DIY holidays - any problems?

A snowHead

There was a programme on ITV earlier this evening examining things that have, or can, go wrong on package holidays. In most of the cases there was some form of recourse to the tour operator who had sold or provided the holiday.

It got me thinking whether DIY holidays are plagued by the same problems. After all, there's no rep or head office to help you out if things go pear shaped. I've always arranged DIY skiing holidays, and several other winter sun holidays, and everything has always gone fine. Have I just been lucky? Or, does the fact that I have had to plan everything out beforehand mean that I know exactly (more or less) what to expect when I arrive at my destination?

What would I do if I ever needed to sort something out? Accommodation-wise I've booked into Pensions in Austria - so owner/manager in the building; private appartments in France - so agent or caretaker on hand. The low cost airlines I use could be slightly trickier - if they couldn't fly for some reason they are not contractually bound to get me to, or from, my destination.

Obvioiusly comprehensive travel insurance and E111 are absolutely essential, but no problem to obtain. As I mentioned above you don't have a local TO rep at your disposal but (with respect to any TO reps reading this) I never miss them - they tend to be salsepeople trying to sell "bolt-ons" to your holiday first, sorting out problems second.

Anybody had any problems on DIY holidays, which wouldn't have happened with, or would have been resolved by, a tour operator?

A snowHead

I've never had any problems when booking DIY, although in some cases I've previously visited that destination (or somewhere nearby) on a package holiday so I have a bit of advance info on what to expect. I really can't remember when was the last time I used the service of a TO rep, other than following their instructions on which transfer bus/taxi to get into at the airport/station. Haven't booked a package tour for several years (skiing or non-skiing) and I guess I won't in the future unless the TO offers an unbeatable price.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

done 3 ski holidays in 3 years DIY - no problems, and honestly the best times of my life. Also done other DIY holidays and no problems - they were fine! It's the only way my family can afford to go on holiday, and to be honest all the hunting and almost-detective work was kinda fun! Choosing a chalet at our leisure, choosing everything - definitely worth it!
Julia snowHead

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It did occur to me on the was to Ibiza one year, that I'd only ever interacted with the lady we were renting the villa from over the internet or the telephone, and that if she chose not to turn up at the airport I'd have no chance of finding her, or the thousand pounds that I'd sent her.

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Can't remember the last time I didn't go diy never had a problem

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DIY last January got caught in horrendous traffic jams near Southampton and a planned 2 hour early check-in evaporated. Fortunately, when I eventually got to the desk the flight was similarly delayed so it all worked out. Took a long time for my pulse rate to recover though. If I'd missed the mid-week flight, it would have rather tricky to organise something else at zero notice.

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1980 was the lastime I used a TO. Been DIY ever since. Very Happy

After all it is free

1980 was the lastime I used a TO. Been DIY ever since. Very Happy

Hywel,

The mere fact that you plan it and know what you are doing would probably mean you would get over any issues yourself anyway.

Travel is travel and some things can't be avoided but generally DIY-ers are a resiliant bunch.

One of my regular ski buddies lets me arrange everything and any hiccups he dismisses as 'adventures' This attitude is very helpful
as you will get a few gliches.

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Hywel,
We have been DIYing for years. I suspect that many TO glitches happen because of economies being made in certain areas, but they are invisible to us the punter until things go wrong.
As a DIYer you know where the economies are being made and live with them e.g Formule 1 hotel en route (Won't do that again - see seperate thread)

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Formula 1's a bearable for a night - just. Village Hotels are best!
We had to avoid going on the motorway too much because of the tolls, and we ended up in a French town with NO signposts, and we didn't have a good enough map. So I grabbed my compass and navigated us off on the right route on that alone. So that's my one tip. Get a compass!
Julia
p.s I navigated all the way down France and back again - it was well fun!

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crazy_skier_jules, never saw a French town that didn't have signs saying 'Toutes Directions'. Not that they help much Laughing

kuwait_ian, believe me, this one didn't have any! those signs aren't much help anyway... French towns really put my navigation skills to the test! Laughing

You know it makes sense.

Can't be doing with Formula 1, when I go I just want to get there and I don't see the point in getting across the channel and stopping after a few hours. But we live in the SE so TOTAL car time is about 11 hrs...!!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

There is a knack for getting through large French towns, which is basically to follow 'Toutes Directions' until you see a sign for the direction you wish to go. In other words, 'Toutes Directions' means 'All destinations except those specifically signposted at this junction in another direction'. It always seems to work (so long as you don't miss your sign, of course). I suppose if you do miss it, you just keep following the TDs until you get back to the junction again. It is probably better than the UK system, which requires you to know a good deal about the general direction in which you're heading before you know where to go at a junction. How anyone who hasn't lived in (and driven around) here for a couple of years is supposed to navigate across London, God knows.

