do travel republic do package holidays

Travel Republic Holidays Review

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Top10TravelAgents.com | Travel Agency Reviews – Travel Republic Review

Travel Republic UK was founded in 2003 by university students Chris Waite, Paul Furner, Kane Pirie, and travel agent Peter Furner. Wanting to create a website where customers could book all their travel needs in one place. The website enables its visitors to search and build their own holiday experience by combining different elements from the Travel Republic website. Travel Republic Limited is a top 10 online travel agency founded in the UK back in 2003. Travel Republic is owned by the air services provider, dnata World Travel, which is a part of the Emirates Group.

Over the years, dnata World Travel expanded and developed to meet our customers’ growing travel needs by investing in other established travel companies worldwide. From Travel Republic and other market-leading online travel agencies (OTAs) to high street travel agencies, a company specialising in cruises and the tour operating arm of Emirates.

Whether it’s a dream holiday in an exotic location, a stimulating cultural trip, or an exciting city break, Travel Republic has it covered. This top travel agent’s large range of travel solutions is combined with the highest standards of customer service – you can book online, over the phone, or in one of over 200 retail outlets in the UK. Travel Republic are able to provide the options to suit every budget and taste so you can relax and have the safe knowledge that your holiday is looked after by a very experienced team that goes through the smallest details.

ABTA & ATOL Protection:

Am I protected if the travel agent becomes insolvent? Travel Republic protects you if you buy a Flight Plus or Package holiday, they hold an ATOL protection scheme number which is 10581. This top travel agent is also a Member of ABTA which means you have the benefit of ABTA’s assistance and Code of Conduct.

What is ATOL protection? When a customer has ATOL protection, it means that there will be financial security and that if the company, or one of the travel suppliers, has a problem then customers won’t lose the money paid for a package holiday, and are not stranded in a foreign country.

Your holiday is all about leaving your problems behind, relaxing, taking it slow. That’s why this travel agent never lets anything come between you and a brilliant holiday.

All bookings placed through this travel agent are protected as detailed below:

All of the flight inclusive package holidays on the travel company website your money is ATOL protected, which means that you will be able to continue with your package holidays. An alternative option or receive a refund of the amount paid to this top travel agent in the unlikely event of the companies seizing operations for one or more of your service travel providers.

Travel Republic Flights

This travel company sells 3 different types of flights, which are all protected. The cash refunded to you will be the cost of the flight itself up to a maximum claim of £2,000 per passenger. Any charges by Credit cards or commission fees to third-party agencies (both of which are relatively small costs) are not to be refunded as they are out of the reach and power of the travel agent.

Scheduled flights, Low Cost flights: All flights available on the website are protected via an insurance scheme arranged at the time of booking. This top travel agent will claim a refund from the designated insurance company and pass the refund on to its customers. Maximum claim £2000 per passenger.

Charter Flights: All charter operators whose flights are available on the website will have an ATOL protection license. The charter flights are protected by the ATOL protection scheme operated by the Civil Aviation Authority (“CAA”). Refunds are provided by the CAA direct to you.

Why book your Holiday?

Travel Republic offers flights, hotels, experiences, and cheap holidays essentials across the world, at competitively low prices. Whatever floats your boat for pure relaxation on a beach or a city break getaway, a luxurious couple retreat, or a family holiday; all right there a couple of clicks away and this travel agent will definitely have something to suit you.

Millions of others already have chosen and travelled with this top travel agent from the beginning in 2003 and, knowing you’re secured with an ABTA and ATOL certificate, you can search and book confidently knowing your holiday is protected financially. Then when you need cheap holidays, it will be Time to Travel Republic.

What Travel Republic Holidays are on offer?

Popular cheap holiday deals types that can be found in range from

• All inclusive Holidays
• Family Holiday Deals
• Low Deposit Holidays
• Dubai Holidays
• Winter Sun Holidays Offers
• Couples Package Holidays
• Beach Package Holidays Deals and more..

Travel Republic allows you to tailor-make your package holiday perfectly. This top travel agents’ mission is to make it easy for its visitors to find their perfect holiday fit from an extensive range of options and extras. Package Holiday bookings are with ATOL Protection so you know you are in safe hands.

Looking for a last minute escape getaway or planning your big Summer all inclusive 14-day sun-scorching holiday – from luxurious beaches to instagramable city breaks, family holidays to couples holidays, Travel Republic is your one-stop website shop.

Choose a Travel Republic hotels, flights, transfers, plus any other travel extras arrangements you may need. With this travel company, the perfect holiday is yours for the making.

