Package holidays-is that still a thing?

[umpkj]

I remember going on three package holidays in the 80's. I think it was easier for my parents to get holiday in that way. But after that I haven't been in a single one. With internet it's easy to book flights and hotels so no need for that. Anyway I have seen companies like tui and jet2 selling packages but is anyone actually buying them?

Transfers are really cheap if you choose your hotel near centre. We paid 14€ for bus for whole family to get from airport to the city we were visiting this Easter holiday.

I always booked DIY prior to lockdown.

However this October we're doing a package holiday to Lanzarote.There's a few reasons why .

First and main one is that Jet2 is only doing package holidays and not flights on those dates and I don't particularly want to fly Ryanair - the only other option.

Secondly car hire costs have shot right up - I looked at doing a Self catering trip to France in the Summer and it was almost the same cost. Ditto with any Canaries trip for the same period we're going.

Thirdly there's more protection with package holidays. We're bringing a friends DS as company for DS16 and I just feel all the costs are a lot more transparent this way.

@umpkj But you don't need to book transfers in a package (as you've been told here, again and again) you can book the flight and the hotel, take advantage of the package protection, and then get on the bus for your €14.

Go into a decent Travel agent or call a specialist Tour Operator and tell them you want to go to Taipei via China and they'll package it for you, exactly as you want. The level of flexibility is EXACTLY the same. The level of protection in the event something goes awry is 100% more.

City breaks are available as packages too! I'm guessing that you'll be flying to Rome, Athens, Taipei and Orlando? So check your airline's website, as if you book your hotel (or car hire for Orlando) at the same time as your flight then - surprise, surprise - that's a package holiday. Not enough choice of hotels? Try Expedia - their entire TV advertising right now is around booking as a package and saving. Sure, if you want to stay in an AirBnB then you need to book separately, but as it's totally unregulated I'd guess the added protection afforded by ATOL isn't top of your concerns.

My job is to negotiate prices and deals in certain countries so that those booking their flight and hotel together will get it for either the same price (but with added protection) or cheaper than booking separately. But, sure, go ahead and tell me that there are no package holidays unless you're old, a family or staying on a beach for 7 days!

Basically you don't want to book a package holiday and think every one else should follow your lead?

@umpkj you can have flexibility and still book a package! Unless you literally mean you want to decide in the morning where to go next. BA has a "custom trip" link under Flight+Hotel where you can put in exactly what you are suggesting eg flight to Taipei, one night in a hotel, maybe a few nights doing your own thing, a hotel somewhere else, a flight home from China - and it will price it as a package. In fact, all you'd need is your flights and one hotel night and you'll get cheaper flights and ATOL protection. And, shock horror, you can do it online!

You really seem to be unable to grasp the concept that the package holidays of the 80s are not the only thing available anymore.

It seems package holidays have evolved since 80'. Then it was flight-transfer-hotel. I will have a look when I will book our next holiday.

So why are you even asking about package holidays if you're such a fan of booking everything yourself?

We always book packages, I want to do as little as possible myself, in fact I preferred the old days when the travel agent done it all and they sent you an envelope with your tickets and luggage labels. Now you pay the same and have to sort it out yourself.

I went on one with Jet2. Booked via a travel agent in town. Easier than faffing about with separate flights etc. i did nothing but pay for it. Esp when I originally booked 2 years e, she did everything for us.

Oh, she even booked the transfers for us at the other end. Glad she had or taxis could have ripped us off.

I haven’t done package holidays since I was a child. Mainly because we now want more independence, couldnt bear the obligatory meet ups with the reps and going on tours with lots of people. Also, my image of package holidays has been of tourists just wanting to get drunk etc.

Completely misguided. I now realise, as the travel experts on this thread indicate, that package holidays can be of any type, tailored to you, and you can have the freedom to do what you want. No one forces you to book tours with the (helpful) reps, so there’s no downside. So I realise I’ve been pretty stupid.

I helped both DDs book their holidays for this summer. They’re going on packages, one to Greece and one to the Canaries. So much cheaper. Plus so easy - no need to book cabin luggage and suitcases as extras - it’s all done for you. Amazing.

That being said, I know people who booked packages via Expedia in 2020. Expedia were appalling at refunding people for cancelled holidays. Not sure if they were packages actually - whilst Expedia helped with the hotel cancellations, they made my friends contact EasyJet etc directly.