My Dad used to insist on following the 'Poids Lourdes' signs in France, on the basis that you avoid the town centre, saving time. We usually spent 30 mins driving aimlesly round the grotty industrial outskirts before heading into the town centre and following the 'Toutes Directions'. Still, we found some good lunchtime restaurants that way.

brian

The only time I could have done with a rep's services, the bug never turned up !

I had a fairly serious collision in Méribel, the other guy (who was more at fault, imo) ended up in hospital. I had to report to the Gendarmes that evening so had called the rep's emergency # but he didn't show. Luckily, the missus and I had enough French to get us by.

I far prefer diy and have never had any trouble. I enjoy the planning, it's usually cheaper/better value, you don't get treated like a sheep and you don't have to sit in that bloody tent at Lyon Evil or Very Mad

A snowHead

brian, I saw a similar incident in Switzerland although there the hotel owner came to the aid of the injured party when the policeman turned up, no sign of the rep who eventually showed up 2 days later Mad

fortunately everything was sorted out by the hotelier snowHead

brian

D G Orf, if my experience in Zermatt last year is anything to by, Swiss hoteliers seem to be a bit of a breed apart. Couldn't have been more helpful !

Maybe you should be checking around Wengen for hoteliers with companionable daughters wink

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brian, as it happens I know of one Wengen hotellier with two daughters, sadly it's the hotel I stay in and there is no way on earth that I'm going to do anything to deliberately annoy the owner Laughing

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D G Orf, Go on! May be well worth it. wink

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Calais to ski resort is not the problem. We are 330 miles from Dover and this is the killer stretch. We have never done DIY but with cheap flights moving North it may become an option.

After all it is free

Frosty the Snowman, the drive to Dover is def the worst.

Only ever had one problem when doing DIY.....we booked a hotel through a reservation service on the internet, paid up in advance, got a confirmation but when we arrived the hotel was closed for renovation!!! Luckily my French is not too shabby so a quick tour round local hotels found us a replacement in quick time....but we then had to lay out again for the stay - thank god for plastic.

It took us a bit of haggling and a few months of stressing to get our original money back, only turned up when we finally got the Credit Card company on the case.

Lesson learnt....always book direct wth a hotel, don't use agencies unless you know and trust them!

We've had the same thing with TO's double booking hotels etc so it hasn't put me off DIY in the slightest...I can't think of anything a rep can do that I can't do for myself and I hate being herded like cattle on and off planes, on and off buses, here there and everywhere, it's so nice to be treated like a human being when you travel.

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Travelling at your own speed is a far more pleasant experience than being herded around with a crowd of others.

Driving to manchester airport in teh middle of the night (very few packages from Leeds/Bradford), long boring check in, wait for bags, on to busses off busses, wait for the driver, luggage doesnt fit, "just waiting for the Gatwick flight", and when you get going eventually "we stongly recommend the fondue night."

Makes me shudder just thinking about it, but as a package is usually the cheapest way of a weeks skiing we have to do it that way for some in our team.

Now the overnight ferry from Hull and asteady drive down...thats the way to travel.

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This year will be my 11th Ski Trip with a tour op. Never had any probs and I am certain it would cost me more to go it alone considering an extra flight from Belfast, car hire etc.

One year we booked a panorama ski holiday through Thomas Cook. Panorama did the dirty on us and cancelled the flight through lack of interest very late on. TC got us to the same hotel through Crystal (actually better rooms) with no extra cost apart from the drive to Dublin.

Usually budget on H/B from Belfat for £350-£400 3-4*.

Lift pass on top of that.

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Driving down in March. Missed our train because of traffic. Got to Calais at 4 am. At 4:30 am the rear windscreen shattered. Couldn't get it repaired for three days (don't ask). Beats flighing tho Laughing

Oh - and if you (like us) regard boot bags as a waste of space and money....guess where all the glass went ? Puzzled

I got stuck once driving to Val D'Isere. The road beyond Moutiers was closed. No rep, of course, so it was up to me to sort out. I could have dossed down free on the town hall floor - but after a long day's drive, I fancied something better. There were officials late at night who were very helpful, and I found a charming hotel at Brides Les Baines to hole up in. Next day, I wound up at Val D, but I had had to pay for the accommodation, and lost half a day's skiing. my travel insurance did not cover. Overall, my DIY holidays have been good value. I just accept that sometimes things may go wrong that I will have to fork out for.

