I am off on 8 October to Majorca. 55 pound each flights with Easy Jet and booked the Eden Lago for 140 pounds for the week with Winter Sunshine Holidays.

Nice one Sandy.

I've just booked my November hol to Lanzarote with Winter Sunshine Holidays. Can't wait
Jazz.

Booked to go with Jet 2 to the Algarve for 9 days and a quality apartment via a booking agency
Compared to booking with Thomsons in an equal apartment for 7 days we have saved nearly £400

i am seriously considering doing diy august 06,when do the flights come out and how much approx.what airlines should i try,i live in warrington cheshire.

Think the low cost carriers usually come out around Christmas time, booked mine just after Christmas with Easy Jet.

Yep. The Easyjet flights from Belfast (we're flying to Palma in July) came out at the end of December.

we booked to go to the costa brava staying from the 18th to the 25th of may, it cost us £194 - for the four of us!! beat that!!

Ryan air flights from stansted and a 1 bed apartment booked with http://www.go2spain.com

(£94 for the apartment, and £25 each for the return flight)

Not bad eh??

Caroline & Kirsten

Good prices folks!!

Yes it really does pay to shop around and Pippa's right it depends on where you are going. We've been DIY but for Kefalonia last year a package was half the price as no low cost airlines fly there.

It also depends on the time of year because Tour Operators can offer very good value package deals outside of the main holiday summer season if you get the timing right.

For example, with a late deal I only paid £230 for a week for two of us in a 4 star aparthotel in the Costa De Almeria in April with a main Tour Operator. I also booked a 10-day holiday in Menorca over the October half term holiday in a 3 star SC complex for me, my wife and teenage daughter with another Tour Operator. Total cost £410 helped by getting a genuine free child place. We are flying from Gatwick which isn't our local airport but for that price I don't care that much.

We always DIY for the summer holidays as it's invariably cheaper but don't assume that it's a 'no-brainer' that DIY is always cheaper at other times of the year as it depends so much on the cost of the flights.

I was pricing up some holidays for some friends yesterday, and to do it independently would have hiked the cost up no end! through the tour operator it has cost about £130 each less - like you said it does all depend on the time of year, and the destination.

Caroline & Kirsten

I agree with most of the posts, it really depends if one of the low cost airlines Easyjet, Jet2, Thompsonfly, Ryanair etc; fly to the destination.
I prefer to book my flight and accomodation but if it's cheaper to take a package then it's not a problem. The one thing I find with package holidays is that lots of the accomodation is in very large blocks. It seems very difficult to book a package somewhere small and quiet. Perhaps someone can offer advice on this. I think it is easier than ever to travel independently and perhaps because of the effort you put in arranging the flichts and accomodation it is generally meets your expectations.

Hi - I would like to add that if you have 2 children under 12 then you can save lots of money DIY as you often find that hotels do not charge (or charge very little) for children. Also booking car hire instead of transfers often works out nearly as cheap when there's 4 of you - and then you have a car for the holiday to get you to all the sites that costly organised trips go to (plus one big advantage - get to the airport to book in before the crowds descend off the coaches !). We regularly save between £300- £500 every holiday and often find we have better rooms (sea views tend not to be booked by British travel agents anyway ) and more board options, at lower cost. Of course you do need to shop around alot and be prepared to negotiate for flights rooms and cars every time you book (don't assume same site will be cheapest for next holiday) but with the savings we achieve I really think it is worthwhile.

......its not just the potential cost saving that makes diy the best choice; its also the fact that YOU are in control of everything, and able to go at your own pace.
You are all aware of the usual scenario - you're hot and tired after landing, endless waiting for the cases, herded straight on the coach (which is always the furthest away and a completely different number than the harassed rep said),sitting on it for ages (engine on,noise and fumes) waiting for the last ones to arrive, and then the mystery trip around half a continent thinking "is it THIS place", and then the discovery that, yes, this souless tower block in the middle of nowhere IS your dream destination, the end result of your hard-earned money......

No, do your own thing. Freshen up after the flight. Have a slow drink. Then, when you're ready, a short taxi ride to your chosen accomodation. No panic. No fuss.
And at the end of your stay, you can decide to arrive back and check in before the coaches arrive. No long queues, which you were always at the end of(and it was always the slowest one)

We have endured the dehumanisation process in the past; but no more; for now we have our own apartment..........

We done our first DIY last year and have never looked back. My husband works on a gas rig 2 weeks away 2 weeks home from a Tuesday to Tuesday, so we where restricted on where we could fly to on that day with tour operators. Not any more as easyjet, bmibaby etc fly every day to the same places so we have a lot more choice as to where we can go and also book as many nights as we choose, and again as previously mentioned, the thrill of arranging it yourself, the savings made and it being one of your best holidays proves you don't need tour operators. Karen

we have been doing diy for the past 3-4 years but we managed to find a package for december, going to san francisco for 2 weeks for £580 per person including flights with ba, hotel etc.
when we looked to do it diy it worked out around £300+ just for the flights!
I think it really depends on what deals are on at the time but would say %70 diy is cheaper. just make sure you have good insurance!

Isn't doing DIY much more hard work booking seperate things with other companies etc.?

Hi Tim! I understand what you mean ... but having recently had the experience of paying for a holiday in totality and in cash 7 weeks before departure to an up-to-then reliable travel agent, and then receiving a note from the holiday company to say that they hadn't received all the money for my holiday ... I prefer DIY because I am in complete control of the elements of my holiday!

That said, I'm not a control freak, but I am rather disappointed by my experiences of travel agencies (including this recent hiccup), and at least feel that I'm controlling the strings rather than someone else!

What has happened to the travel agent ? Have they gone bankrupt , other that that there is no reason that they should not have passed on the money you have paid to them ?

Cricketchick - an honest mistake plus the Sharm el Sheikh catastrophe. I would certainly consider their clients in the resort to be their first priority. Sometimes humans make mistakes .... and even travel agents are human. My problem has been sorted out now with no cross words, and all is back to normal.