Payment Methods:

How do you pay for your Holiday with Travel Republic?

Booking your package holidays with this top travel agent is easy and does allow you to make payments using one of American Express, Mastercard, Maestro or VISA cards. And for the more tech-savvy, there is always the PayPal option.

When booking with this travel agent you can pay through two options, one is obvious and you pay in full. However, this top travel agent does offer a Deposit option for payment.

If you choose to pay a deposit only, the remaining amount payable will be broken down to you at the time of booking, which also includes the payment ‘final due date’. If you fail to pay the outstanding balance by the final due date will result in the travel company notifying your travel provider, resulting in cancellation fees set out to you in your booking agreement.

Can I pay with a cheque or bank transfer?

Unfortunately, Travel Republic does Not accept payment by cheque or bank transfer and as a top online travel agent, these types of payments are long forgotten.

Are there any Card fees?

Well, this travel agent does not charge any card fees; however, you will incur an admin fee when you make a booking with a deposit scheme. This is to allow you to spread the cost of your booking over a number of payments. This fee of £3.96 , charges for each separate scheduled payment as outlined on the booking confirmation page.

TravelRepublic Mobile travel App:

Does Travel Republic have a Mobile travel App? Yes, this travel company does have a mobile app, making your deposit booking balance flexible for payments. You can use PayPal on the app, check your weather forecast before you fly on your package holidays (feature available only for those with Android phones).

The Travel App includes most of the features you will find on the website, when searching for your holiday, customising your options, and making the booking.

The Travel Republic app does bring more added benefits as the company does post Exclusive discounts for its users. Post booking you can also easily manage it on the go, create and save shortlists of your favourite hotels, and access over 1 million customer reviews for that all-important research.

Travel Republic Contact:

You can call a travel expert from the company on the Customer Service Team.

Opening times: In January the working times are longer, making even more time to assist you finding the package holidays you deserve Weekdays: 9am – 10pm Weekends: 9 am – 6 pm

Call on: The Travel Republic Customer Sales Team can be called on 020 8974 7200 (option 2) from the UK or 01 536 0820 from the Republic of Ireland.

Social media: The Social Media team are available during weekly working days of Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00

You can write to this travel agency at: Travel Republic Customer Service, Lancaster House, Centurion Way, Leyland, PR26 6TX

H ow do other Travel Republic reviews compare to Top 10 Travel Agency Reviews?

There are two types of travel agency reviews that you can come across online – expert reviews and the more traditional customer travel agent reviews.

• With expert travel agency reviews will usually provide you with an unbiased evaluation of a UK agency and will highlight its pros and cons.
• Customer reviews, on the other hand, will offer a more subjective view of an OTA website. It will be sharing personal experiences and will most likely focus on a certain feature.

Flight only

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Reviews 4.7.

77,043 total

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Beth very helpful with questions and booking

Web site very useful for research into dates and prices for our forthcoming trip to Maldives. Phoned in with a question re taxes and was answered quickly and helpfully by Beth. Was so impressed phoned her a day later to make our booking which she did in a very professional and friendly manner. Thank you, Beth, it’s sometimes so much nicer to actually talk to someone. Now all we have to do is look forward to our travels!

Date of experience : 26 June 2024

Another smooth and sweet booking with TR!

This is the 2nd time we have used TR for our holidays as we are set to revisit our resort in Türkiye again this Summer. Online booking is simple & offers the relevant option to customise our hotel needs. When we have called customer service, its been a bit of a wait but when we are spoken to, the agent is polite, professional & has resolved our queries in great time. We have also found it's a money saver to use them rather than got direct to the property! Thanks from a happy customer

App wasn’t working…so phoned the number…

App wasn’t working…so phoned the number for customer services…waited absolutely ages to get through!!!…might want to look at that!!! But once I did…staff were absolutely phenomenal…sorted everything out for me quick and easy!!!…fantastic

Date of experience : 17 June 2024

I went on holiday with this company last year I've just booked with the same company to the same place hotel etc. And couldn't fault nothing it was so easy to book and that's saying something with me.. I would definitely recommend

Date of experience : 27 June 2024

Hassle free holiday

Hassle free holiday, booking easy, kept well informed and involved until our return journey when it appeared that our baggage was not included on our flight home! We had paid for 23kg baggage! It was easily resolved by very helpful and apologetic ground staff at Dalaman airport but it was an unnecessary hold up and could have been worse had it not been for the very nice man at the airport working for BA!

