Those looking for cheap half term holidays in Spain can sometimes struggle. As with most holiday destinations, prices tend to go up during school holidays because tour operators and airlines know that there will be a big demand at these times of year.

Nevertheless, there are bargains to be found if you look around for the best deals. This is a task that's been made much easier in recent times, with many more companies displaying holiday prices on their websites and most allowing online bookings. Indeed, some companies will actually offer a discount if you book online.

Some of the leading tour operators, such as Portland Holidays, Haven Europe and Lunn Poly, have some very good online offerings. If you're willing to put in a bit more work on your holiday booking then you can save yourself a lot of money by travelling independently.

This has also become much easier in recent years thanks to the emergence of the so-called budget airlines (Easyjet, Ryanair, Flybe and Thomson Fly are just some of these that operate from the UK to Spain). You can often get some great deals on these airlines by booking a few months in advance.

So, start planning early and try to do as much internet research as possible - these are two key factors in ensuring that you can find a cheap half term holiday in Spain.