help & edvise please on booking hotel + flights abroad for the first time

jellyfish21

Hi we have used the travel agents for package holidays abroad for the past couple of years now but are thinking about cutting out the middle man & booking flights, accomendation & insurance ourselves this time. Is it difficult to do? I've had a look on the net & to be honest have found it all quite daunting and haven't a clue where to start?? Is it much cheaper doing it yourself or is it better going through the travel agents as we've only been on 2 holidays abroad as a family now. Any help & advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

duchy

It depends on the type of holiday and how much time you are prepared to devote to research.

jellyfish21

we're looking at fueterventura or maybe Cyprus or Majorca. Its for next years holiday so time spent on researching isn't a problem. Thanks

Spendless_Dosh

Hi,

Its really easy and nothing to stress about, just use reputable sites and have a clear idea about where you want to go. You could start by using the travel company brochures picking the resort and hotel you prefer then comparing the price with the same details from an online site.

There are lots of options out there, I tend to stick with Expedia (and use Quidco for cashback) but everyone will have their opinion/preferences on who to use. Try a couple of different ones and see which you prefer. Don't expect that online will always be cheaper, this isn't always true.

It will involve investing more time on your part than leaving it in the hands of a travel agent, and remember to cover all the options (flights, hotels, transfers, insurance, hire cars, etc). I enjoy the process but for some it's too much hassle. Best advice is to read everything carefully before clicking, mistakes can be costly.

There is lots of advice on these forums and its worthwhile reading up a little beforehand. Hope you get sorted, have a great holiday.

danandjens_worldtravels

A good resource is Wikitravel, it has a section called get in, which details all the various ways you can get to a destination and get around, which details how you can get around. Its very useful for finding which airlines fly to your destination, if there is a train/bus from the airport.

It also tells you about your destination, what there is to do etc.

It may also be worth borrowing from your local library a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for your country, again there will be information in there that you will find useful while planning.