As the pound plummets, Dom Littlewood discovered why rejecting brochures and going it alone may no longer be the most cost effective way of booking your holiday.
To prove this, Dom compared two holidays to two popular destinations - Florida and Majorca - and discovered that on both occasions the brochure price beats the DIY price. But the benefits don't stop there.
Package holidays - the advantages:
* Perhaps the biggest advantage of booking a package holiday is the protection you receive from companies involved going bust.
* Under the ATOL scheme (Air Travel Operator's License), you are protected from losing your money or being stranded abroad. It does this by carrying out checks on the tour operators and travel organisers it licenses, and requiring them to take part in a financial guarantee scheme managed which provides the funds to protect customers should a firm fail
* A package doesn't have to be an all singing all dancing all in holiday - it can just be a flight and a hotel booked together on your behalf by the tour operator (ATOL does not cover flight only bookings).
* Make sure when booking to confirm with the tour operator that your holiday will be covered by ATOL, and that they give you an ATOL receipt.
* You can double check that your tour operator is ATOL covered by looking at the Civil Aviation Authority's website.

The package holiday has been part of the British way of life for decades but in recent years has been under pressure from the growing popularity of independent travel. The rise of cheap "no frills" flights, the Internet and an increased access to far-flung destinations has meant more of us are taking a do-it-yourself approach to travel abroad.

However, with the offer of excellent value for money and greater security it would be premature to write off package holidays just yet. Around 19 million people chose to holiday with a package deal last year - three and a half million more than 10 years ago.

So, if you are just about to book that much needed holiday what's the best option? Let's take a look at the pros and cons.

If you are travelling independently be sure to start your research early. Airlines will only set aside so many low cost seats and if you don't book well in advance you could find yourself paying more than you need to.

You may have decided to travel to an exotic location, like Morocco, South Africa, Thailand or India but before you go into all the various ways of doing it on your own it's worth considering the all-in-one approach. A package tour to an exotic location will often work out much cheaper than trying to do it all yourself when you add in flights, accommodation, tours etc.

Tour companies have moved with the times. They now offer a more complete and flexible approach to travel in order to meet the increasingly diverse demands of holidaymakers. There are still the all-inclusive breaks to the Med, if that's what you want but there are plenty of other, more adventurous choices. It is now possible to enjoy a real travel experience with all the security of a package.

Package Deals

"A holiday arranged by a travel company for a fixed price that includes the cost of your hotel and transport and sometimes meals and entertainment."

Why pick a package deal?

Well the answer is rather long, but things such as the vast choice of destinations, the choice of quality, the clubs for the kids, the all inclusives etc etc.
The companies that specialise in the package holiday market are very well organised. They have reps on site, local managers nearby, access to all the services of the hotel in the language of the host country and of course English.
They start at the UK airport, meet you at the other end, take you to your hotel, give you the lowdown on the area. They will of course offer you their wares - trips, events etc - but they have to make a living too!

They entertain you, listen to you, point you in the direction of things that they don't offer you a trip to. They explain to you all the things that you may never learn if you build your own trip. The package includes the lot!!

Know your rights as a holiday package consumer?

If you are planning on going on your holidays this year make sure you do the following before setting off for the travel agent! When booking a holiday package it is important that we consider what will happen should we need to cancel or if your holiday goes completely wrong for one reason or another. Where do we stand?

According to the article “Good things come in holiday packages – if they’re bonded” we the consumer need to be aware of our rights as a holiday consumer and help is at hand!

The Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act 1995 states that a ‘package holiday’ should combine at least two of the following – accommodation, guided tour services and flights. Lastly, to be a package holiday you don’t have to go abroad as your trip can be inside the UK as well as outside of it.

It is absolutely essential that you book your holiday with a bonded or licensed travel agent in case anything should go wrong. With a licensed agent if they were to go bust all would not be lost and you would receive assistance.

When reading the brochure, ensure that the information you are seeing is not misleading you in some way. According to travel agent legislation all the information set out before you should be accurate and in no way misleading. It should be a case of what you see is what you will get as transportation, living accommodation and date information should be accurate.

A fundamental priority (when reading the brochure) is to make sure you are familiar with all information to do with holiday cancellation. Additionally, you should familiarise yourself with details relating to price, payment terms, itinerary, mandatory charges, health recommendations and amongst other things visa and passport requirements. Next check that you agree with all the terms and conditions (normally situated at the back of your brochure) and should be read with care as it includes all the facts about cancellation.

In a majority of cases the deposit will be forfeited when a holiday is cancelled after that, how much money is lost depends upon how much time there is between the dates of the holiday and when you cancel. If you read all the small print this will come as no surprise.

In the event of having to cancel a holiday, check your travel insurance in order to see if you can recoup any of your losses. Remember to buy your travel insurance at the time of booking your holiday but remember you can purchase this from another source if you require.