Use travel agent or book independently?

[ThePartyArtist]

I've found flights and hotel that I'd like. A travel agent has offered to book it for me as a package. However to do it this way costs £530 more than if I book the flights and hotel independently. She is including a transfer, but that'll be very cheap as the airport is really nearby. The travel agent tells me I am not financially protected if I book independently. I was under the impression that if I book using a credit card, I am protected. I also have travel insurance. Is it really that much better to book with an agent? £500 is a lot extra for this. One benefit is the agent allows me to pay in installments but that seems a false economy if it costs me £500 extra to do so. Am I missing something? I am completely new to package holidays and agents.

Depending on which travel insurance you purchase, cancellation and misfortune are covered. Is it a complex trip, involving several flights with different airlines? If not, buy with the airline and not with an aggregator such as Expedia or edreams. Book with hotel directly on the phone (cheaper) or booking.com (up to 24 h before arrival total refund).
Check passport expiry date, visa requirement, these are two things an agent would do for you, but that anyone can do on their own.
Save the money and use it to make your trip even better with excursions or a few nice dinners.

Just to add: not a complex trip - just Canary Islands from the UK.

Do it yourself .... i'm stunned that travel agents still exist to be honest. Unless it's an extremely complicated round the world trip.

Do it yourself. It's not hard, especially if you're doing a single centre holiday, and your insurance should cover you if things go wrong.

I was in Spain last month. I booked everything myself - return flights, 2 separate airbnbs, three different hotels, train tickets between cities. All went smoothly!

Canary Islands? Easy peasy! Do it yourself!!!

That's what I was thinking but I was wondering if I am missing something.

I used an agent for the first time last year (4 centre holiday, complicated transfers using train/boat). They got better rates on the hotel than I could get myself (I know, because they quoted me for an extra night, hotel only, and I couldn't get that price for the hotel either directly or via Booking.com). This year, I was going to use them again (another 4 centre holiday), but they couldn't do the dates I wanted, so I copied the itinerary and booked it all myself - it was about 60% of the price I would have paid them!

So I think it varies - last year, I know I got a better deal than I could have got myself (I priced it up when we got back, and I could accurately price transfers and hotels once I knew what we'd actually used), but this year it would have cost me a lot more.

For a single centre, straightforward destination it's a no brainer to just book it yourself.

Have you compared the various tour operators that use the hotel you want?
Jet2, EasyJet, BA, Tui, etc ?

Take into account board arrangements, luggage costs, transfers etc

If anything goes wrong, you'll be covered by the package holiday rules (same as your travel agent), but you won't if you book the separate elements yourself.

You won't be ATOL protected if it isn't a proper package holiday and you book the flight and hotel separately, depends who you're booking with though? Is it one of the big companies like TUI or Jet2?

I'm considering either booking myself or through Hays.

How do I find which package holiday providers use this hotel (it's not a resort type hotel)?

The tour operators probably don't use it, which would make it all the more attractive for me!

If the true cost (inc transfers) is really £500 less by booking directly, you'd be mad to go with an operator. Think what you could do with that money! ATOL protection will cover you if the company goes bust (as will paying by credit card), and also if your flight is cancelled so you're late getting to the hotel), but you're essentially paying a huge amount of money for something which is highly unlikely to happen, and for which you also have insurance. Millions of people travel by booking flights and hotels separately, it's not a rarity.

If the costs were similar, I get it. But for such a massive difference, it makes no sense.

You could ask operator if they'll come close to matching the price, which an independent travel agent may do, if they really want the business, but I'd just book it and think about all the lovely things I can spend the £500 on while I'm there.

I do it myself for straightforward trips. I use agents if there is a lot of organising, certain packages, a tour, lots of activities and transport to be sorted.

I've only used an agent once when their quote was cheaper than direct, to be fair it was useful when we needed to cancel as they did all the leg work (2020) but it's all about price for me, I quite like all the research and booking etc so it's no hardship to me.

Under package holiday regulations you have more protection than independent, specifically they cover all the costs upfront rather than you having to send proof to claim back. You also need to check your insurance carefully to ensure it has end supplier failure. It does vary depending on destination, type etc as to whether it's necessary, i would book a package for more exotic climes for instance

Though I'm this case it doesn't sound like you are making a direct comparison, a different hotel is a different price. Also remember to factor in hold luggage, TUI include 20kg as standard, it's £200+ to book it independently

Check the websites. Even the cheap'n'cheerful operators use boutique hotels

I've always booked each part of a holiday separately. You just need to be aware that you are not covered if something goes wrong.

However, you can make sure that you are well protected by getting decent travel insurance, using a credit card to make payments for each part, booking cancellable hotels etc.

In 30 years, the only time we had a problem was when Covid hit. We had booked a road trip to California, with flights and several hotels all booked separately. Flights were fine, we got vouchers in lieu of these, hotels we either cancelled those not yet paid for, and the ones we had paid upfront all refunded us (although they weren't obliged to)

Over the years, we must have saved £1000s, so if the odd hiccup costs us a little, we wouldn't be too put out.

You could just google the name of the hotel or search for it on the Jet2holidays etc websites to see if it comes up.

I wouldn't book through a travel agent for a trip like that unless it cost the same or less. You're right that the transfer won't cost much - we've just got the public bus to the main resort areas in the Canaries from outside the airport on a few occasions.

The other thing to watch out for is that booking direct might get you a better (or worse!) room or other perks, it's difficult to tell.

Packages often come with free hold luggage, but you probably don't need it if you're going on Jet2holidays because all tickets include a large and small cabin bag anyway, so plenty for a week or so's holiday.

I haven't used a travel direct for twenty years. And I travel a lot.

Dealing directly with the airline and accommodation makes things much easier if any issues or changes arise. You can sort it directly rather than having to wait for the travel agents to be open, and you don't have to wait to hear from the middle man.

Providing you use your credit card when you book, you're well covered for any provider issues.

I haven't used a travel direct...

I haven't used a travel AGENT...!

Sometimes agents will get better rates than you booking direct (eg a hotel may charge rack rate to public of £100 per night, but give the agent a nett rate of £70 a night. If the agent marks it up to £90 a night then they make money and you save money!)
however it will depend on the relationship the agent has with the hotels - so it’s not a simple do or do not book with an agent, it’s making sure you book with the right one.
And yes you’re a lot more covered with an ATOL bonded agent than by yourself, but for £500 I’d take the gamble and book myself! It shouldn’t be more expensive going through an agent in theory unless they’re walking huge markups or have no relationship.

A package holiday is not just something booked via a travel agent. If you use, say, booking.com to book two elements of your trip (eg flight and car, flight and hotel), then it becomes a package, with the additional protection that entails. See https://www.abta.com/help-and-complaints/frequently-asked-questions/what-package-holiday-and-what-linked-travel

You’d be crazy to spent £500 more to use a travel agent. Just ensure you pay via credit card.

Doing it all yourself is fine until something goes wrong. We've done both but now always book through travel agents. If something goes wrong you have someone to contact to say 'sort this' instead of the worry and stress of sorting it yourself.

But each to their own.