How do I book a holiday!

[Tiredgrump]

I haven't been abroad for about 25 years, we're talking teletext holidays or going to the travel agent to book!
What's the best( cheapest) way to book?
Go through a site like tui or love holidays?
Book flights and then book through air bnb?
Is there any advantages of going through a tour operator?
Ridiculous questions but I haven't a clue.

I normally decide where I want to go & when. Check I can get flights through my local airport. Actually I do this first. Then price them up.

I then go on booking.com and Airbnb and find a few places I like. You can save to favourites. Check they are available.

I then compare the prices to the same type holiday via easyJet holidays/jet2/Tui etc

Then book the cheapest!

If the packages include airport transfer I check out that cost too first (either through booking.com or on the uber app) for the DIY option.

Depends on what sort of holiday you want
Lie on the beach, use Tui, Sunweb etc. City break, use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights then Airbnb or booking.com for accommodation. Multi city tour or trip to the jungle, Google "wildlife tour borneo" our whatever you're thinking of. For traditional coach holidays, Google coach holiday with place (or check Warner or Saga's websites)

Tui isn’t the cheapest, but I find that I feel ‘safe’ with them. Because it’s a package I just turn up at the airport and everything is done for me, plus there’s a rep if there’s any problems.

You can use a travel agent like Tui for a package which is a fairly easy way of booking everything in one go or you can book directly with the airline eg BA holidays who do flight, hotel and you can add transfers easily through them. Or you can book flight and accommodation separately but may need to consider transfers separately which isn’t always as easy if you do it that way- may just be a case of getting a taxi from airport. Have a great holiday!

I usually go with a package holiday via Jet2 I've used them every year for past few years and always been happy with price and security of knowing there's a company to resolve any issues. There are always lots of discount vouchers for Jet2 as well. But as suggested above check around for price/reviews. Or I've just been recommended a good independent travel agent - I will DM you her link - I've just contacted her to help me booking a hol for next year but not actually used her yet!

Depends what kind of holiday you want.

This summer we're going to an all inclusive resort. We booked a package with Jet2 bus their website. Flights, transfers, hotel, meals, activities all included. Not the cheapest, but really easy. During the booking process you get prompts for various amendments/add-ons - room upgrades, airport parking, insurance, choice of flight times, choice of seat, larger luggage allowance... Of course these all add up so think about what's important to you. In my experience it's usually cheaper to book insurance and airport parking elsewhere.

Last summer we stayed in a city for a few days and then travelled to the nearby coast for a few days. We booked everything separately with the help of Google and a book from the library. So we booked flights with EasyJet, a city centre hotel via booking.com and a beachfront apartment through airbnb. We purchased 3-day travel cards, which we collected from the machine at the airport station when we arrived. We bought our train tickets from city to beach on the day they were needed, having checked that we didn't need to buy them in advance. We ate in restaurants and markets in the city. We mostly cooked simple meals in the beach apartment.

Make sure you order your passport in good time if you haven't already. Apply for a GHIC card. Don't forget travel insurance. If going further afield or off the beaten track then double check the UK Govt's travel advice and whether you need any vaccinations.

Allow plenty of time to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before the flight. Take sucky sweets in case your ears are affected by the air pressure. It tends to be cool on the plane so I usually wear trainers as opposed to sandals, and take a light cardigan or jumper. For a long flight, take ear plugs and an eye mask.

The last several times I've been abroad I've used very, very little cash. Virtually everywhere takes card payments. It's worth looking at which cards charge the least for use overseas.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/

Have a great time!

Avoid booking through a 3rd party like “Love Holidays”, all I hear is terrible things about them. Stick with Jet2 or TUI you can’t go too far wrong and you have ATOL protection. Kuoni is another one but they don’t do online booking, more over the phone.

If you do want a package holiday either use jet2.com or Tui, don’t faff around with on the beach or love holidays etc as far more risky. EasyJet holidays is fine but not a full
service tour operator so be aware (eg they don’t have foreign based reps to my knowledge and if there is any kind of issue I am not sure how they good they would be at sorting something out)

you will pay more for a package with jet 2 or tui but you can spread the cost and have a single point of contact if you have any issues. Also jet2 in particular have a very good reputation. Download the app and have a look at what they have as a first step. Once you book everything you need will be emailed to you but also on the app.

Tui still have shops if you prefer to “go in”
but I think the agents just use a version of the website, I certainly wouldn’t expect it to be any cheaper that way (probably the opposite)

Cheap package holiday sites : love holidays /on the beach / easyJet holidays

jet2 holidays / tui as mentioned are really good but slightly more expensive.

I prefer to book flights and accommodation separately (skyscanner to find flight times and operators, booking or hotels .com or one of the ones from trip advisor if cheaper, then transfer companies)

work out what you want (near the beach, couples only, family friendly, specific food, walking distance to a shop/bar etc) and lookup/ search on trip advisor for hotel reviews from people who’ve been with any specifics in mind. Reviews are super important to me to get a sense of what it will be like, I only do this once a year so want it to be as ‘without surprises’ as possible!

good luck x

Read allllll the reviews before settling on a hotel. Go to Google maps, find the hotel on it, read as many reviews as possible (sort by newest first).

Still on Google maps use satellite view to see the surroundings - resort in the middle of nowhere or a small town 5 mins walk away for restaurants and shops. If you're self catering or b&b then check out restaurants nearby.

Find the hotel on TripAdvisor, read the reviews there. Look at photos, read room tips.

This way I have never been surprised by anything.....a steep hill to the beach, rooms that are dated but spotlessly clean, booking a la carte restaurants in advance etc etc.

Sorry, this is less about booking but more about finding a great place to stay!

Some great tips I didn't realise love holidays was to be avoided so om glad I asked.
I'm thinking possibly a city break maybe Rome, so sounds like booking.com and flights booked separately might be the best shout.
Thanks everyone for breaking it down so well!

Jet2 do city breaks too. Often you can find the hotel you like on a travel agents site and then book direct or shop around. Hope you have a great time.

You're very welcome. A couple more things I've just thought of. They're very strict about the size of your hand luggage and permitted items (e.g. only small toiletries, no blades) so check carefully on the airline website. It's worth taking basics like toothpaste/brush and one spare outfit in your hand luggage to tide you over in case your checked luggage goes missing (not that rare, unfortunately).

And we always pay on a credit card as you've got better protection if the company goes under or something.

Booking accomodation on booking .com and flights separately is definitely fine just bear in mind that if one part gets cancelled you generally still have to pay for the other whether you can work around the plans or not. That’s where the advantage of package holidays comes in.

for most flight only deals remember that you need to add luggage costs and sitting together costs, and food is no longer included either.
luggage costs are usually included on packages. Not always though.