What exactly is a package holiday?

miamoo

I'm really confused by what exactly is a package holiday!
If I go into a thomas cook shop, and book a thomas cook flight/hotel and transfer for a 4 night break is this a package?
Or do packages have to be 7/14 nights long

I'm traveling to Turkey on my own with my daughter, and want a package, but dont want to go for a week

stephb34

4 nights can be a package, a package is generally featured in a brochure, it depends on if its a late deal or not as to whether transfers are free, luggage, meals etc, with a package you get a rep. If its a TC, airtours, sunset holiday its a package, if its put together ie on the flexible trips website then thats not an official package. Probably the easiest way to tell is do you have a rep, but make sure the person who's serving you knows you only want a package. 4 night breaks are more common as late deals than early bookings as they're generally filling the flights up.

jackieblack

Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992
Regulation 2(1)
“package” means the pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following components when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of more than twenty-four hours or includes overnight accommodation:
a)
transport;
b)
accommodation;
c)
other tourist services not ancillary to transport or accommodation and accounting for a significant proportion of the package, and:
i)
the submission of separate accounts for different components shall not cause the arrangements to be other than a package;
ii)
the fact that the combination is arranged at the request of the consumer and in accordance with his specific instructions whether modified or not shall not of itself cause it to be treated as other than pre-arranged.

jackieblack

stephb34 wrote: »

4 nights can be a package, a package is generally featured in a brochure, it depends on if its a late deal or not as to whether transfers are free, luggage, meals etc, with a package you get a rep. If its a TC, airtours, sunset holiday its a package, if its put together ie on the flexible trips website then thats not an official package. Probably the easiest way to tell is do you have a rep, but make sure the person who's serving you knows you only want a package. 4 night breaks are more common as late deals than early bookings as they're generally filling the flights up.

Can't comment on TC specifically but in general, when defining a package, this is not necessarily true.
eg A fly-drive or 'tailor-made' holiday can be a package.

jimd-f

if you book at least 2 of flight/accom/car hire with the same provider in one transaction and pay a total inclusive price for what you have booked it is normally a package UNLESS it tells you somewhere in the T&Cs that it is not.

as a rule of thumb, if it is advertised in a holiday brochure it is probably a package, but if it is not, or you do not recognise the name of the company from adverts you may have seen, it is probably not.