Date of experience : 15 June 2024

Reply from Travel Republic

Hi J Smith Thank you for your booking and review. I have had a look at your booking and can see that 2 x 23kg luggage had been confirmed with BA . I will get one of the team to reach out to you. Take care Maria

Happy booking!

Very patient with me on the phone. Explained in detail, what my booking entailed. Put me at easy, saying they were there to help in anyway they could and to contact them if I was having difficulty with my emails/booking. Very customer focused

Hi Miss Brown Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It was the lovely Ivana that helped you book your holiday I will make sure she gets to see your feedback. Take care Maria

Brilliant customer service

Such an easy site to use, with the cheapest price i could find by far. I had a few teething issues with my emails and a couple of questions i need answered. The customer support i received was nothing short of brilliant. The staff were helpful, knowledgeable and very very professional. And the main thing was that i didnt have to wait days for a reply….it was almost immediate. Thank you

Date of experience : 24 June 2024

Great first experience

Spoke, with Karen. She was brilliant. Spent time exploring all available options for us. She was friendly and professional. Called us back, so no waiting in a queue. Was very happy with service and will use again.

Date of experience : 25 June 2024

Excellent Customer Service

Used Travel Republic a few times for hotels in Dubai and have always had great service. Recently our flight to Dubai was diverted to Kuwait and then had to return home due to the floods so we never actually got to Dubai. Jo at Travel Republic was very efficient in securing a refund from the hotel for us! Would use them again for sure

Date of experience : 21 June 2024

Hi Daniel Sorry to hear you didn't get to Dubai because of the terrible flooding they had. Thank you for the shout out to Jo. Take care Maria

I’m a very happy customer

I’m a very happy customer, I am travelling with TRAVEL REPUBLIC for long time and I can assure that are good, didn’t have any issues . The only thing that I don’t give 5 stars is because they didn’t give me any vouchers or discounts all over the years.

Hi Irina Thank you for booking with us once again, we really do appreciate your loyalty. I will pass on your feedback to the relevant team. Take care Maria

Very speedy process

Very speedy process Booked and paid in full. All paperwork issued straight away with flight reference, accommodation voucher, transfer confirmation and Atol certificate. No complaints. Got our own travel insurance. Have used this company a few times amongst other online travel agencies and the price on this site was more comparable to others with a much cheaper transfer. Looking forward to departing in October.

Thank you Kerry for booking with us once again and for sharing your online booking experience with us. Take care Maria

Sensibly priced hotel only booking

Cancelled a hotel only booking as I needed to amend it and when I rebooked it was cheaper than the original booking - very happy with that !

Holiday Booking

Always have the Hotel I love, very easy to use app, low deposit and free cancellation, what more could you Want !!!

Thank you Russell for your booking and review. Take care Maria

Happy customer.

You can phone up and actually speak to a real helpful person!!! Will book again because of this. App was easy to use too. I recommend travel republic.

Date of experience : 10 February 2024

Thank you for booking with us and for taking the time to leave a review. We look forward to helping you booking many more future holidays. Take care Maria

Spoke to an agent ( paul) who spoke…

Spoke to an agent ( paul) who spoke good English and explained everything throughout the process Good prices and paperwork received within minutes

Thank you for your booking David and for the shout out to Paul. Take care Maria

Would give no stars if there was an…

Would give no stars if there was an option!!! DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS UNTRUSTWORTHY DISPICABLE NOT ABTA PROTECTED USELESS COMPANY!!!! they will cancel your family hotel accommodation last minute and leave you high and dry without accommodation taking your money! Your money is never safe being paid to Travel Republic because they left ABTA in July 2023 it is not protected! They do not care about you or your holiday and they will not refund you easily and offer no compassion or compensation they will ignore you and fob you off with lies and lies and ruin your holiday!!!! AVOID AVOID AVOID ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I’m so sorry to hear of your experience Hannah Sadly the supplier responsible for booking your accommodation announced its insolvency recently which unfortunately meant there were some bookings where the supplier hadn’t paid the hotel. I am sorry you feel this took sometime to resolve has it is important we work in departure date order. Our team reached out to the hotel to see if we could take over the booking and was waiting for a response from them which I appreciate is frustrating and can take sometime. Once you decided to cancel the refund process was started , unfortunately as one of your cards used to pay your booking was was no longer in use part of your refund had to be arranged by bank transfer. I would also like to be clear that we did not leave ABTA in July 2023 and are ABTA guaranteed. Once again we are truly sorry that your booking was affected by the insolvency of your provider. Kind regards Maria

Hi ham very pleased with the company…

Hi ham very pleased with the company this will be the third time we have booked with you and y do very good prices and the lady hi spoke to very experienced she was lovely good on you girl xx

