what's the difference?

[bednobs]

hi, can anyone help? What is the difference between booking a holiday say at first choice, or thompson, and going directly to the operator in the brochure?. i ask because i want to book my holiday but cant get to the travel agents. When i was there the other day, they gave me the brochure to look at, and you can phone the holiday company directly to book. What difference is there practically between the two options?

[c-larky]

what r u on about NUGGET stop being tight ,

[barry1010]

When you book with the travel agents, usually your flights are arranged, too.
When you book direct with the hotel, you have to arrange your own flights. The hotel may be more expensive.
Most travel agents are ABTA bonded so you get your money back if things go wrong, usually.
If you book the hotel direct and find they have gone out of business when you arrive, you'll have to sort it out yourself.

[bednobs]

thanks for that answer barry, but perhaps i didnt make myself clear - the prices in the brochure are for flights too, its not booking directly with the hotel, but the tour operator. The holiday is for jersey, and the brochure i got from first choiceis for "preston holidays". They have a line you can call them to book the holiday with them. so what is the difference between getting the travel agent to do it, and the tour operator (which is abta/atol bonded?) I dont mind doing it either way, but getting to the travel agents is a bit tricky at the mo. I presume there is no price difference because the prices in the brochure would be what the estate agent charges anyway i guess? I'm just excited because i havent been on holiday since my honeymoon 8 years ago, and dont know if i can wait to go to the agents, but wondered if there was something better about doing it there

[theshedman]

Hi bednobs, have you looked at the holiday on-line with the same tour operators. I did that and it was �80 cheaper on-line than it was in the brochure. I then printed it out and took it to the travel agents and they said I could have it at the on-line price. Worth a try. Good luck.

[redcrx]

be careful bednobs, check everything!!
I found a holiday online with Thomson, called the phone line to book and their price was higher but they sais theyd price match the online quote.
It seemed great until i got the confirmations through and they havnt booked half the stuff that was on the online quote. I now have to pay extra.

[craft1948]

I don't know if it is the same for cruises as other holidays but I used to book direct with P&O at their 'discounted' brochure prices until a P&O member of staff told me it was cheaper to shop around the cruise traders. Apparently they sell so many berths to traders for x amount and are not allowed to compete against them for retail prices.

[theshedman]

Hi, redcrx I found the holiday I wanted in the brochure and then went to their own website to get a few more details about the hotel and area and found it was cheaper. Everything was the same right down to inflight meals and tranfers, then I printed out the quote and travel agents in town matched it. That way we had the bonus of being able to go into the shop to pay and ask about any queries we had. Do agree you need to check everything first though.