# Advice booking holidays online



## dewdrop (14 Nov 2009)

For past 30 years we always use a travel agent when going abroad. Recently friends tell us we are crazy not to do it online and save money. Roughly on say a holiday costing 2000 euro booked through a travel agent would one save if booked online.  Also i notice from some posts that there are scams and bogus online providers.  Should one always try and book with the hotel direct or is this possible. Any general advice appreciated as this seems a major step for us to take and as posters will have surmised we are in the golden years category but still mobile!


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## Bronco Lane (14 Nov 2009)

Where do you want to go?


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## dewdrop (14 Nov 2009)

Lanzorate in January but may alter destinations in future. Checking the Fariones Hotel prices now seem dearer than in June. Maybe i am not reading it correctly


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## Bronco Lane (14 Nov 2009)

http://www.hotelscomparison-8.co.uk...ff9eccc6561e7d16959db9a5a7a3&searchSequence=1

I take it that you want to stay in the Hotel rather than the apartments? January is more expensive than June allright. Time of the year I suppose.



Mixed reviews on Tripadvisor.com except for the fact that there is no airconditioning in rooms.

Some other choices.


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## AgathaC (14 Nov 2009)

Dewdrop, I always book holidays and flights online, so the very best of luck if you decide to do so. I do a good bit of research beforehand, on sites such as Tripadvisor.com, in order to find what accommodation is best, what sights to see etc. Yes, you can book directly with hotels, in my experience. On Tripadvisor, you will also find links to booking sites and it enables you to compare prices etc. I dont honestly know how much of a saving I make, versus booking through a Travel Agent because I have done this now for many years. You need to think also about things like the transfer from the airport to your hotel. Again, on the travel websites you will find lots of useful information on this. 
Just one thing, there is no value that can be placed on your peace of mind, knowing that your Travel Agent has booked everything for you, might be worth the price difference. I dont know, but it's just a thought.
As I said, very best of luck and I wish you many happy years travelling.


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## dewdrop (16 Nov 2009)

Thanks AgathaC for a very helpful response.


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## oldnick (16 Nov 2009)

dewdrop - get a price from the internet --and then ask your travel agency if it can match.
As a travel agent I offer clients either a package from a tour operator usually with a discount or, increasingly, a "made-up" package from the internet -airline, accommodation,transfer, car-hire if needed .

As we often know where to get the cheapest deals on the internet (and we get commission from the internet sites that are often mentioned in this threads)it is very rare that the clients finds a better price than we can offer.
And we tend to know what accommodation is good -or absolute rubbish

Also, on the internet one often has to pay the full price immediately. We allow the customers to stagger payments.

And if clients have a problem abroad they can ring us (i.e. change hotel, help with injury/insurance, arrange money quickly etc). And ,yes, they can sue us more easily than an internet site (-though they never have reason to!)

And most clients spend up to an hour chatting and asking questions about where to go - no charge.

Look - those who love the internet, and like spending time searching, feel a great joy and even pride in getting a good deal. Fair play to them.

As I say -give the internet a go -and make sure your travel agency comes up with something better. If not it shouldn't be in business.


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## irishmoss (16 Nov 2009)

I booked the Fariones hotel online for September 2008. I emailed hotel direct and they didn't even take a booking deposit and check in was superb. 
Booked flights direct with Aer Lingus. Total saving compared to Travel agent same period was around €250
Fariones Hotel has no air conditioning though, but the Fariones Playa has I think so check the other group hotels out.


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## Havana (16 Nov 2009)

I haven't used a travel agent in a long time, there are great savings to be found. Last year I got 2 weeks accommodation in June in the Canaries for €85pp!!

Just be sure to research properly, it can take time but is worth it. Be sure to include in your costings the things that often come included in Travel agents prices - transport from airport to your hotel, checked in bags etc.

As someone said for some it is fun doing all that research - I am one of those. I could spend hours browsing, searching and comparing prices. Not everyone likes that or has the time for it.

Re the prices being higher in Jan than June, the winter months are really popular in the Canaries - I am going in Feb and quite a few of the places I was looking at considered that time of the year to be their peak season and priced accordingly.


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## Grizzly (16 Nov 2009)

dewdrop said:


> Thanks AgathaC for a very helpful response.


 
From your response to Agatha and your non response to Bronco I think that you really don't want to book online but were seeking reassurance that booking through a travel agent is the right thing to continue doing?


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## dewdrop (17 Nov 2009)

Grizzly I think your assessment may not prove correct.  I will post again when i return! Meanwhile thanks to Bronco and everyone else who contributed.


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## jasonr (17 Nov 2009)

Dewdrop - can I put you to the test?

