Can I just say that some of you are spoilt for choice - I mean that in a nice way. We can hardly ever find 'cheapie' DIY holidays for 2 main reasons- I work in a school, so peak times only but added to that is not much availability of flights from our local airport. Our nearest airport is 1hr 15mins drive away and the next is almost 2 hours away. We try to get flights from these as Gatwick involves a four hour journey and usually the expense of at least one overnight stay.

Our choice of destinations is also very limited and unless we have money to burn we decide on our destination in accordance with what our local airport can offer

An example- for a change this year we've decided to go to the Dom Rep. With the dates we can travel, flight times are rubbish which means we not only have to travel 4hours to Gatwick, we also have had to book an hotel room before flying and also on our return. Add to that the cost of parking for 16 nights as well and it works out really expensive. I've gone a little but wanted to point out that some packages are hard to come by for us let alone diy hols.

You are exactly right Shirley it's horses for courses, for some of us DIY is the answer but now with so many bed bookers going skint as Doe highlights it must really put a lot of people off, no one can afford to lose hard earned money.

Dave.

I have done and will continue to do both DIY and package but as a family of 5 who have no choice but to holiday over school holiday time I can tell you DIY is not always cheaper and anyone that says their way is the cheapest is basing that on their own requirements when unfortunately one mans requirements are never the same as the next mans.
Yes of course if you were to go and compare the price of a package for July/Aug now at this late stage and compare it with what you can get DIY I'm sure many will gloat that you can get it xxx pounds cheaper but I bet I can find just an many that would work out far more expensive .

I do my research well in advance costing up every option including booking direct with a hotel and will book whatever method is the cheapest and safest in the current climate

I will admit we tend to go A/I , are a little set in ours ways of Turkey and Egypt and obviously it may be a lot easier to find a cheap DIY option if you are not as particularly about where you want to go or the hotel and can holiday out of season as a couple .
It can be very risky and costly to shell out 3-4 K well in advance for 5 of us and I have found more recently if I bag a package well in advance it can and more often works out cheaper . I only have to hand over a couple of hundred quid and not have to worry about the security. No brainer really.

If it is just the 2 of us going away for a weekend I am more than happy to hand over a couple of hundred quid to a bed banker if that is the chepest method .

lyn

Shirley
I agree with you. We live in Scotland and not all destinations are available from Scottish Airports, and usually at a high supplement if they are, so this is something we must factor into the price of a holiday if we have to fly from a "main" airport.

Although I don't work in a school, I imagine many on this forum, like myself, have school age children so we also have to holiday during "peak" time. It is so frustrating seeing holidays offered at really good prices during term time and tour operators bumping the prices up during school holidays - which is exactly the reason I initially investigated DIY.

I wouldn't exactly call my holiday a "Cheapie", but I did manage to save £200 per person doing it that way than booking through First Choice. Which begs the question - just how much are these large Tour Operators profitting from us. I know the pitfalls of booking DIY but there are no guarantees booking through a Travel Agent in the currrent economic climate - Freedom Direct for example.

DIY does not equal cheap, it often gives better value for money and more choice than a TO gives - ie duration, departure date etc. Having said that, if DIY worked out at only a minimal saving then I would book through a TO, but in my case the saving was too great to be ignored. So come on Tour Operators - if we can do it then so can you - give us fair prices and we'll give you our custom!

I def find diy cheaper,we are a family of 4,holiday during school hols,I choose where we go by value for money,ie flights and hotels,May half term week i normally pay £800 for hotel and flights for all of us,oldest is 17 so adult price for him,best bargain so far was 1 week at the son baulo hotel majorca half board,and ba flights £767,Thomson package price for the same was £1600 which I wouldnt of been able to afford!!

We have gone diy for the first time this year as not many packages cater for 2 adults and 4 children i have found it cheaper,we normally book with thomas cook but they have got so expensive flights to dalaman from manchester were 1700 and for a package cheapest was 2500 this is first 2 weeks in september

i have booked flights for 6 of us for a total of 1105.00 with travel republic and booked accomadation direct for 220.00 for 2 weeks sun apartments in armutulan marmaris

so grand total of 1325 for 2 weeks in marmaris plus 100.00 for private transfers i am well chuffed

Slightly off topic, but I've remembered why I don't use travel agents any more whilst trying to book a holiday to USA next year.

