzle, but somehow it often does.
You’ll probably know the routine. You find a hotel you love, then discover the only Saturday flight that works costs more than the accommodation. The cheaper one lands at teatime. By the time the transfer coach has done the rounds of every village in the valley, the lifts have shut, the hire shop has a queue out of the door and your first “ski day” has been spent almost entirely in a coach seat.
Surely there’s an easier way?
Marcus and Alexander Blunt, co-founders of Heidi, asked themselves the same thing back in 2018, and made it their mission to solve. We sat down with them to find out how Heidi strips away the faff to make ski trips easier and more flexible for everyone, whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned pro. We also got their expert take on the questions skiers ask us most, from choosing the right resort to how to get cheaper flights. Heidi doesn’t do fixed packages: their holidays are built in real-time, which means you’re not limited to the usual Saturday-to-Saturday week unless you want it. You can build the exact trip you want, staying between 2 to 14 nights and flying on any day of the week from more than 20 UK airports. And there are over 350 resorts across Europe and Canada to pick from.
In eight years, the company has gone from start-up to the second-largest ski holiday operator in the UK. It’s now a Which? Recommended Provider and currently rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot, so you know you’re in good hands.
“When it comes to ski holidays, people want flexibility, freedom, great value, and peace of mind,” says Alexander. “What they don’t want is faff.”
He continues: “Heidi is a one-stop ski holiday shop that removes the stress of juggling multiple websites to find the exact trip you want. This often comes up in Trustpilot reviews as the top reason customers choose Heidi over DIY. Our travel tech compares thousands of holiday package options in seconds and lets you filter within your dates, ability level, budget, and more, saving hours of research and giving you full control. You can also call our expert team for free trip planning.”
Great value is crucial, explains Marcus: “We want to make ski holidays accessible and help our customers get the best deal, through features like our flexible date search, price/date comparison tool, and Price Match Guarantee. We also work directly with suppliers to secure exclusive offers you won’t find elsewhere.”
You also get the safety net of a package while customising your own trip. All flight-inclusive Heidi holidays are ATOL protected, and there’s someone on the end of the phone 24/7, so if anything goes wrong while you’re away, they’ll sort it.
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In still better news, Heidi is giving InTheSnow readers £100 off their next ski holiday.
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Quick answers
- When to book: three months or more ahead for peak weeks, or as late as two days before departure with Heidi.
- How long to go: a week for families and big ski areas, or two to five nights for a cheaper, easier break.
- Cheaper flights: avoid Saturday to Saturday. In our test, Sunday to Friday came in over £300 a head cheaper than Thursday to Tuesday.
- Cost: from around £200 per person for a short break in Bulgaria to £2,000+ for luxury in the Alps, plus lift passes, hire and lessons.
- ATOL: protects your money on flight-inclusive packages. It isn’t travel insurance.
Here’s what Marcus and Alexander had to say when we asked their expert advice on some of the ski holiday questions we get asked the most:
When is the best time to book a ski holiday?
Book three months or more ahead if you’re tied to school holidays or travelling as a group. If your dates are flexible, you can book with Heidi as late as two days before you fly.
If you’ve got children in school, you probably already know the answer. If your dates can move, you’ve got more options.
“Booking early (three months ahead or more) usually means better choice and value, especially for families or groups travelling at peak times like New Year or February half-term,” says Marcus.
“That said, our flexible date search and Snow Score feature make last-minute trips surprisingly doable,” he adds. “You can even book with us as late as two days before departure.”
Two days is not much notice. But if a big storm hits the Alps on a Tuesday and you can get the time off, there’s nothing stopping you from skiing it that weekend. (Living near a decent airport helps. So does a patient boss.) Early booking gets you more choice, and leaving it late lets you follow the snow. You’ll know which suits you better.
How do you choose the right ski resort?
Decide what matters most before you start looking: everyone’s ability, the vibe you want, the size of the ski area and your budget. That alone will cross a lot of resorts off the list.
© Laura Corredor on Unsplash
With so many resorts to choose from, each with different terrain and vibes, Alexander’s advice is to get clear on your criteria first.
“Start by asking yourself what matters most to you,” he says. “Is it catering to mixed abilities of the people you’re skiing with? Do you need a family-friendly vibe? Big or small ski area? And of course, what’s your target budget?”
Get those sorted and a lot of resorts will naturally drop off your list. “This is where our filters come into their own, narrowing things down,” he says. “It means you’re not wasting time needlessly scrolling through places that don’t fit your wish list.”
A few popular options to get you going: Chamonix is only about an hour’s transfer from Geneva, so it works well for a quick weekend, while Avoriaz, Tignes and Alpe d’Huez are all safe bets for a mixed ability group. Heidi says Austria is becoming increasingly popular, particularly Saalbach and Zell am See. And if you’re looking for a cheap ski holiday or someone in the group is a beginner skier, Andorra and Bulgaria are cheaper and have plenty of gentle slopes.t
If you’re still going round in circles, Heidi’s site has resort guides, or you can ring the team and talk it through.
How long should you go on a ski holiday?
A week is still the classic for families and big ski areas, but short breaks of two to five nights are cheaper, easier to fit around work and growing fast.
© Chris Biron on Unsplash
We’d all spend the whole season up a mountain if we could but budget and annual leave usually decide it for us.
A week is still a classic choice, and for family ski holidays or anyone who wants to cover a big ski area, it makes sense. Shorter trips are catching up fast, though.
