 Poster: A snowHead
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Having done both over the years I am now thinking that if a TO has a package in your chosen resort then it is pretty difficult to make a significant saving by going DIY - so are people able to get good deals by DIY and if so what's the secret and is it worth it? Johnor
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Johnor, from what I read on here, DIY works especially well for families with self-drive, self-catering, etc. But it's hard to beat the TO if you are a single or couple flying and staying half board. Unless of course you want to go somewhere a bit less mainstream to the typical British destinations and/or you have friends 'in the know'...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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A lot of the time it comes down to accommodation, for example in Austria the guest houses can be considerably cheaper than a hotel.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Johnor, if you can book accom on a flexible basis, DIY can mean, for example, arroval Friday night and departure late-ish Sunday night giving you 9 full days skiing for a 5 day week out of work. Given most TOs only offer 7 day trips with 6 days skiing that can be at least quite time economical, if not cash economical.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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if a TO has a package in your chosen resort then it is pretty difficult to make a significant saving by going DIY
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that's probably right, but DIY is really about choice - incomparably greater choice of resorts and of accommodation, particularly self-catering accommodation. Typically TOs offer fairly basic self-catering with hefty "under-occupancy" charges unless you fill all the sofas. But there's a vast range of choice out there, from basic to luxurious, which people are increasingly coming to appreciate, I think.
Firms like Erna Low and Peak Retreats offer a "semi-package" in that they rent apartments (generally high quality, not the cheapest) with channel crossing if you want it, so you don't actually have to do business with any funny foreign people. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We used peak retreats a couple of times and they are great. We used the tunnel and I wouldn't have paid extra for the flex plus, however having had it i would always pay now. I am a worry bunny so to arrive and go to the front, park up and have a nice breakfast then go when ready was well worth it. On the way back, if you get a lot of bad weather or traffic you don't have to try and make up time.
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Having been on a transfer bus that couldn't make it up the mountain in time for a flight, which would mean that we'd need to buy a new flight from a closed airport, the nerves and potential for disaster for a group of us was almost unbearable. Sitting in resort a year later knowing that a TO had to get us home somehow, and that the bus couldn't get up the mountain but fundamentally it wasn't our problem and we could all go back to bed for a lie in, was worth its weight in gold. In the end we were taken to a different airport, flown back to a different UK airport, and bussed back to correct airport before the end of the day. If we'd gone DIY we would have been arranging hotel rooms in resort, booking new transfers, booking new flights, at our own cost.
As a result I only DIY when I am driving - the only thing that can stop us is a breakdown, and we have cover for that. Missing a ferry isn't an issue, just get on the next one - there might be a small admin fee to pay, miss a flight and a lot of operators will smile as you hand over your credit card to get home or sleep in an airport. That is if you are lucky and can get seats on an appropriate flight.
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Johnor, DIY every time, haven't done TO for 20 years, much better experience, more flexibility and not surrounded by the numpties who work for TO's. OK it may be slightly more expensive but you likely get better food and accom if you book yourself. With the web I can't see why people still use TO's.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We often fly and use tour operator transfers, but book independent accommodation (ischgl) it is usually cheaper if you book a hotel package with a lift pass included direct. We get a better standard of room too.
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We get a better standard of room too.
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a good point. We booked a catered chalet in Austria but on arrival were told the kitchen was inadequate for proper cooking and we would be eating in the hotel next door (owned by the owners of the chalet). The food was shocking; worst I've had anywhere (and we stayed at a number of cheap catered chalets and always felt the food was fine; we weren't fussy) but I'm sure the folk who had booked direct with the hotel had much better food - we were coralled onto a crowded table right in the corner and felt very much "below the salt".
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We allways go DIY. Missed one flight so far. Cost 180 quid. Savings have been in the thousands, so overall it works out in our favour. Johnor, There isn't a secret to making it cheap. You just have to spend a bit of time checking every option. Last time out return flights from Dublin were about 200 quid for 4 of us. Same from Belfast was about £600. Previous time, Belfast was cheaper. Car hire can very massively as well. Look out for airline loss leaders. We once did Belfast to Paris return for £7.00 each. Makes a few miles in a cheap hire car worth it
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Markymark29, +1
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The differance has to be cost, going DIY you can't get anywhere near a TO holiday.