I've always used travel agents when booking my family summer holiday but next year its about to change. I can get the following for these amounts -

Return tickets to Reus (staying 9 nights from 13 July - 22 July) €858.
Staying half board in Play Margarita hotel (family room) - €1244.
Cost of transfers €100 return.

Total cost for 9 nights in Salou amounts to €2,202 for a family of 5.

If you can beat that then I would gladly book with a travel agent.


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## Leper (17 Nov 2009)

Over €2200 for a family of 5 sharing a family room for 10 days.  You have the bread, but you could have cake by booking an apartment/duplex for a total of €1700 incl car hire.


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## oldnick (17 Nov 2009)

Am surprised if a travel agent could not get nine nights for 1244 in Playa Margarita on HB for family of five. 

One could also get a one bedroom apt down the road on HB for a family of five for 1.000 euro for that period at the Almunsa Playa, though the Margarita is much better- albeit still slightly cramped for five in one bedroom, though that depends on age of kids I suppose.

( Lepers idea of a large apt sounds appealing -you should check it out! )

Flight prices of Ryanair to  Reus  on those dates are (today on Ryanair's website) much higher than price quoted in the example above, though Aer Lingus to Barcelona is still remarkably cheap and five could all fly with bags for that price. 
As everyone knows, both airlines prices can change day-by-day.

Generally the price of Ryanair and Aer Lingus flight is usually same for an agent as for anyone else. (On long haul flights there should be savings for most people booking thru a good agent).

So , in this particular example it is the accommodation's price that the agent should beat. The flight price is that which is displayed on the airlines website and is not confirmed until payment is made.


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## roker (17 Nov 2009)

What holiday sites do you use to book online? Most are UK sites which requires an extra flight to the UK to get a conection and possibly an overnight stay which is added cost.


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## Grizzly (18 Nov 2009)

I am not sure that booking with Ryanair so far ahead is a good idea. So far their sales are only for flights until the end of February although I notice that they have begun to drop their prices for March. I would imagine that Reus/Salou will drop in January and February.
I think that there will be lots of hotel promotions also available for next year. I agree in a lot of cases Aer Lingus are cheaper than Ryanair if booking far ahead. Ryanair actually losing a trick by not having a summer 2010 sale.


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## jasonr (18 Nov 2009)

Mick O'Leary must have seen this thread and hiked up the price of the flights. Only yesterday before I posted the price going out on the Tuesday was €49.99 and back on the Thursday was €59.99. Looks like i'll have to look at the Aer Lingus option now or else wait till Mick decides to drop his price again.


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## oldnick (18 Nov 2009)

Very odd about Ryanairs Summer prices to many destinations,especially Spain.
The prices have all doubled in the last two days!
Nobody will pay eight months ahead the full amount of 300- 350 euros which is Ryanair's full price inc. bag and all fees for many dates in July to Spanish destinations.
Especially when Lingus is averaging 150-200 euros inclusive.

Expect very soon Ryanair's amazing "half-price summer sale" !


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## ClickityClic (18 Nov 2009)

Roker, try www.beaches.es.  I've used them they are reliable and the prices are good. It means that you book your flights seperately.,


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## Grizzly (19 Nov 2009)

ClickityClic said:


> Roker, try [broken link removed]. I've used them they are reliable and the prices are good. It means that you book your flights seperately.,


 
Are you sure that this is the correct website?


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## ClickityClic (19 Nov 2009)

Grizzly.  My mistake it should be www.beach.es.


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## redwood park (19 Nov 2009)

Web site is beach.es.  alpharooms.com. travelrepublic.co.uk.  thomson.co.uk   1800hotels.ie  hotels.com. There is an other english site called travelsupermarket.com where you get loads prices from different companies to compare. Good luck


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## IsleOfMan (22 Nov 2009)

oldnick said:


> Very odd about Ryanairs Summer prices to many destinations,especially Spain.
> The prices have all doubled in the last two days!
> Nobody will pay eight months ahead the full amount of 300- 350 euros which is Ryanair's full price inc. bag and all fees for many dates in July to Spanish destinations.
> Especially when Lingus is averaging 150-200 euros inclusive.
> ...


 
Ryanair must be losing out to Aer Lingus on this one.  I would imagine that most people who flew with Ryanair at the drop of a hat and had several holidays a year have made cutbacks for various reasons.
They are probably concentrating on one or two holidays now and will probably upgrade their accommodation etc accordingly. Hotels are offering good deals so I would imagine that they will try to match their hotel and flight rather than lose out. As a result I think that Aer Lingus will take some business from Ryanair now unless Ryanair introduce some special offers for the summer months.


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## oldnick (22 Nov 2009)

I am gobsmacked at some of the prices of Aer Lingus to many hot-spots in peak season. Never seen them so low. 

