Gobsmacked!

PeacefulWaters

I've just priced up a DIY week away at £1,400 to visit a Canary Islands hotel we've visited several times before using a big package company. The tour company alternative is coming in north of £2,500 for exactly the same week.

Mrs PW is worried sick at the idea of being there without tour company support.

What about transfers? The BA flight includes car hire (and is ATOL protected).

What if one of us is ill? We use our insurers for medical issues.

What if there are language problems? Google translate will cover it.

We spent two weeks of last Autumn driving around multiple states of the USA. 2013 saw us visit Prague, Stockholm, Milan, Paris without a tour company.

She says she does want to go away in October (clarified this, just in case I've missed the obvious).

So, can anybody justify paying £1,100 for the benefit of a tour company rep on the end of the phone for a week?

sandsy

I'd have booked the DIY version by now!

elsien

All the tour company reps are there for is to sell you excursions. When I've had a problem with the hotel I've sorted it myself rather than wait for the rep. When the flight home was delayed, we didn't see them for dust. And the one time in Mexico City when we got stuck at the airport because they forgot us, we couldn't get hold of anyone on any of the numbers and had to sort things out for ourselves anyway.
It's the Canaries. It's not Outer Mongolia. Go for it.

London50

We have been travelling to the Canary Islands {Tenerife} for years now both summer and winter each year on a DIY basis and have never had a problem. There are times {not many} when a package can workout cheaper but in over 99 percent of the time DIY is the way to go. We both retired years ago and even with the higher cost of insurance it still works out better than the package deals. As stated you are not going on a jungle safari and depending on what island and resort in the Canaries there is a good chance someone you know or live close to will more than likely be either in the room next door or on the sunbeds poolside :0)

duchy

What are you gobsmacked at ......The saving or your wife's attitude ?

PeacefulWaters

duchy wrote: »

What are you gobsmacked at ......The saving or your wife's attitude ?

A bit of both, but mainly the latter.

There is a minor inconvenience of airport choice.

There is an added advantage that the trip will give all three of us BA Silver status!

stormbreaker

Get the DIY one booked as prices have tendency to go up. You don't need a tour company and a rep. esp. in the likes of Tenerife where the majority if not all speak English.

MasterPoo

Peaceful have you shown her the difference in pricing?

You will basically be paying £1000 for a Rep you might or might not use.....Sometimes you have to go against THE BOSS and book it!

But Lord help you if anything goes wrong, you will have years of "I told you so" May the Force be with you!

richardw

Are you including an Iberia Express flight from Heathrow in your search?

PeacefulWaters

richardw wrote: »

Are you including an Iberia Express flight from Heathrow in your search?

I think it's Iberia one way and Iberia Express the other.

MasterPoo wrote: »

Peaceful have you shown her the difference in pricing?

Yes,

You will basically be paying £1000 for a Rep you might or might not use.....Sometimes you have to go against THE BOSS and book it!

I might just take the lad.

But Lord help you if anything goes wrong, you will have years of "I told you so" May the Force be with you!

Guaranteed. I'm worried Richardw's going to blow my plan apart after what could be a leading question!

SW17

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

So, can anybody justify paying £1,100 for the benefit of a tour company rep on the end of the phone for a week?

Short answer. No.

The rep is hardly an issue these days, and especially in Tenerife where English is so widely spoken, especially on the south of the island.

The only benefit offered by a tour op package that you won't have is ATOL cover and operational liability if the hotel was to close down before/during your stay. You may well have financial cover for this anyway through insurance, and either way it's not worth a grand.

Tell Mrs PW the saving will cover the fare for one of you to the U.S. in the next BA business class sale ex-Dub. You might even make it to Gold.