How do you book your holiday?

[Gemini]

Yesterday, whilst out shopping in various places, we grabbed lunch in a café, which happened to be within Thomas Cook. While we were in there OH and I discussed booking holidays, and it set me wondering just how much business travel agencies get these days? Years ago that is how we booked holidays. You brought home lovely holiday brochures, browsed them with the family, made a choice and went back to the travel agents to book it. Sometimes you simply went in, and told them what you wanted, and they did all the work.

Now, so many people book online. Booking is easy, comparing different options is easy, and we have marvellous tools like Trip Advisor to help with our decision.

I always book accommodation and travel online. I research, decide, then book.

I know there will be people who can't do this, and for them the travel agents will be vital. If my mum was to want a holiday, and she didn't have the family to book it for her, the only way for her would be a travel agent.

So, what to you do? Do it all yourself, leave it all in the hands of the travel agents, or something in between?

[Avo]

It depends on the holiday. For our cruise next year I contacted various agents and got the lowest prices and then went to my local one and asked them to match the price - they did. (Iv'e done this before). The pre and post cruise accommodation and flights I will do myself.
Obviously a lot of our holidays are at our own apartment so that only needs air travel and I do that online.

[ZIZI]

On line every time. For our big holiday (usually around November) it is always British Airways but that is because of the free tickets the husband gets. for any others I prefer BA and to fly from Heathrow as we are a short bus ride away but have flown with other airlines and detest going from Gatwick but sometimes we have to. He and I will both trawl around the internet and see what we can find and then compare (except last year when he insisted on doing it solo and we all know how that turned out!). I go onto Trip Advisor and check the hotels out although the one in Tenerife in March this year had good write ups and I thought it was dire.

If we do fly from Gatwick I insist that we stay overnight and leave the car at the hotel. Last time we stayed at the Sofitel and would stay there again next time. I find it too stressful to get up early, get on the M25 and not know if you are going to be sitting and waiting for ages as the departure time gets closer.

I have been on line booking for about eleven years, I remember husband, sister in law and I going to Australia and NZ just after Joe was born. It all went well at first. Got to Sydney, spent a couple of days there, flew over to Auckland, sister in law went to stay with relatives, we went to pick up the camper van and it was a wreck and I refused to take it so they gave us a car instead it was also a bit of a wreck! Holiday in NZ was fab, got back to Sydney for a two day stay only to find I had booked the hotel for one month later! It was a crisis as there was a car show happening. Fortunately the hotel were very good and rang around to get us a good place to stay. Haven't made that mistake again!

There are three travel agents in our small high street a ten minute drive away and I said to husband the other day that the one we go past regularly used to have loads of holidays in the windows but haven't had anything for ages, it looks a very sad place. Also big companies like the one I work for have their own travel offices so where in the past companies would use the business travel department of an agency they now negotiate their own deals. Just another sign of the times..........

[Gemini]

got back to Sydney for a two day stay only to find I had booked the hotel for one month later! It was a crisis as there was a car show happening. Fortunately the hotel were very good and rang around to get us a good place to stay. Haven't made that mistake again!

Zizi, like you I have booked many online holidays for many years.
Like you I once made a mistake!!

Several years ago, ex husband, myself and then teenaged youngest daughter went to Florida. This wasn't the first Florida holiday I had booked. I always booked accommodation, flights, park passes, I was an old hand at it. This time we booked a villa as DD2 and SIL were joining us 3 days later. We arrived at the villa, keyed in the code, opened the door and went in. To be greeted by a line of trainers of various sizes in the hallway, and other signs of habitation. We quickly exited and shut the door!
Husband was all for phoning the owners to complain. I told him to hang on while I checked my paperwork. Then I realised that although we had flown in on Thursday, I had booked the villa from Saturday!! Oh dear. Thank goodness the family staying there were not in
Luckily the other weren't due until that date, so there were only 3 of us to think of, we could have got a hotel for the first days. Luckily however the owner had another villa in the same place just a few door down which was vacant. We 3 stayed there, then moved 'down the road' a couple of days later. I now check and double check very carefully when I book anything!

[Oma]

Brian sorts all ours out but as we normally do cruises he's a dab hand we also search on line then go into travel agents to see if they can price match , If I had to do it I would get my Son in law to do it , that man has missed his vocation he is a expert at getting the best deals out there and haggling between companies , there last holiday was a Disney cruise he got top end cabin and all the extras at rock bottom price even the travel agent offered him a job he was so good at it 😊

[Mimi]

On line. I can spend hours looking for the best deal.

[Nanto2girls]

We have booked holidays online for quite a few years now. I was talking about this with sister in law a few days ago. She said neither her or her hubby feel confident enough
to do it online. I said it's easy to print your tickets off and check in online, but she said they would be too scared to do it.
Fortunately, we haven't made any mistakes.
Oh dear, perhaps I shouldn't have said that.

[ZIZI]

My big mistake was many years ago. These days the safeguarding is more diligent. I think it is quite unlikely that you can make such a big mistake these days x

[Plantaholic]

On line for me, although I only book cottages, usually in Cornwall, I like to see pictures, look on Google maps to see where it is.

[Qwerty]

Me too, after plenty of research biggest one I booked was NewYork accommodation, transfers from and to airport, hotel, passes for Ground Zero and a private bus company seated 10 for a trip round New York and ferry round Statue of LIberty very proud of myself think if I can do that I can book anything 😄

[Elisi]

Online always. It's such fun deciding where to go and then putting it all together. I had to postpone the holiday we were supposed to be on now. We would have been in Sicily, in the South, lazing on a lovely beach one day then sightseeing historic monuments and buildings the next. Oh and not forgetting the FOOD which is always a BIG part of the whole experience.

We hope to be going in September now as OH has the summer to recover and I must say cancelling and then postponing until September was not too onerous at all. Ryanair, Premier Inn, car parking etc., and our host in Sicily, all were very understanding and helpful and got me settled quickly. Premier Inn, I had booked for on the way back to stay over at Stanstead as the flight in was not until midnight, and I paid the super saver which meant I couldn't claim it back. So out of courtesy I rang them and explained there would be a vacancy and they could use our room as OH was in hospital and they thanked me and told me due to my call which other people may not have done, they could sell the room now, and, they would refund my money How unexpected that was and how generous of them!

[Gemini]

Good for Premier Inn, Elisi! They really have got it all right I feel.

[Plantaholic]

Premier Inn every time.,

[Clover]

Lovely to hear of good service. It's all too often the reverse.

Wishing OH a speedy recovery.