Why a package holiday can actually work out cheaper

I used to go on package holidays with parents every year growing up as it wasn’t as easy to browse for flights and hotels yourself. We’d go to a travel agent and book our summer holiday that way, and I did the same thing the first few times I went away on my own. But over the past decade I’ve preferred to do it all myself.

But did you know that booking a package holiday can work out better for you and save you money?

You get peace of mind

Before considering the potential financial benefit of a package holiday it’s important to remember the protection you get. Most travel providers will give you a level of cover that you just don’t get when you buy things separately.

For example, if you book a package and your flight is cancelled then the tour provider will have to find you an alternative, even if it costs more. But if you buy a flight in isolation the airline is unlikely to be able to do the same.

The UK law states that if you have a package holiday it must be protected. You’ve probably seen ATOL protection (Air Travel Organiser’s License) which is a UK financial protection scheme protecting most package holidays sold by travel companies. This means that if the business goes bust you won’t be left out of pocket.

And with most providers you’ll have access to a UK-based customer service line in case you need it. Some resorts even have reps available in person if you need them.

Transfers are generally included

Getting from the airport to your accommodation can work out pretty expensive. I know I’ve paid a lot of money in taxis and train fares over the years to get to places. And sometimes I’ve had to go for accommodation that isn’t my favourite just because it’s easy to get to.

It might be easy enough to book a flight and a place to stay online, but transfer can be easy to forget. I’ve had panics in the past just a few days before travelling trying to work out how to get to our hotel. But with package holidays transfers are almost always included.

If you’re going on a city break then public transport may be easily available, but it might not be cheap and easy to understand. On a trip to Germany, I bought a train ticket and got on the wrong train as I couldn’t understand the signage.

And if you’re staying on a resort they can be quite far away from major cities and towns, making it quite hard to get to. On a recent trip to Jamaica, our hotel was 90 minutes away from the airport and there wasn’t any easy public transport. So if we’d not booked a package we’d have struggled to get there on our own.

You’ll be able to spread the cost

With most package holiday providers you’ll pay a deposit when you first book and then have until a few weeks or months before you travel to pay it off. And this makes a huge difference in helping you to budget for a trip.

When I went on my first holiday without family I remember going into the travel agents and paying off £100 here and there to clear off the balance. Now you’d just transfer the money into a savings account or pot, but the concept is the same.

You save time and time = money

It can be really time-consuming doing all the research and booking yourself. In the past I’ve spent hours if not days looking at the right combination of flights, where to stay and how to get to the accommodation. But when you book a package holiday this is all sorted out for you.

Travelscoop highlights particularly good value package holiday deals here. We also have a guide to booking package holidays here.