If as some have said you can ignore the TO numpties ( not my words), then from a purely cost point of veiw it's the way to go.
Having said that if various persons/people from these sites really did pull a finger or 7 out and sorted a proper pre booked, pre planned Trip, I'm sure it would be amazing, I mean really who's got 7/8 friends knocking about who love to ski and après ski.
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You know it makes sense.
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Esdel, operation yew tree has stopped most my friends from skiing.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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So now they are pretty much DIY.
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Poster: A snowHead
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For me it depends on cost.
For quite a while it was cheaper to DIY, now it seems to have swung back towards TO.
Whatever gets me on the snow the cheapest works for me
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Filthy you need new friends, normal ones this time
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Esdel, are you offering?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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No
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Fair enough.
I think DIY is the way to go, the internet makes every thing easy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Esdel wrote: |
The differance has to be cost, going DIY you can't get anywhere near a TO holiday.
If as some have said you can ignore the TO numpties ( not my words), then from a purely cost point of veiw it's the way to go.
Having said that if various persons/people from these sites really did pull a finger or 7 out and sorted a proper pre booked, pre planned Trip, I'm sure it would be amazing, I mean really who's got 7/8 friends knocking about who love to ski and après ski. |
We have sorted 28 of us to go to the 3 valleys 2nd week of Feb. Did it DIY, but ages ago - and when putting a large booking together, you have a bit more bargaining power, especially if you get in early
Premium catered chalets, lift passes, ski hire and transfers for GBP500 pp. Those of us that booked flights ages ago got them for under GBP100. So it can be done pretty economically (Meribel, peak time, while Ibiza Rocks are there - prices are now quite a lot higher at around 1k for the week in similar accommodation).
That said, if it was just me and Lady Flashman travelling, hard to beat a last minute TO deal as long as we didn't mind sharing a chalet with strangers (we wouldn't). DIY gets hard to do last minute - potentially cheap accommodation, but expensive flights, so it tends to balance out.
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By the way - I know TOs get a bashing on here, but I have to say that I have never had an issue with one. In fact, Ski Basics and Skiworld get an honourable mention for organising some really fun weeks away. Even Neilson were good - mind you that was 10 years ago...
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Having done both over the years I am now thinking that if a TO has a package in your chosen resort then it is pretty difficult to make a significant saving by going DIY - so are people able to get good deals by DIY and if so what's the secret and is it worth it? Johnor
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We work in the industry so we price-compare our product to other TOs and DIY options -catered and not - quite a bit and I personally don't think that there is a great financial difference one way or the other as long as you are comparing like-for-like.
You will always be able to get a TO package in a small studio sleeping on a sofa bed cheaper than a nice double room in a DIY catered chalet with convenient flights, private transfers and champagne on arrival - that's life unfortunately.
I'm probably biased but I think that the real advantage with DIY is that you can pick what you are happy to compromise on. eg you might be happy with a 5am easyjet flight and a bus from the airport, but wouldn't want to self cater and DIY gives you the oppertunity to choose that.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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For most tho it's about price ££££££££,
I would love to do a catered , I had a great time in duez alpes a couple of years ago full board, it was a last minute deal (TO) and cost £360.
I'm guess not many DIY or chalets could do it for that
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Filthyphil30k,
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Esdel, operation yew tree has stopped most my friends from skiing.
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Funniest thing I've heard in a while 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Have done T/O for the family trip in Jan for years - this year it'll be DIY. There's 6 of us with kids 18, 16, 13, 11. Ryanair Dublin to Salzburg with skis and luggage, private transfer, 7 nights in a really nice 3 bed apt with a late dep meaning 7 days skiing - pool, spa, bar, restaurant etc + lift passes and 1000e spending is 1850e cheaper than a 1/2 board deal with Crystal to a basic Gasthof. If we leave the 18 yr old behind the saving is 1350e, both 18 and 16 behind and the saving is still 985e - no brainer ( even if we get a child discount and bring the 11 yr old only its still 430e cheaper to do diy) 
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FAQ