First checked usual booking points, expedia, ebookers, direct with airline. Found all prices the same, but wanted to get round problem of having to pay in full now. Looking at direct flight from Gatwick around £2000 for all of us.

Second called local travel agent. Asked for flights to Las Vegas from London. They asked which airport - I said you tell me. Agent then found a flight with one connection from Heathrow - about £300 more than internet booking. I asked if there were any flights from Gatwick - they found one with AirFrance with one connection (about £200 more than internet booking).

Third called well known travel agent (Trailfinders). Was amazed at their quote of £2,500 over internet price for same direct flight.

Fourth gave up and booked direct.

I've only just started reading this thread and just wanted to give an example of what Sunbear said a few weeks ago. I went DIY solo to Thailand and Laos last November, I was due to fly back to Europe from Bangkok the day after the airport was closed due to the protests. I had a great deal of hassle trying to obtain info on what my options were regarding flights as I could not get through on the phone. I had to switch hotel rooms a couple of times and even faced the prospect of having to leave the hotel after a few days because someone else had booked my room. I struck up a conversation with a couple who were in Thailand with Kuoni, they were enjoying their extra few days holiday, all arranged by the TA and they weren't worried because Kuoni had things in hand.
I realise that something like this happens only rarely, though at the same time people were going through a much more shocking experience in Mumbai. On this occasion being on a package holiday would have given my family back home some peace of mind and saved me a lot of worry and hassle.
Going DIY is often the only option as my holidays are somewhat unusual and I can't always find a package that suits, but I would have no qualms about booking with a TA if the holiday suits my requirements. After over forty years of travelling abroad I've found that some times DIY is more expensive and sometimes packages..
I guess though I'm not a 'true DIYer' as I will book direct with hotels at times.

I think that I take the same pragmatic view as you on this one, Judith. As you'll know from our exchanges on the Caribbean forum, I'm about to book for Cuba this July and have opted not to DIY but to go with an established TO. Even though I know Cuba well, had been planning to do a DIY tour this spring and could no doubt have done it cheaper if I'd booked everything direct myself, I decided that I wanted the security of having a TO behind me. July falls into the beginning of the hurricane season and while I don't have any safety worries - the Cubans 'do' hurricanes so much better than almost any other country in the region, inclusing the US - this way if Cuba is struck by a hurricane whilst I'm there, dealing with the cosnequences becomes the TO's problem and not mine. I might not get the trip I booked for but I feel safe in the knowledge that I will have the services of a specialist small TOs tour guide on hand and that I will be looked after. That peace of mind is worth the extra I'm paying over a DIY in this instance but it won't stop me travelling independently in the future - probably as soon as October for the usual family trip to one of the smaller Canary Islands.

As for 'true' DIYers' never booking direct with the hotel - well I simply don't get it. Surely the definition of a DIYer is someone who travels independently, putting their own package together from a number of different sources. I've both booked direct with hotels and also used bed-booking agencies/discounters/owners and letting agents/sites. It all depends on where I can get the best and most reliable deal and often I'll go with the more expensive option if I think it's the most reliable one. I was never more glad that I'd paid a bit extra for our flights to Tenerife for last October rather going with the cheapest quote and booking Excel. Don't ask me what sixth sense made me book with Monarch instead - I just had this gut feeling that they would prove more reliable given that we had a ferry to catch etc. Our flight was delayed but we still made the ferry and more to the point - we still made it to Tenerife in the first place. The work colleague who should have been flying there with Excel on the very same day didn't because they went bust and they couldn't get alternative flights for the right dates.

SM

Lot of disagreement on here - Some say book your flight/ hotel early, others say later
I'm all for finding out info on your hotel/destination/flights etc.. but I wouldn't want to spend too much time doing that, as it would become a task rather than a pleasure - constantly checking on flight updates/prices, accommodation availability, transfers.........

Everyone to their own, as some do prefer DIY holidays and fair play to that. Me, well I prefer to spend my £500 - £600 for my wife and me to have a 2 week package holiday (usually on a Greek island) which includes flight, hotel, and transfers. AND the whole thing takes me about an hour tops to book it. AND, yes it wasn't a typo - cost £500-£600 for the 2 of us. AND we have been paying this amount for the past 5 years.

