Where do you book your holiday?

[whytesnow]

For me I love jet2 or hyperholidaymarket where do you book your holiday do you prefer package deals or do you book it all separately

We sometimes DIY because we don't do the sort of trips packages usually cover. We'll go to a specialist company for something like a walking tour over multiple locations.

For abroad holidays we've used either TUI or Onthebeach (loved the free lounge access last year!). Both no problems

Ponoka7 well they don't ask if it's a package holiday or not when you buy travel insurance, just the destination

We also don't tend to go to the kind of resort or place package holiday companies offer and don't have school age children but because 'package holidays' don't have to look like what you think a package holiday looks like, we look at both routes and book whichever way is cheapest, which is quite often with jet2holidays and have stayed in boutique hotels, villas and had city breaks all booked as part of a package that were cheaper and with extra protection than doing separately.

When we went to Gozo, they even arranged two separate private transfers and a ferry crossing and it was cheaper than it would have been to book the hotel and basic flight, before I'd even added on luggage and the three stage transfer. Plus if anything went wrong, such as delays occurring during said 3 hour 3 stage transfer that caused us to miss our flight home, it would have been their responsibility to sort out, not ours.

well they don't ask if it's a package holiday or not when you buy travel insurance, just the destination

They don’t even do that if you have an annual worldwide policy. As long as there are no FCO advisories against, you can go where you want.

This.

I use jet 2 for short haul, kuoni or Hayes and Jarvis long haul. Occasionally tui.

I always shop around and will check jet2, Tui, easyJet holidays or love holidays. Often there's a big difference.

Have booked a trip for 9 people in may. Directly with jet2 it was £5209, through love holidays it was £3600. The big difference was I wasn't playing a supplement for 22kg of luggage per person directly with jet2. I was able to book just 2 big cases (then we each have hand luggage).

I use an independent agent. She can create bespoke packages so I get the choice I would om if I booked separately with the protection of it being a package. She mostly comes out cheaper than other options as well.

It's interesting to hear people talking about package holidays being cheaper sometimes as I have literally never come across this. I've just gone back to double check on easyJet and the closest equivalent of my booked holiday is:

£1443 total for a double room with no breakfast in a hotel and flights only.

Whereas...

£1161 total is what I've paid for two apartments in different locations, one of which has breakfast for two nights, plus flights.

How do you wizards find good options for packages that don't cost an arm and a leg? 🤔

In my case, see what's available on jet2holidays, then google the name of the accommodation and see what it costs to book separately, also if there's any comparable alternatives and also price up the flights.

We like to be fairly central and not drive on holiday so are particular about finding accommodation that is in walking distance of restaurants, supermarket, transport links, beach etc, so obviously that's a limiting factor.

Hotels tend to cost more per night than apartments, so in your example, you're not really comparing like with like. If you looked on Easyjet for a one bed apartment or studio, you might find the price gap closes significantly.

Plus if you want to stay in two different places, you usually can't do that as part of a 'standard' package so to get that as a package, you're looking at the more specialist/high end/travel consultant model, which is likely to be more expensive.

We haven't done a package holiday since the 90s. I love doing all the planning myself - we're off on a trip soon that has accommodation in 9 or 10 different places. Thank god for Tripit!

@BarbaraofSeville They don't seem to do apartments in Palermo so yes, perhaps an unfair comparison as I can't see like for like. In any case I'm happy to keep booking everything separately as, like you, we don't drive on holiday so distance from things is a factor plus at the moment we have a toddler in reusable nappies so need access to a self service laundromat/washing machine :)

The last couple have been with Jet2 via a travel agent friend. During covid travel restrictions their help was invaluable when sorting out refunds and rebooking cancelled holidays. It meant I didn't have to spend hours on the phone because they did it for me.
If you like Jet2 consider booking though an agent, it doesn't cost any more than on their own website but it means you have someone to advocate for you if things go wrong

I book it all separately and ensure accommodation is cancellable. However I spent ages researching and finding travel insurance that effectively gives us same protection as package holiday if flights are changed or cancelled.

We normally use Jet2 for flights and VRBO for accommodation.
Have also done Jet2 city breaks as package .
In UK use VRBO as a first choice for self catering accommodation but sometimes through other agencies for wider availability.
Hotels normally through booking.com or a premier inn . Only use a hotel for a weekend - always apartment/villa/cottage if going for longer .

Oh and we always check the cancellation policy on any accommodation plus travel insurance

I google lists or read in magazines of cool hotels/locations - have had great success with finding a cool affordable hotel this way, I only like small hotels. Book flights separately. Or do Airbnb or local villa hire companies.

I always book separately, always free cancellation and on line. That way I can choose my flight times/train times etc or when I want to drive. No hanging about waiting for other people the other end and, if you search properly it is often cheaper.

I also will not book with a company I have never heard of even if the price is slightly cheaper.

I have just booked with Jet2.
7 nights in a 5* hotel half board. Best sea view room.
Total cost with flights, 22kg luggage, transfer and hotel £2234

Booking direct with the hotel for the same room and board £2410. Add flights £308, and transfers £80. Total £2798.

I have to say that cost isn't a priority in that I want flights from a specific airport at a civilised time. It's possible I could get cheaper flights from somewhere like stansted at an ungodly hour. However I do try to get the best value for what I want.

I have also learned recently that the idea of "last minute " bargains is outdated. I normally book months ahead but for this trip I couldn't. I was monitoring prices from November to travel in January to the Canaries. Not school holidays. The cheapest I could have booked was in November and the price crept up as my dates approached. Even travelling in two days time was more expensive (and with less choice) than booking 2 months ahead.

Hotels .com for accommodation and book my flights through Google flights

Flights are usually released 11 months in advance. They are sensitive to demand so booking late or even a few months in advance wouldn’t give the best deal for long haul @snowsilver . It’s been like this for years now. Out of high season short haul is less sensitive to demand.

A package holiday is any holiday where an agent packages flight and hotels and everything else. It might include car hire, 39 hotels and internal flights or even numerous international flights! The idea that it just goes to one destination and one hotel is ludicrous. This is the legal position from ABTA. There’s more but I’ve not attached it. You can have any bespoke holiday as a package and you are better protected. Insurance might not ask you if it’s a package but they might not pay out if it doesn’t meet the insurance criteria.

@TizerorFizz Interesting! But it would have to be through a travel agent right to qualify as package?

Virgin holidays, or Kuoni if we are going outside of the states or Caribbean

@TheBirdintheCave
Yes. Or a travel company. We haven’t used an agent for decades. Travel companies yes. We have used Audley, Wildlife Worldwide and similar. We sometimes book our own flights with companion vouchers. However we try and ensure we have a package from the company to comply with ABTA definitions. As I’ve been trying to say, “package” isn’t what people are saying on here. It is much more wide ranging.

It is true that package holidays offer greater protection, so there is a greater risk if you book independently and the companies involved go to the wall.

In contrast though, if you arrange things yourself you often have more flexibility in terms of flight times, accommodation etc. If you book with a credit card, you are still protected in case of financial failure of the carrier or the accommodation provider.