Frequently Asked Questions

I am tempted to contact you but I know nothing about you.
Read the detailed "about us" pages to learn about our philosophy, our principles and our pedigree! We are members of ABTA and are affiliated to one of the UK's largest independent travel agency networks. We understand that your holiday is one of the most important purchases that you will make in a year and if you would like further reassurance of our commitment to You, we would encourage you to contact our managing director, Matt Stansfield directly either by e-mail or on his direct line - 01422 835588. How many other MD’s put their direct phone number on their website?

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Why should I use a travel agent, wouldn’t I be better off booking direct?
Travel is a complicated, complex and ever changing business. Do you know exactly where you want to stay, the most efficient way to get there and the best time to visit? Are you aware of the myriad alternative options available, which operators and airlines are offering the best deals and the differing standards of accommodation on offer? Are you prepared to spend time arranging your own car hire, airport parking, overnight hotels, visas, passports and insurance? Can you benefit from significant bulk buying and corporate hotel rates and do you appreciate the limits of your financial protection? If you do / are / can, then you shouldn't be too disadvantaged by booking direct. If not, then you should leave it to a professional - by the way, we don't do our own plumbing either!

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Why can’t I book everything I want online?
There isn't a web site in the world that offers 100% of all travel products and it is a simple fact that we are able to offer a far, far better choice and range of product than we can place on our website. Whilst we appreciate that the internet offers a convenience that our opening times cannot, we still firmly believe in good old-fashioned service - something we don't believe the internet offers. How can a computer - no matter how well programmed - possibly understand your own personal preferences and requirements as well as a highly trained professional person! Nonetheless, we recognise that we can offer a selection of products which we feel you will find useful to have access to via our website and we do hope that you will enjoy browsing our site. We would, however, urge you to contact us if you cannot find the product you are looking for - we will be able to find it for you off-line!

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What discounts do you offer?
We will always endeavour to remain competitive and match, wherever possible, current market prices.  However, we would urge you to beware the "too good to be true" discount messages - because they probably are!  We can all load our prices by 50% to discount them by 45%!!  We were recently asked to book a holiday for four adults with one of the Big Four travel companies. Our clients had been offered a discount of £356 leaving a net price of £1,940. We didn't offer them a discount but we did find them an identical holiday with a different operator - same flight, same hotel, same dates, same everything - for a total price of just £1,600. Does that answer your question?

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You're only a small independent travel agency - is this a good thing or a bad thing?
While the large chains continually claim to be the number one travel agent in the UK they use only one criteria - volume. When it comes to value for money, quality of product, original thinking, innovative ideas and customer satisfaction, they are well down the list. Mass market companies cannot hope to provide the same expertise and local knowledge as the small specialist, which is why the smaller companies always top the list in the annual Observer Travel Awards. Unlike the large, multiple chains, we do not practice directional selling, which means that we provide you with unbiased advice and a far, far greater choice of travel arrangements that match your requirements, not ours.

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What is the difference between a mass-market operator and a small specialist?
Because of their smaller scale of operations, specialist operators can feature individual properties in intimate resorts which do not lend themselves to mass market tourism. Quality control is also much easier when measured in thousands rather than millioBut probably the main difference is that you are more of a customer and less a number with the smaller companies and customer service is treated with the importance it deserves and is not just given lip-service.

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Do you book the so called "no-frills" or "Low-Cost" airlines?
The simple answer is "yes we do", but.... We have all seen the adverts on the sides of buses claiming you can fly to the continent for less than a taxi ride into town, but remember that these prices exclude taxes and booking fees etc etc. Sure, you can pick up these cheap flights if you are lucky and have some flexibility in your dates (we recently booked some customers from Leeds/Bradford to Dublin for 1 penny each way - plus, of course, the £50 odd in taxes) but they are not always necessarily the cheapest option. "Traditional" airlines often work out cheaper, so don't automatically fall for their advertisements!

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Can I save money by doing my own "DIY" package by booking flights and accommodation separately?
If you are fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of a cheap flight seat - with either a low-cost airline or a traditional one - it is very tempting to book accommodation separately to create your own "package" and, yes, you can occasionally save a small fortune. However, if you "do it yourself" you will have no consumer protection at all in the event of either the airline or the accommodation provider facing financial failure (it does happen - and more often than you are probably aware). However - here's the good news!! If we were to package it together for you - at no extra charge - we can provide you with total and complete consumer protection through our ABTA and ATOL licences. Our dedicated section on consumer protection explains this in full.

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I've heard that some companies have a policy of "Directional Selling" - what does this mean?
The big High Street travel chains are all owned by a tour operator parent company - for example Lunn Poly is owned by Thomsons, Going Places by Airtours etc. These agents are under strict head office targets to ensure that wherever possible, staff should sell one of their own products in preference to that of one of their competitors. What this means is that around 70% of all holidays sold by these agents are directed towards their own products - only 1 customer in every 100 who go into a Going Places shop will be sold a Thomson holiday for example. In 1997 the monopolies and mergers commission ruled that whilst this practice was not illegal, it did limit consumer choice massively and ruled that customers should be made aware of all ownership links. In reality this doesn't happen and is complicated by the fact that these huge conglomerates own several brands.

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Do I need travel insurance?
Travel insurance is essential, particularly if you are travelling overseas.  Your Travel Company can provide you with comprehensive travel insurance.  We do not offer this online, because we believe that it is important to discuss your needs and individual requirements with us and to bring important information to your attention.  Please call our staff for further details - all have been fully trained in selling travel insurance and have completed and passed ABTA's Travel Insurance Training Programme in association with City & Guilds

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