You know it makes sense.

I do enjoy the freedom of arriving at Salzburg or Geneva aiport, picking up ourg luggage and driving away from the airport 25 minutes later in hire car - no waiting for other flights, or roll calls on the coach.
Also being a parent of 4 children travelling in school holidays, TO holidays begin to get extremely expensive with 2 of the children usually paying full adult prices. DIY prices, pro rata for 6 of us are considerably lower (approx £200 - £250 each self catering).

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Hywel, I agree totally, fine(ish) when they get recuced prices (but they ussually sting oyu with supplements). The last TO hol we did was to Banff a couple of years ago, but we took advantage of the hire car they offered for a very small supplement. The rep had to be summoned from elsewher to welcome us, as we were almost an hour ahead of the transfer coach. By the time they'd arrived, we'd unpacked, complained that there weren't enough beds in the room, and gone out to dinner.

A snowHead

On the whole TO vs DIY debate, I think it depends a great deal on when you decide to book.

If you're booking at the last minute, TO prices are generally lower as they reduce prices to ensure they sell every place. It's also convenient to buy a 'package' at the last moment as you don't have too much to worry about.

However, if you're booking a long way in advance you have plenty of time to sort out the little details - and unlike TO prices, airline and ferry costs generally go up as you approach departure date.

So - if you're plannng well in advance, I recommend the DIY route. If you're going at the last minute, take a TO vacancy. If you are determined to go to a particular resort on a particular date, plan it in advance and go DIY.

To go back to the original question, I usually DIY well in advance and I've never had a problem. So far Very Happy

A snowHead

I've not been on a TO holiday for a long time but, it seems to me there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept, you go to your local airport, they fly you somewhere, pick you up, take you skiing for a week and then send you back. It's basically a good idea just delivered badly sometimes. I can't see anything in the basic proposition that's wrong.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

ise,

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

It is unfair to pu all non DIY companies under the same "TO" banner. There are 3 distinct categories in the "organised" holiday, companies fall:

The Quality: Scott Dunn, to a lesser degree Mark Warner etc
The Volume: TUI (Crystal, Thomson) Nielson, First Choice, Airtours
The Smaller: Silver, Olympic, Finlays, Total

I have had holidays in all 3 brackets. The quality end was because of childcare requirements, The volume because of convenience and price, and the Smaller because friends had tried it and liked it. All were pleasant experiences.
The Quality ones have been good, no other flights to wait for, good food, good accomodation, good staff, whingy guests was the only downside.
The volume ones were not quite as good, both suffering from poor transfers, too many flights and accomodations to organise which at the first hiccup all went downhill. Chalet through Nielseon was poor, witched matched the staff and food, Hotel through Crystal was tired but with superb staff and food.

The Smaller were great value and great holidays topped of by great staff. Great!!.
As ise, say, The concept is good, some get it right, some dont.

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Frosty the Snowman, I would add a fourth category: Prestige. http://www.descent.co.uk for example.

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To a certain extent it depends on mindset - when we go DIY the holiday starts when we leave home. We have seen some great sights en route (and different routes), had god meals, taken scenic sideroads, spoken French with locals etc. Also had punctures, been stopped, had the roof box broken into, driven in a blizzard but it all adds to the fun.

Going TO in general its hassle and certainly not enjoyable until you reach your destination, even with "the qualities" although scheduled air travel and minibus transfers take the sting out of it

So are you going on a 6 day or an 8 day ski holiday next season?

After all it is free

Flights and transfers on top Shocked

You would call it prestige, but I would have to create a "fantasy" category for this one

7 day, catered chalet, 18 punters, flights and transfers, Feb half term, £494.

Martin Nicholas, Last 3 hols have been with the "smaller". Out of the airport, on the bus, leave within 15 mins, arrive at accomodation with lift pass already sorted. On one occaision free skiing from 3pm. Oooh Im excited already. This year flight leaves at 10am from Stansted but we are all booked into the Holiday Inn express, £108 for a family room which includes car park for 8 days. couple of beers and a laugh on the night.............. OOoooooooooooh I shall have to have a lie down.

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Frosty the Snowman, LOL! I have tried their service a few years ago, just once, when they were called The Ski Company. A group of us managed to get a hefty discount at short notice to pick up a cancelation they'd had. We stayed in Val d'Isere in their Elephant Blanc chalet. The staff were outstanding, food was excellent and those in our group more knowledgeable about wine than me said that their wine choice was first class. All in all it was a luxurious holiday, although the creature comforts were so good they kind of detracted from the skiing!

Help!!

DIY holidays - any problems?

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