But yes, I am a package convert.

Oh yes I'd forgotten about how much luggage allowance you get included in a package holiday.
I'm almost giddy with the excitement of 23kg for a weeks sun holiday, seeing as I managed to get all my ski stuff into a cabin bag rather than pay an additional £100.

@MindPalace Expedia is a funny one. They do bundle everything together in one place but I'm not sure they are subject to package travel regulations, rather they sell 'linked travel'. I've seen reports of people getting separate transactions for each element of their trip.

Pleased to hear you're a convert!

Reps are becoming more and more a thing of the past too, even for those flight+transfer+hotel beach breaks. I know that one big operator is working on an app where excursions can be booked, questions be asked, emergencies be reported etc. I suspect this will see a reduction in their on-the-ground staff ultimately.

We like adventure type holidays (companies such as KE Travel/Exodus/Explore) but still book it as a package as don't want to try to find flights that will arrive at a similar time to catch connecting flights and meet the free transfer. Our trip to Everest base camp was a package holiday.

A friend is off to Tenerife next week (hotel she's stayed in before so knows the standard) all inclusive for a week for £400 - don't think she could have booked that any cheaper separately and it was hassle free.

Just to reiterate package holidays can be made up of the components you want. If you want to go to Orlando you can book a fly drive, you can add on accommodation or not, you can add in Disney tickets, helicopter tours theatre tickets etc etc. It's like booking independently but cheaper, easier and better protected.

Jet2 do great packages with villas and apartments in small places. They also do city breaks. You can decline transfers if you wish. I sometimes upgrade to a private transfer. It's very flexible. We never go AI in Europe, don't like touristy places or pool holidays but jet2 always have something that meets our needs. I also like BA Holidays packages for the same reasons.

We do mixtures for instance Sardinia sep flights hotels in 2 different places etc but just now did an AI package with TUI to Morocco so yea it is still a thing!!!

In 2010 when the volcano erupted those of us who booked a package with Tui had an extra week AI in Cape Verde at no expense before planes were able to fly again 8 days later - they even let us use the hotel laundry after we told the rep that we’d run out of knickers!.

Friends we had made poolside who had booked independently had to leave the hotel and pay for a room in a crappy motel by the airport for a week before they were able to fly back. Some people didn’t even manage that and slept in the airport for a week (but did have food vouchers issues by the consulate).

I have booked holidays both ways, but by God I’m glad we didn’t then.

We did TUI breaks in 2020 and 2021, didn't see a rep either time and all communication was through their app. Their website seems suggest this is the norm now - does make more sense than having staff sat in a hotel reception for a hour for no reason! Shame though, repping was what fired my love for the travel industry.

We've done jet 2 loads , they've been great and main flyer from local airport. Priced up hotel we wanted separately and was almost double the price to book independently. Also more protection if something happened company obliged to cover accommodation cost as well as flight. I would always price both up and go for best deal.

Yes we always book a package unless it is a short weekend break. We feel so much more protected and even more so over the last couple of years. For instance TUI allowed us to change our holiday last year up to 14 days before our travel date. We're quite risk averse so prefer the protection a package gives us.

These are the reasons that our last few holidays were packages. We avoid Brits abroad holidays yet can still get what we want as a package. Also, I didn't find doing it piecemeal any cheaper.

We do our own thing once we reach our destination.

On a holiday to Madeira our flight was delayed by nearly 24 hours. Had it been Ryanair we would have spent the night on a wooden seat in the airport. Tui paid for us to stay in a hotel and flew us home the next day. They were brilliant. Our holiday with Tui in May 2020 was cancelled and we got a full refund straight away.

This is why I will stick with a reputable tour operator for now.

I really rate Jet2 as well.

@RampantIvy funnily enough my last trip to Madeira was a work trip (with Tui when I worked for them) which ended in a 26 hour delay due to wind. No hardship to be taken to a 5* hotel for the night and be booked onto the next flight. That's a huge benefit of a package.

That’s a good point about luggage actually. I hate when a flight looks really cheap but then ends up charging an obscene amount to take a bag.

We almost always do a package and I am the queen of getting a bargain so thoroughly research the best prices before booking.