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Just looking for a summer holiday but the big companies are silly money. Anyone use a smaller reputable (cheaper) firm? Thanks
why package? just asking mind
I think I've only ever had 2 package holidays, both with First Choice. Ah no, I tell a lie, I did one with Direct Holidays too.
1) don't go to Crete in high summer
2) don't go to Menorca for more than a week
3) Lagos, Algarve is fab. I'd go back there again
john
We do packages just for the ease of it really, I can't be bothered booking a flight here accomodation there then having to sort the transfers to the hotel.
lowcostholidays.com
not package holidays but you can book everything including transfers
fairy snuff. I don't have much experience of them - or holidays in general TBH.
In 20 years going out with/married to Mrs_Drummer, we've had maybe 8 foreign holidays, 3 of them package, 2 of them flights only where the accommodation was already booked by her sister, so don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the package deal.
95 - Dordogne - gite + self-drive + Le Shuttle
97 - Crete - package (First Choice)
99 - honeymoon - Algarve, package (First Choice)
01 - Catalunya - Independant Travellers
04? - Menorca - package (Direct Holidays)
06 - Cote d'Azur - flight only - Jet2.com
07 - Cote d'Azur - flight only + car hire Jet2.com
09 - Canada - flights from Canadian Affair, car hire & hotels from Expedia
yes the package deal is great for ease of booking, transfers etc, but booking flights & car hire is easy enough. Just the accommodation left to sort.
With a bit more forward planning I would have booked last years flights to Calgary & back from Vancouver but hey, you live & learn
Try travel republic(dot)co(dot)uk
the new travel city part of Virgin bit pricey I think.
also Tom cook been very good.
remember it all depends on what you are after.
Lyan air for the con job and book hotel yourself.
Depends on what you want and how fussy you are.
Some good deals about if you can go on short notice.
BTW 97, 01 and 04 were bad holidays for different reasons
97 - didn't take enough money and in a village where there was no access to any more money. Oh, and the plumbing...
01 - I was on a beach in Roses on 11th September. Great up until that point but afterwards was a bit tense. Not least Barcelona airport on the way home about 3 days later
04 - 2 weeks is about 6 days too long for Menorca. About as Spanish as, erm, Spanish City at Whitley Bay
Decide were you're going, take a look at flightmapping.com , see what airlines serve the route, realise that all the charter flights are Thomsons and the best deals for their destinations are direct thru Thomsons or through one of the subsiduaries (dierctline, crystal)..That's normally the pattern for european holidays from provincail airports
I got great prices on flights to, and around, the US through E-bookers, but you need to booke 6months or so in advance to get the best from that kind of setup...
Thomson (or TUI as it's now called) for [i]almost[/i] any beach style holiday.
Never had a bad one.