Date of experience : 22 June 2024

Hi Maurice Thank you for your review, it was Katarina that helped you with your booking I will pass on your feedback to her. Take care Maria

Best Place to book Holidays

Very easy to use website, you give the information and they provide a range of different options at varying prices. All done in a few clicks of the mouse. Make an account and keep track of your holiday and payments

Date of experience : 14 June 2024

Great to hear this Janet, thank you for booking with us. All the best Maria

Very easy to book used travel republic…

Very easy to book used travel republic for years and still one of the best for competitive prices would highly recommend using

Thank you Allan for your loyalty and for booking with us once again. Take care Maria

By using the "other dates & prices" tab…

By using the "other dates & prices" tab we found an 8 day holiday for less than a 5 day one at the same place. It was with better flights too

Delighted to hear this Gwen, thank you for booking with us. Take care Maria

• Travel Republic Holidays

Travel Republic Offers

Travel Republic is one of the many travel agencies available to book through in the UK. ATOL protected, Travel Republic holidays is owned by Dnata, part of the Emirates Group of companies, and with over three million people booking travel with them, you can be safe in the knowledge that your holiday is protected, although it's worth bearing in mind that they aren't ABTA members.

Top Destinations With Travel Republic

Booking with Travel Republic means you are likely ATOL protected (not all flight inclusive holidays have protection) so you can be safe in the knowledge that holiday is secure. Check out these top holiday destinations available when booking with Travel Republic:​

• Destinations

A Guide To Holidays With Travel Republic

​From winter sunshine in the Canary Islands or Mediterranean cruise, to a round the world, once in a lifetime trip, Travel Republic can help. Their range of deals can be booked online or for more complex holiday itineraries, you can contact their customer support team based in the UK.

Many hotels can be booked with a deposit of just £49 to secure your booking, if you are booking your hotel more than 15 days in advance. Other deposits may also be available on flight and hotel options depending on when and what you book. The cheapest holiday deals may require a full upfront payment when booking.

More Details About Travel Republic

One thing Travel Republic doesn't organise, however, is the package holiday. They can certainly put a flight and hotel together for you, and even add in airport transfers or excursions for you, but if it's the likes of a Thomson or Thomas Cook holiday, you're best off checking our package holiday deals.

In 2015, Travel Republic scooped up three awards at the British Travel Awards, beating off rivals to win Best Hotel Booking Website, Best Online/Call Centre Travel Agent and Best Travel Retailer for Customer Service, and it's easy to see why over three million people book with them each year.

We always recommend travel insurance on all trips abroad and Travel Republic's travel insurance is one to take into consideration. Partnering with ROCK Insurance Services, Travel Republic Insurance can provide a range of cover starting at £6.85 for a single, seven day trip, and from £20.75 for an annual multi-trip policy. Golf, gadget and winter cover can also be added to your policy.

Top Travel Republic Holidays Destinations

Popular for some family time in the sunshine, a holiday in Benidorm with Travel Republic can be cheap and affordable. Take a look at popular hotels like the Sol Pelicanos Ocas for the latest deals.

From Costa Adeje to Golf Del Sur, Tenerife has something for everyone, whether you want an all inclusive resort hotel by the beach, or a cheap self catering apartment close to the bars and restaurants.

Head to the Algarve for a fantastic holiday in the sunshine and enjoy plenty of restaurants, beautiful beaches and lots to see and do in Albufeira.

Travel Republic offers holidays to Dubai , combining flights with Emirates, British Airways and many other airlines with hotels and accommodation, ranging from budget friendly hotels to luxury five-star resorts.

Contact Travel Republic

There are a number of ways you can contact Travel Republic, as well as manage your booking online. If you or your booking have been affected by Coronavirus, you can call them up to discuss the booking terms and conditions, along with what your options are which may include a refund if your flights or holiday is cancelled.

Contact Number

The best contact number for Travel Republic is 0208 974 7200.

Social Media

You can also contact Travel Republic via Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels.

Clarendon House, 147 London Road, Kingston, KT2 6NH.

Check out these great hotels with Travel Republic

Fantasia Hotel Tenerife

Sol Beach House Ibiza

TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess Kalives

Monica Isabel Beach Club Algarve

More popular holidays, winter sun holidays, mercury holidays, dubai all inclusive, tenerife holidays, lanzarote holidays, holidays to cyprus, low deposit holidays, holidays from edinburgh, holidays from belfast.

