Gobsmacked!

DCFC79

Get it booked, that's a good saving you could make.

richardw

Iberia express seat pitch is 28", one inch less than easyJet, taller passengers tend to catch their knees on the tray table.

PeacefulWaters

richardw wrote: »

Iberia express seat pitch is 28", one inch less than easyJet, taller passengers tend to catch their knees on the tray table.

Ouch. Thanks for that snippet.

I'll suffer for Silver!

(The Thomson alternative is also 28")

SW17 wrote: »

Short answer. No.

Yup!

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.

The hotel accepts credit cards. The annual travel insurance is on risk.

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.

Your first point is spot on. Your second point, no chance!

zagfles

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

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?

No. Why does she think the Canaries will be any different to all the other places you've been?

Is the problem that she has the typical British mindset of "you get what you pay for"? And so the package must provide £1100 worth of extra value? It obviously doesn't, as you make clear above.

If so get her to register on MSE and the forumites here will cleanse her mind of this daft notion :money:

ferf1223

SW17 wrote: »

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.

Also tell her to mentally put the savings in a pot as self-insurance for anything that may not be covered elsewhere. I wish we had a running tally of savings by going DIY over the years, but I am absolutely confident that whatever the number is would cover many, many potential future issues.

sandsy

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

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

So why are you waiting? Lounge access and free seat reservations await!

MasterPoo

sandsy wrote: »

So why are you waiting? Lounge access and free seat reservations await!

He's scared:rotfl::rotfl:

sidefx

MasterPoo wrote: »

He's scared:rotfl::rotfl:

Of the OH! Clearly

I'm still trying to get my head round paying an extra grand for a 'rep' who is probably only there for a season, in order to get a tan and 'enjoy' the local nightlife:D

dawyldthing

Years ago we went to Tunisia and my nan got dysentery. We booked through thomsons and the rep was no use, the people on the phone was no use and when I nearly had to fly home alone and leave my mum in Tunisia as they wouldn't have paid for the flights for both of us to get back. Then 2 years ago we were on a thomas Cook flight (we hadn't booked the package, but many had) and we barely saw a rep in 6 hours. So in my opinion Id get the savings and plan next years with it instead

hollydays

I'd just say do loads more research-you'll probably find it even cheaper.
It may now occur to you you've been being charged top rates for years