Supplements and Child Places

hackster

I am getting increasing frustrated by the travel companies. Is there anything to stop them from doing the following and/or have any of you challenged them? I am even booking out of the summer holidays so feel for parents with school aged children paying much more.

Whilst looking for a holiday to book for next year I have experienced the following issues, please don't take this as sour grapes for their being few or no child places to be found (although they are advertising this on the TV all the time).

- Self catering accomodation
for some reason my child place plus the under occupancy supplement is more than my adult ticket price?? Surely this is not acceptable? would rather they were upfront and charged an accomodation price plus flights.
- All Inclusive
for some reason I have to pay the same price to upgrade from half board for my 4 year old to all inclusive as the adults. Odd as I forgot that my son likes to down 5 pints of the local larger in the evening! and can eat as much as an adult.
- Free child place
Complete rubbish, same accomodation one flying out on Sunday one on Monday (consecutive days same airport and similar times) and they cost the same price (give or take a couple of pounds) one has a free child place one hasnt!! Interestingly it is the Monday flight that has the free child place.

Are there any tricks of the trade I need to follow? or things I should know about to get through these issues?


Thanks
Amanda

Becles

I've found that it's best to run a series of quotes with different combinations of adults and children to work out the best price. Children can be booked on an adult price.

When I was a single parent, it was cheaper booking a self catering holiday for three adults, rather than an adult and two children. This was due to the huge under occupancy charge for having one adult in a four bed apartment, as the children were not included in occupancy counts.

I'm now married with three children, and this year we travelled as four adults and a child as that worked out best value.

We did stay over in an airport hotel the night before we flew, and it was cheaper being two adults and three children there!

michellep45

free child place is not always free!!!!!!!!!!!
they put adult prices up and then theres a under occ to cover as well..
get the travel agent to price for both
vary rarely do you get anything worth having for free....

nottslass_2

RE Self catering your only option is to find accommodation that is based on 2 adults sharing - In my experience these are very rare ,but if you are prepared to trawl through brochures you may get lucky.
AI - Have you tried to book hotels that only offer all inclusive ? That way you'll beat the sneaky up grade supplements.

The first choice website allows you to filter your search for AI and free child places.

We were looking at a first choice Holiday village the other day and managed to find some free child places,mind you that was travelling with only one child,I really don't know how things work if you have more than one because of room size etc.