Does anyone just book an apartment and flight?

[SwanShaped]

I want to go on holiday with my small kids. It seems that flights and an Airbnb are the same price as a week in Cornwall. What are the downsides to just booking flights and an apartment rather than going through a travel agent or using a resort?

I've worked in travel for well over 20 years so DIY has been a way of life. However in the last 7 years I have gone back to booking packages as they are cheaper (I live in the regions so no access to london flights which can be cheaper although rarely are as people forget to factor in bags, transfers etc) and give much better protectionehoch in covid times would be my prime concern. You can book a package with an apartment or villa, it doesn't have to an all inclusive hotel. Make sure you take out insurance the second you start spending money, most claims are between booking and travelling yet so many people buy their insurance just before travel. Also don't expect refunds from all suppliers if one aspect goes wrong. Particularly with flights try and book out and back on the same ticket. Having something with one airline out and back with another is asking for trouble if one airline decides to pull the route or change the schedule etc.

We always book flights and accommodation separately .

I like VRBO for accommodation. It used to be 'homeaway'. You can use a filter on cancellation policies so you can cancel up to a couple of weeks before you travel .

We found Jet 2 flights have been very good when we've needed to cancel .

We mostly hire a car which we collect from the airport. We cancelled with no problem when our holidays were cancelled last year .

Always book travel insurance .

I think with the internet now things are so easy. You can use google maps to see exactly where your apartment / Villa is in relation to the resort, check our local restaurants and book before you travel if it's likely to be busy .

booking your accommodation separately also means you can get something to your exact specifications rather than just a generic apartment in a block.

@Dilbertian

Every time you look at a flight, clear your cookies. Otherwise the prices increase as a response to your interest. Alternatively book your flight from a different device/wifi to the one you did your research on.

We usually book house and flights ourselves.

This really isn't a thing with scheduled airlines. I suspect it can happen on some package holidays but definitely not for airlines. Mainly it's just hundreds of people looking at the same thing at the same time. Airlines sell at various different price points. People choose the cheapest available price, when that sells out they move to the next price bracket.

I haven't booked a package holiday since I was 19. Always book them separately

I’ve always done it this way. So did my parents. I don’t actually know anyone who uses a travel agent. Never had a problem, easily refunded when flights were cancelled and one one occasion the airline went bust and just claimed back on my credit card.

On the last point, booking with the same airline doesn't really help there either

It helps a bit because if they make a significant change to one leg, they have to offer a refund for the whole booking. That will not happen with multiple carriers.

"It helps a bit because if they make a significant change to one leg, they have to offer a refund for the whole booking"

Not sure the lowcost ones would. Every leg is separate with them.

Not sure the lowcost ones would. Every leg is separate with them.

Ah, I was unaware of that.

@coogee

On the last point, booking with the same airline doesn't really help there either

It helps a bit because if they make a significant change to one leg, they have to offer a refund for the whole booking. That will not happen with multiple carriers.

Precisely this with full cost carriers. Also true with a package deal.

It's also worth noting that you can book a package without using a travel agent!

There are some quite smug replies on this thread as though they are superior for having realised you can book independently. I find it interesting that many who work in the industry are moving back to packages for their personal travel.
Maybe some posters should consider why as there's a few comments here that are incorrect or at best naive. I deal with people every day who have booked independently, haven't covered themselves and expect other suppliers to help them out when it goes wrong or they don't want to claim on their insurance as there's an excess.

From experience, I would also recommend always booking flights direct with airlines if doing DIY. It is a lot easier to sort out any problems direct than it is trying to go through a third party. Particularly if time is critical and you are on the other side of the world.

Pre COVID I mainly booked flights and hotels separately and directly.

Recently I'm booking packages via one or two companies for the added security of cancellation (of the whole thing or the hotel closing/flight changes).