As for where you stay. As long as it's clean and tidy and has a pool, then that'll do me. After all, you don't go all that way to spend your time in your hotel/apartment do you?

we would never have a family holiday if we didnt go diy but the trick is to book the flights as soon as they come out, we usually use jet 2, we only do 10 days and usually have a budget of 1000 to spend, with car hire and airport parking ive been looking at travel agents prices for next year and the prices for us 2 adults and 3 kids comes out at 2000 i could get two holidays for that, saying that in 8 years we have done used a travel agent but got late deals for a good price, i think if you are a family diy is the cheapest option.

Summer 2010 flights are out with BMI Baby so are good if you want to fly from East Midlands, plenty of choice destination wise and plenty of flights under £100 return for July and August 2010
We are looking at either Ibiza or Faro and are thinking about booking the flights and then leaving the accommodation till far nearer the time and booking via laterooms or similar (lots of rooms availble and decent hotels for 60/70 a night when looking at July 2009 so we should be ok)

oh, and to keep it on topic, it works out far cheaper than booking a package, even including adding in transfers (weeks car hire )

Just come back from a DIY to the algarve , booked flights , private villa with pool and transfers , came in at about £330 per person .I think that that would have worked out cheaper than an equivalent package to a SC appartment but we had our own pool and the accomodation was superb .
I do also do packages as yes they can work out cheaper .
I think the important thing is to get the holiday that you want , with good flights etc etc at the best price available .

I still find DIY cheaper to go to the apartments I want to goto and when I want to go, the only other option is to book through Thomas Cook as the apartments are popular they hike the price up.

17 Nights at the Moonlight Apartments in Icmeler for the 8th time from 30th July 2010, total costs £1364 for 4 people, including private transfer, aircon and safe, Thomas Cook wants £2079 for 14 nights, no private transfer and no safe included.

Dave

I have been looking for a Thomson holiday to Rhodes next August, I know the hotel we want to stay at and I know the date we want to travel - to book as a package through Thomsons is showing up over £300 dearer than booking the flight through Thomsons and then the hotel separately through Thomsons. Can anyone tell me why this is ? Only drawback being you have to pay the full cost upfront and unsure if you have the same peace of mind if anything goes wrong.

You also have to book your transfers,if the hotels not too far from airport shouldn't cost too much.I have booked quite a few holidays using Thomson hotel only,still had use of kids clubs and invite to welcome meeting,I usually use easyjet for flights and saved a fortune compared to package price.prices can go up very quickly so you might find the price going up the longer you leave it!

There is another issue given that you are booking so far in advance. Few of the airlines have confirmed air traffic control slots for next August, everyone is selling what they hope to run but times could be changed (the main exceptions being scheduled flights that operate all year round). Scheduled flights may only be tweeked by 20-60 minutes but charter flights can be much worse. Not only do they have this problem but the whole charter plan can be completely changed to match up with changing business demands - and the T&Cs usually say by up to 12 hours. If you book a package and then the flight is retimed it's the Tour Ops problem to make the hotel booking and transfer work. If you book it seperately it's your problem. Lose a night in the hotel ? Paid in advance for a transfer at the wrong time? Tough, the airline won't help and neither will your insurance. And if you think I'm exaggerating you should spend a few hours scrolling back through the Complaints and Airlines forums for the past couple of springs when the changes have been announced.

I do agree with you Steve about the flights being booked so far in advance.

I get really fed up with reading posts in Complaints from people wanting comp for a flight time change and then they say they booked 15 months ago . Normally it's changed by a few hours although obviously sometimes it's more. I really don't know what people expect when they are booking off a previous years timetable, how do they think these companys operate ? They then want comp for having to book extra day/night in hotel, surely if you have got a cracking deal by booking over a year in advance you need to accept that you may have to alter a cab time or pay an extra night. I've got to the point where I can't reply to them or I would be banned. lol.

When they book their holiday is states the flight times though, How is your average holiday maker supposed to know that these times are booked from a previous years timetable and are subject to change?

Not everyone who books early gets a cracking deal either, I have booked early purely because the holiday I saw ticked all the boxes if they change my flights it won't tick the boxes quite as well because flight times were very important to me.