“Short ski breaks and ski weekends have become really popular. They’re easier to squeeze in and cheaper than a week away,” says Marcus. “Heidi makes short breaks simple, and our bookings for 2 to 5 night trips this winter are already up 62% compared to last year.”
He sees them as a way to chase fresh snow. “You can book with us up to two days before departure, so if a midweek powder dump appears, you really can be skiing it by Saturday if you’re able to get away,” he says. “Once the season begins, if you’re booking last-minute, our live Snow Score lets you check real-time resort conditions.”
When you’ve only got a few days, it’s worth checking flight times as well as the price. Losing half a day to a late landing matters a lot more on a three-night trip than on a week.
How do you find cheap flights for a ski holiday?
Be flexible on dates and airports. Dropping the Saturday-to-Saturday habit is where most of the savings are.
Stop thinking of holidays as Saturday-to-Saturday trips. It’s a hard habit for British skiers to break, but it’s where a lot of the savings are.
“When it comes to finding good deals, our flexible date search is your friend,” says Alexander. “It lets you search a whole month at once so you can see the cheapest and most popular packages. You can also mix and match airports with our FlexiFly option, and play around with flight times to see how prices shift.”
FlexiFly is useful if your group lives all over the place. Your friends in Manchester can fly from Manchester, which saves an argument.
Alexander finds Heidi’s comparison features super helpful when booking his own holidays. “One of my favourite tools is our price/date comparison checker. Once you’ve selected a holiday, it shows whether going a few days earlier or later would save you money. For example, for a 5-night trip, flying Sunday to Friday is often cheaper than Thursday to Tuesday.”
We put that to the test while writing this piece and searched for five nights in Tignes in late January for two adults flying from London. Thursday to Tuesday turned up 15 holidays, the cheapest at £898pp. Moving the same trip to Sunday to Friday brought up 35, starting from £556pp for a self-catered apartment. Not every hotel was cheaper on the new dates, but with more than twice the choice, the cheapest option came down by over £300 a head. Prices were checked in September 2026 and are subject to change.
What extras should I book, and when? (ski hire, lift passes and lessons)
Book lessons as early as you can, as they fill up fast in school holidays. Hire and lift passes can wait, but sorting them in advance saves you queuing on day one.
“You can add lift passes, hire and lessons when you book your package, or later through Heidi’s MyBooking app,” says Alexander. “Lessons are definitely worth sorting early, as they fill up fast during school holidays.”
If you’ve ever tried to line up ski school for the children, a lesson for yourself and lunch for everyone in the same day, you’ll know he’s right. Hire is less urgent, but booking it in advance means you’re not stuck in a queue on the first evening.
How much does a ski holiday actually cost?
With Heidi, flights, transfers and accommodation start at around £200 to £250 per person for a short self-catered break in Bulgaria and can go past £2,000 per person for luxury hotels in the pricier Alps resorts. Lift passes, hire and lessons are on top.
The range is huge, as Marcus explains.
“As with any holiday, it varies massively,” he says. “Our core packages include flights, transfers and accommodation. This can be as low as £200 to £250 per person for a short self-catered break in Bulgaria, and can stretch to £2,000+ per person at luxury properties in pricier Alps resorts.”
When you go makes a big difference. “Peak weeks like New Year’s and Feb half-term tend to be considerably more expensive due to high demand,” he adds. “We offer lots of self-catered apartments if you want to save money on the food and drink front.”
On top of that come the costs on the mountain. “You can book all your extras too: ski hire (if you don’t have your own), lift passes, and lessons (optional but highly recommended if you’re new to skiing). It’s all displayed with a detailed price breakdown, so you know exactly what costs what.”
Booking well ahead helps. “If you’re booking more than five weeks ahead, you can lock in your trip for £99pp then split the rest of the cost,” Marcus says. “We also have our Price Match Guarantee for extra peace of mind. If you find the same holiday cheaper elsewhere, Heidi will match it, so you know you’re getting the best price.”
Also keep an eye out for local tourist tax. Some resorts charge it and you’ll usually pay it to your hotel or apartment at check-in or check-out.
What is ATOL protection for a ski holiday?
ATOL protection means that if the company you booked a flight-inclusive holiday with goes bust, you get your money back, or get home if you’re already away. It is not the same as travel insurance.
People often mix up ATOL protection and travel insurance. They’re not the same thing.
Every flight-inclusive Heidi holiday is ATOL protected. Put simply, if the company you booked with goes out of business, you’ll get your money back, and if you’re already on holiday, you’ll be able to finish your trip and get home.
It isn’t insurance though, and you’ll still need a travel policy with winter sports cover. Some policies include it and some make you pay extra, so check yours and if you’re planning to head off-piste, read that part of the small print carefully.
Sort it out before you go as nobody wants to find out what their policy doesn’t cover while sitting in a French medical centre in February.
Is it easier to book everything together?
For most people, yes. Booking flights, transfers and accommodation as one package means fewer tabs, one number to ring and ATOL protection.
Some people enjoy planning every detail themselves, and if that’s you, fair enough.
Most of us would rather not. Heidi is somewhere in between: flights, transfers and accommodation come as the core package, and you add lift passes, hire and lessons if you want them. The dates and the length of the trip are up to you.
So our advice is to start with the holiday you want, not the one you think you’re supposed to book. Work out who’s coming, what sort of skiing and vibe everyone’s after, how long you can get away for, and roughly what you want to spend. Everything else follows from that.
Then all that’s left is deciding which runs to ski first.
Find your ski holiday and get £100 off with Heidi*
*Applicable on £1,000 minimum spend.