However, the fact is that almost nobody is booking them or anything else for next year. Irish airlines and tour operators have never ever had such a low percent of forward bookings.
Will this mean bargains later on ?
No idea -more likely the capacity on both the two Irish airlines and the tour operators will be slashed (actually the three main tour operators have already cut capacity by 50%). And there's no way both airlines will actually run the all the flights displayed.


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## jasonr (23 Nov 2009)

Old nick - i meant to direct my query to you. As a travel agent can you come up with a better price for a family of 5 than the one I quoted above.


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## oldnick (24 Nov 2009)

jasonr -have sent pm


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## BOXtheFOX (1 Dec 2009)

The €5 Ryanair Sale today is a joke. It should be called "spot the €5 fare"!


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## jasonr (21 Jan 2010)

jasonr said:


> Dewdrop - can I put you to the test?
> 
> I've always used travel agents when booking my family summer holiday but next year its about to change. I can get the following for these amounts -
> 
> ...


 

Well booked 8 days in Salou for family of 5 All inclusive in Salou in the first week of August.
Flights worked out at €735 and accommodation €1340. Transfers will cost about €100 so i will have all for €2,175 which isnt bad for peak time and all-inclusive staying in the Cye Holiday Aparthotel.


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## Slim (27 Jan 2010)

Is OteL.COM a legitimate site? Same question re Otels.com. Sister has booked on it last night but is panicking now. Slim


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## POC (27 Jan 2010)

The Irish Times do a travel supplement on Saturdays. For the first few months they did a weekly comparison between a holiday booked as a package or booking it yourself (I think it was Conor Pope who did it). They featured lots of different types of holidays - Short City breaks / family sun holidays / cheap and cheerful / luxury etc etc. Sometimes DIY was cheaper, sometimes it wasn't. Also - the cheaper option sometimes was unsatisfactory for one reason or another - such as indirect flights, or flight schedule issues. Sometimes the price difference was tiny, sometimes it was huge.

Even if you choose to book with a travel agent or Tour Operator, it is worth doing a bit of research first to ensure you are happy with the price, and that it's not excessive compared to booking yourself. I have booked with Travel Agents and Tour Operators a good few times because it was cheaper then doing it myself (Florida, France, St. Lucia).


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## dewdrop (7 Sep 2010)

Ref my original post i did not go abroad last year. My question now is the travel agent quoted me a price for arranging air travel and accommodation which comes out much less than the price of a package holiday. I know the accommodation and that i will have to pay for the transfer from the airport...what are the advantages of going along with the travel agent or booking the flight/accommodation myself.


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## oldnick (7 Sep 2010)

Dewdrop - you say that the travel agent can do this for the same price as doing it yourself   and you ask why book with the travel agent.

This shows how badly we in the travel trade have told people that every penny spent with a travel agent on travel ex-Ireland is protected. For example, if the hotel goes bust ,or an overseas online provider goes bust then you may have a long wait getting your money back.

-If you have a complaint with the accommodation, with the airline , coach company whatever -then you can direct that complaint thru the local travel agent. Doesn't always work but it's better than trying to get compensation from an overseas hotel ( o.k. in your particular case you know the hotel, so a complaint may not arise )

- although not obligated, the travel agent usually helps in case you have an emergency. You've lost all your money, got arrested, shot etc ! 
Good agents can make phone calls and push things on your behalf inc.arranging money, alternative flights back etc

- if it is not dearer or more trouiblesome to book with the travel agent  why not give them the business? It's a local shop employing presumedly a few people.

-some agents are rubbish but most surviving today do care about getting repeat business and if  it costs nothing extra  then do book with them

-Oldnick -retiring travel agent.


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## dewdrop (8 Sep 2010)

Thanks Old Nic.   I do not know how much it would cost to do it myself as i am not very good at this! My query was whether the price quoted by the travel agent (about 400 euro less than the packaged price) for arranging the flight/accommodation would be much the same as if i got someone to do it for me. Really just curious. The travel agent seemed to contact another party to get the price rather than source it himself.


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## SlurrySlump (8 Sep 2010)

dewdrop.  Why not give us the dates and location on this thread and see if any of us can do it any cheaper?


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## oldnick (8 Sep 2010)

dewdrop-  yes i did misread you-I thought you got a matching price. apologies

sorryslump- excellent idea.


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## dewdrop (10 Sep 2010)

two weeks in Rosamer Apts. Lanzorate. fly from cork sat 6th nov and return to corksat 2oth..2 adults self catering. Paackaged holiday was 1838 euro..flight and accomm arranged by travel agent was 1402.  I am not really penny pinching but just interested..thanks.


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