when planning a holiday you should look at all booking possibilities. I have gone DIY, through a travel agent and by phoning the TO directly. No-one way is always best. Price it up online and directly with the TO and then go to the TA and ask them to beat the best quote. ( and even if they only match it- it saves you a lot of hassle! )

i have to agree, when i booked for next oct i got a web price then went to the first choice shop (the travel company i was going with) and they matched the price with low deposits.
if the holiday you have found is with firstchoice, thomson, mytravel then most of these have high street travel shops so you might get a better deal from these.

I note you say " Very Low Deposit" Just take care that your insurance cover is in place when you book.

If anything should happen causing you to cancel then you could be liable for the FULL deposit. Booking now but not taking insurance out until later could cause you a problem. Free insurance cover does not cover you.

fwh

Thanks, I've been looking at First Choice so will definately pop into a shop too. I do have annual insurance so hopefully should be OK if I do have to cancel. Cejay

A while ago I got an online quote from Eclipse Direct (which is part of First Choice) it was cheaper than an online quote from the main First Choice site and obviously much cheaper than the brochure from the travel agent. I popped into our local First Choice shop and asked if they could match a quote from Eclipse (being the same company) They said they could match the quote no problem but they would be unable to offer any kind of low deposit deal with this arrangement.
Obviously if you can only afford a low deposit at this time of year, then you're at the mercy of whatever the travel agents can offer, but a substantial reduction in the overall cost of a holiday from an online quote can be more attractive than a low deposit if you're lucky enough to be able to pay a full deposit there and then (on top of paying off your xmas overdraft )
I booked an online holiday on the Thomas Cook website a few weeks ago and only had to pay £50 per person deposit, not sure if this offer is still running, but might be worth you having a look. Eclipse also do low deposits if you book on the phone rather than online.

Hi, I have always saved a bob or two by doing exactly that, getting a price online, (Thomsons), and then going to my local thomsons and asking them to price "Beat" (Not match ), I did this a couple of months ago, got a great on line price, (plus a £50 discount - by entering a promotional code - anchor-sun1410 ). When I went in, the girl looked at my quote, and she couldn't understand how I had got it so cheap, as it was coming up on her computer nearly £300 dearer, (with all the maximum discounts, she was allowed to take off )after conferring with her manager (for about 10 mins), she came back, and said she would match the price, I cheekily asked if she would price beat, as I might as well have booked on line, after another confer with the manager, (and my other half going crimson with embarrasment,) she came back and said she would take £5 off!.

It certainly does pay to shop around. BBB.

direct holidays only ask for £1 deposit. mo

i got online quotes for a holiday to vegas got 5 prices for different hotels then rang my local going places and asked if they could beat it and i would book it now. at first they beat it by £28 i said i might aswell book it on line 1 hour later she rang me back with £170 discount i was more than happy and booked it. it is always best to compare prices the first price i got was off their own website

Bellyballyboo wrote:

When I went in, the girl looked at my quote, and she couldn't understand how I had got it so cheap

We've just done the exact same with Thomsons. Got quoted a holiday over the internet (using the latest code) which included pre-booked seats and flight meals for 2 adults and 1 child. We went into our local Thomsons shop and asked them to match or beat. The girl was impressed with the quote to say the least and couldnt believe we had got it so cheap. Again, like yourself, after conferring with the Manager they could only match the price but we were able to book and use their low deposit.

Its always worth shopping around on the net and then getting the shop(s) to price match or beat. Sometimes, if they cant beat the price, they may throw in free insurance or something similar.