How to build your own Package Holiday (Dynamic Packaging).
No need to follow the crowd, simply custom-design your own holiday. With an increasingly confident travelling public, combined with an increase in the availability of low cost flights, and of new, sofisticated ‘multi-website’ hotel search systems, we now see a massive increase in ‘DIY Travel’ and in ‘Build Your Own Holidays’, especially within the short stay and European city beak markets.
Doing it yourself involves the booking of separate travel components, including flights, accommodation, transfers and or car rental, enabling greater flexibility in travel dates, departure points, duration and in many cases lower prices when compared with the often restricted traditional packaged holiday deal. It’s now easier and safer to ‘Do It Yourself’ with more facilities and freedom to exactly match your travel plans, requirements and budget.
With two thirds of households now having fast broadband connections and with the explosion of sophisticated hotel price comparison websites, low cost airlines and the rise in independent online travel specialists, it now seems inevitable that we see further declines in choice and in sales of the ‘traditional package holiday’.
There are now an ever-increasing number of online travel specialists, these specialists offer easy to use ‘dynamic packaging’ search tools, including full price comparison and secure booking systems, allowing you to ‘pick and mix’ from a wide range of airlines, hotels, apartments, car hire suppliers and lots more. The choice of airline is extensive, with instant comparison and availability on full schedule services, European charter airlines, budget and no frill carriers.
User options include making individual online searches, then booking each travel component separately and direct with specialist suppliers. Alternatively, you now have access to online services and companies who offer ‘one stop dynamic packaging’, these companies provide individual searches, compared pricing and reservation options for transportation, then add-on components, accommodation, resort transfers and car hire, all within the one website and the one company. Many of these ‘one stop dynamic packaging’ companies hold ATOL licence protection, providing you with financial security, stability and peace of mind should anything go wrong.
Advantages of Dynamic Packaging: Flexibility is one of the key advantages to creating your own holiday. Whilst traditional package holidays often only offer set durations and set departure dates, there are no such restrictions when creating and building your own holiday. The same flexibility applies to your budget, by booking separate travel components (flights, accommodation, transfers, car rental and excursions) travellers can decide to apportion their budgets accordingly, say between flights and accommodation. Whilst some travellers may prefer to pay more for good flight times and to fly with a schedule airline and are prepared to pay more for this convenience, others may prefer to fly with a low cost budget airline and allocate the majority of their budget to their accommodation.
Disadvantages of Dynamic Packaging: If you book a package holiday through one of the many ATOL and ABTA protected tour operators, you’re more than likely to be protected against mishaps, such as company failure and cancellation. Your contract is with the one ATOL protected company/operator, this means the tour operator will be legally obliged to inform and arrange replacement travel (at no extra cost) should you suffer a cancellation.
It is possible to create and book ‘dynamic packages’ through an ATOL protected company and remain protected, however, the majority of dynamic packages booked are usually sourced using non ATOL protected suppliers, this is because these suppliers are often cheaper and may well provide more choice and flexibility. Booking your package through separate companies/suppliers will result in no or limited protection should failure our cancellations accrue.
How to protect your holiday: You can protect your money should your supplier fold as long as you spend at least £100 on your Cretit Card in one transaction. The card issuer becomes jointly liable for the failure of the company you have paid. But take note; if you can’t make it to your destination because the airline goes out of business, you won’t necessarily get all your money back on the hotel, car rental or excursions just because you can’t make it to your destination.
Airline failure insurance: Alternatively take out appropriate insurance to cover company failure. Most standard travel insurance policies do not cover any losses you may suffer through the financial collapse of a tour operator, airline or hotel. However, some insurance policys now cover the failure of scheduled airlines, it may be advisable to check the policy detail before you buy. It’s also worth checking if the terms of the policy include “consequential losses”. Without consequental losses you may well receive cover for losses on, for example, your flights but won’t be covered if an airline failure means you can’t use a hotel room or other travel arrangements paid for in advance.
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