I have never booked a holiday. What do most people here usually do when making the arrangements to go abroad?

[holidaymishaps]

I've never been abroad as an adult. I am 30 now. I just wanted to ask MN, what are the pros and cons of booking a package holiday compared to booking everything separately? What do you usually do? I would rather just pay a lump sum and then not have to worry about anything until the holiday starts. I guess a package would be better for me in that case? Also how do you usually get your foreign currency? I know you can use your card but I've heard that it's best to take local currency in case cards aren't accepted.

I would personally book a package holiday such as with Tui or Jet2 if it’s your first time, as there’s the option to book everything together and there will be a rep to help in the resort if you have any questions or problems. Your money also should be protected if the airline goes bust for example.

The main advantages to booking everything separately is that it can be cheaper and you can customise the holiday better to what you want.

"I would rather just pay a lump sum and then not have to worry about anything until the holiday starts."

In that case book a package holiday through a travel agent. I prefer jet2 for this type of holiday.

If you have somewhere or something specific in mind, maybe we can make some suggestions for you? Or give an example.

This is useful regarding travel money

Depends what kind of holiday you want. If beach/sitting round a hotel pool type of holiday, then package deals cater mostly for that as well as city breaks. But if you want to be slightly off the beaten track, then you usually need to book accommodation and transport separately.

For money, get a Revolut or Monzo card. You can use them to pay in foreign currency and they will exchange your pounds for whatever at the bank rate so don’t take commission above a one-off exchange fee. You can use them
to withdraw cash locally if you need it too.

Totally agree Jet2 is great for this. Takes all the stress and hassle out of everything as even hotel/airport transfers can be included. They tend to have good flight times and the hotels Jet2 use are pretty good, I've never had a bad experience with Jet2. Just research the area you want to visit and ask around before booking the destination.

If you want to go away this summer, don't book anything until you have applied for - and received! - your passport. If you are in the UK, some passports are taking up to 10 weeks to issue, so it would be awful to have to cancel your holiday because you don't have proper documents.

Jet2 package all the way. Have been with them five times and wouldn't choose another provider unless long haul.
Their app is fabulous - intuitive and very easy to navigate. You could build yourself loads of different holidays in it before committing.
One tip - when it comes to the bit where you select a date (not at front page but further in) it shows you various options around that date and the + or -£ value compared to your original date. Got the most brilliant deal in Rhodes that way by picking a date a few days different.

I've booked my first holiday with children for 2024 and went for the comfort of a package all inclusive. Priced it all up online but actually went into the TUI shop to book it in case they could track down something better/ spot any pitfalls, but they couldn't. It only took about 15 minutes to do.

I love the idea of travelling under our own steam on sort of a multi-stop holiday one day, but definitely will appreciate the lack of planning needed.

Oh and the Post Office do a good card and app called Travel Money.

I have always gone with TUI/Thomson, and I book online.

A big advantage of booking a package over DIY is that if something goes wrong it is on the travel agent to get things sorted rather than leaving you to your own devices. It can cost more, it often saves you in terms of time and effort.

For travel money, if you have a Tesco Clubcard they often do preferential rates when ordering currency. Otherwise a prepaid card will work if you don’t want cash, or simply take a credit card that doesn’t charge huge exchange rate fees - that way if your card is lost/stolen/cloned it is more easily fixed than if someone gets hold of your debit card and clears out your current account.

Just to explain my Revolut/Mondo recommendation better, if you pay in foreign currency with your normal bank card, then they will charge you a fee every single time. Usually about £1.50, which racks up. If you use one of those cards (or anything similar - sounds like the Post Office one might do the same job, or a prepaid one) then you only pay once to exchange the money and then all other transactions made are free.

And yet more praise for Jet2 - I fell and broke my wrist on my recent holiday with them and all their staff were fantastically helpful. Our rep came to see me in hospital, his manager was in constant contact with me by phone and the airline staff helped me through fast track check in on way home as had heard about me before I got there!
Recommend their travel insurance too. Done through a company called Rock Insurance, underwritten by Axa. They paid out directly to the hospital before I was discharged from it.
I am a very loyal and grateful customer.

I wish Jet2 flew from Gatwick. Stansted is a real pain for us.

I book independently, but there are definite advantages to a package.

As for travel money, echoing a pp. I use the post office travel money card. You pay for the exchange rate when you load the card, but thereafter there no other fees.

We use the Halifax Clarity credit card and the Chase debit card when abroad, both are free of any charges. We usually take some cash too, usually get ours at Sainsburys as they do a discount for Nectar card holders.

Check your passport validity and any visa requirements.

Make sure you buy travel insurance the same day you book the holiday. You can either take our annual insurance which covers all your travel for a year, or single trip insurance which covers the trip. If you pay for your bank account you may already have this bundled in.

Cards are accepted pretty much everywhere these days, but you're better off getting a monzo or starling account so you don't get charged extra fees. You can also use them to withdraw a limited amount of cash out while you're away.

I rarely book packages, I usually check Skyscanner for flight costs/air bnb/booking.com then book it when I've made a decision. Probably better for a novice to book a package deal though, I've heard good reports for jet2 holidays.

I’ve just booked our 2024 holiday with tui, we haven’t been abroad for 15 years so wanted a package. We are booking insurance separately as husband has a heart condition. Paying by direct debit and the app was so easy to use

It depends where you are going OP? Spain, Portugal, Greece are fab for self catering or half board it's still a package deal.

If you are considering places like Mexico it may work out much cheaper to do all inclusive. I always do AL because I have a child and I find the food good in a 5* hotel.

Buy travel insurance. I usually book with TUI. I either buy my currency a few weeks before flying from TUI or Euro exchange I check both rates before I buy.

Also. Type in the name of the hotel you find and follow the groups on FB for advice and tips.

Really depends on the holiday, if it's a beach AI type holiday I tend to do package, but if it's something like a US road trip I do separately (separately can give more flexibility and be cheaper, but usually means paying more, if not everything, up front).

Currency I just have a Chase account for cash withdrawals and cashback on spending and a Halifax Clarity when a credit card is better like car hire or hotel holds. I never take cash with me anymore.