The Christmas and the New Year holidays are coming to an end and it is that time of the year where many of us start to think about booking a holiday. I know I am. So, I wanted to write a useful post, to help you book your holiday in 2010.
Financially protect yourself
To be protected financially should the company or airline go into administration you need to make sure that the holiday that you have booked is ATOL protected. Do not assume that because the travel agent has the ATOL logo in its shop or website, that your holiday is financially protected. Ask them.
If you are booking your own holiday, i.e. separate flights and accommodation then pay with a credit card. Also check to make sure that your travel insurance also includes airline failure insurance. Do not book with a debit card unless it is a Visa debit card, in the chargeback scheme.
Compare holiday prices like-for-like
At this time of the year it is worth spending a little bit of time shopping around for the best deals. This could be by visiting a few travel agents in the high-street or, use hotel, flight and holiday comparison websites. Oh, and don’t assume that “budget” airlines are the cheapest option.
Really compare the holiday’s like-for-like. Some tour operators will offer free kids places just to hook you in but when you compare you could find that the holiday is more expensive. Think about booking an all-inclusive if you are looking to cut costs, but do your research.
Keep away from scam websites
If you are booking through a third party then my advice would be to only book with brands you are familiar with. Ask family and friends for suggestions of sites that they have used. Look for contact details and go with your gut instinct.
Check with the hotel or accommodation provider that they have received your booking.
Check spelling and booking terms & conditions
I cannot stress this enough. Check and double check all of the booking details when booking online. I hear so many stories where people have entered incorrect spelling or the wrong dates. Check the booking terms and conditions relating to cancellation or booking changes. Read the small print.
Purchase travel insurance
I get so annoyed when I receive a complaint from a consumer about having to pay medical bills when they have not taken out travel insurance. It can cost as little as £10 for a single trip, per person, so there’s really no excuse, and I have little sympathy for those that don’t.
Research before you go
So many complaints are because the consumer has not fully researched their destination. They are tons of places to go and find information. Look at the average temperatures, visa information, medical advice, and visit the Foreign, Commonwealth Office website to find out any potential dangers.
Check reviews of hotel and accommodation
I take hotel and accommodation reviews with a pinch of salt, but the reviews on badly managed accommodation stand out a mile when you read the reviews. Don’t just use one review site; so you can get a wider range of reviews. Check the dates of the reviews too.
So, what about you? What tips would you give other consumers when booking their holiday for 2010?
Related posts
- Air passenger Q&A guide to bankrupt airline protection
- Christmas day guide to booking holidays on the internet
- The dangers of Do-It-Yourself holidays
- SkyEurope files for bankruptcy and suspends flights
- Consumers still confused over holiday financial protection
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Nick | 31 December, 2009 at 11:00 am
Darren, couple of tips
If booking though a ABTA Travel Agent and they inform you the holiday is not protected ask them to protect this via ABTA insurance (cost around £6 per person)
Second found this on BA’s website..it does really make you think http://bit.ly/MGfZb
Lee Harrison | 31 December, 2009 at 3:27 pm
European health Insurance Card (EHIC) as well as taking out Personal travel insurance Darren. The EHIC does not replace personal travel Insurance and doesn’t cover Repatriation, but it does have it’s benefits and if travelling to any EEC Country you should really Have this Card as well as the personal Insurance.
PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE read all of the small print if looking at Internet web sites that are offering Flights, seperate accommodation,Seperate transfers etc etc, as you are unlikely to be covered should any element fails. Usually the site will say something like “We don’t sell package holidays, we let you choose the flight and hotel singly to find the best cheap holidays “None of the bookings we make for our customers, whether they are for one element (flight or hotel) or more than one element (flight and hotel), are package holidays as that term is defined by the Package Travel Regulations.
If the average price of a 4 to 5 Star All-Inclusive is approx £550 plus in europe, then PLEASE BE SENSIBLE and ask yourself if someone is advertising a 5 Sun All- Inclusive at £239.00 per person What is it ( apart from Delhi Belly) that you are exactly going to get.This holiday is more likely to be 1star at the best, and as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Please don’t treat your Travel Agent as the Enemy, Spend time with them, let them know exactly what your Ideas,wants and needs are, and more importantly go to a good Independent,unbiased specialiast. The Internet might seem good to do some research, but your local agent deals with hundreds of Operators daily, we see the trends, we see how prices average day by day, we receive lots of Special offers each day and sort the good ones from the bad ones, and more Importantly ask to see their Atol,ABTA and TTA number for Absolute protection.
Also offering 100% protection if you book with an AITO specialist travel Agency such as ourselves or an AITO Tour Operator.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU DARREN, AND ALL OF YOUR READERS and remember don’t have Holiday nightmares or a holiday from Hell, Shop Locally and get to know your local Independent Agency, Wer’e here to be used, and not abused.
Martino Matijevic | 4 January, 2010 at 11:17 am
In 2009, those waiting until May/June to book their holidays got great deals, as tour operators were desperate to get rid of unbooked inventory. Don’t expect as many last-minute deals this year, so book early.
Pete | 4 January, 2010 at 11:43 pm
If you think you find a deal that is too good to be true, do a quick Google search of the domain. Also try searching for the following combination of words ‘scammytravelcompany.com scam’, scammytravelcompany.com being the company you are not sure about.
The great thing about the web is that people that get ripped off tend to complain about it on the web, and you can be richer for the experience.
Alison | 5 January, 2010 at 9:26 am
Darren, you make some really good points above about booking your next holiday, especialy reading the small print and taking out adequate travel insurance.
There are many bonding schemes that travel companies use, not just ATOL, that will protect your money. It’s important that customers ask about the bonding that the company uses, so they are not restricted to only ATOL bonded ones. This will increase choice and you may get a better deal, all with the necessary protection included.
Only booking with brands you are familiar with won’t guarantee non-failure of that company (Globespan?). Your point of looking for contact details and going with your gut instinct is a good one, as there are many smaller/newer companies out there that are well aware of their responsibilities and operate great holidays!
Looking forward to us all having great holidays in 2010!
Darren Cronian | 5 January, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@ Alison
Thanks for the comment! I think part of the problem is that they are too many bonding schemes and there’s confusion amongst consumers. I agree that using brands you are familiar with will not mean your holiday is safe, this point was more towards the scam sites out there which get you to give your credit card details, but don’t book your hotel. It’s risky booking a holiday nowadays and I think consumers need to be more educated – hopefully I can continue to do that but it takes the industry/government to do more, as I am just a small travel blog.
Darren Cronian | 5 January, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@ Pete
Good tip. Using Google and the other search engines is a good way to find out what people are saying about a company. As is using sites like Facebook and Twitter when you search for their brand names.
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