Package Holidays vs. Independent Travel: What You Need to Know

Thomas Cook was one of the early pioneers of a business model soon to be named in pop culture as “package holidays”. Ever since his first organised railway trip in 1841, Thomas Cook realised there is a sound business model.

From there onwards for two centuries people only booked their travel using travel agents they trusted and going on packaged tours.

However, in today’s ever connected and globalised world and with the .com bubble, it made the travel industry question whether this model is still viable. Explore with us below some of the pros and cons of each model and see which one fits best your needs.

Where to Book a Package Holiday?

What counts as a package holiday, are package holidays more expensive, how safe are package holidays, how to book independently, how safe is booking your own holiday, advantages and disadvantages of package holidays vs. independent travel.

Before we reach to any conclusions, we propose to look at both package holidays and independent travel and analyse them separately.

Package Holidays

As we mentioned earlier, Thomas Cook, was one of the early pioneers of this business model. This simple idea yet revolutionary of providing people an all inclusive (not to be confused with the type of board) experience which consisted of: travel to and from, accommodation and the tour of the attraction itself.

Sounds pretty simple but remember during those times everyone made their own travel arrangements, sometimes with dubious individuals. The concepts of a travel agency and consumer rights were still foreign.

The model then evolved throughout the 20th century with the appearance of a dedicated industry – the Travel Industry. The tour operator isn’t the only one selling tickets now.

The appearance of a dedicated sales office or how we know it as a travel agency that can be separate from the tour operator, meant tour operators could now focus on providing the experience and the travel agencies on selling the tours.

Whilst some travel agents had good contacts within the industry and were able to provide competitive rates or great holidays overall, it wasn’t till 1970 when the GDS system came online.

A Global Distribution System (GDS), is a computerized network that facilitates transactions between travel service providers and travel agents (both online travel agents like Expedia and human travel agents).

Nowadays, anyone can book a package holiday. The technological advancements which we covered above made it so that anyone can essentially book a trip anywhere on the planet without even leaving their couch.

If you’re wondering where to book a package holiday, all you have to do is a little bit of research on some of the travel agencies serving your area. You can start off by researching online, exploring the high street or even joining social media groups and asking for recommendations.

For us, we typically go with TUI as they have great customer experience and they also tend to be the tour operators. This means they control the experience end to end and can offer you something most agencies can’t.

Moreover, package holidays are for everyone, whether you are single or travelling with your family or as a couple there are plenty of places to choose from. Definitely worth considering this for your next trip.

Places such as Turkey and Bulgaria are great for families whilst places like Mexico are great for couples or singles.

Well, to put it simply, like in the days of Thomas Cook, it should be a combination of travel and accommodation. The package should be inclusive.

Modern holidaymakers have been used to all-inclusive holidays. Though you can have a package holiday without an all inclusive board, though they tend to be very popular these days.

These started being popular ever since the 1950s where Club Med started offering guests unlimited drinks and food with the idea that the guests never need to leave the estate.

Nowadays, all inclusive means much more than just the board type. It can include water sports, activities, shows and many other things.

So when booking, be sure to check the offer as in today’s ever crowded holiday market a big buffet might not be the only thing on offer. This is what we normally do when we go to places like the Dominican Republic or Mexico .

Whilst there are more people involved in booking your holiday such as the travel agent, tour operators, guides, transport etc. increased business efficiency combined with modern IT tools means that savings are passed on to the consumer making package holidays still a commercially viable option.

When we did our U.S. trip ( New York , Washington D.C. , Philadelphia and Boston), which was independently booked, we tallied up the costs and everything and compared to a similar package holiday.

The cost wasn’t that much different but we were able to plan our own trip in the order we wanted and according to the number of days we wanted to spend in each city.

Also, remember, on top of this you get in some countries a money guarantee scheme similar to the ATOL protection in the UK (mentioned below). Unlike self booked holidays this acts like a safeguard should anything happen on your trip or before.

So if you are wondering if it is it better to book a package holiday – then this consideration alone should make you consider if this might be the right option for you or not.

With the arrival of true international travel a way to protect your citizens was called for. Many governments around the world issued laws and regulations to protect travellers so whatever happens they can still return home.

In the U.K., Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) protection has been since 1973. This regulation is a financial protection scheme and it protects most air package holidays sold by travel businesses.

The scheme also applies to some flight bookings, usually those where you book flights (including UK domestic flights) but do not receive your tickets immediately. The scheme is designed to reassure consumers that their money is safe, and will provide assistance in the event of a travel business failure.

Another similar scheme is ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents), is a trade association for tour operators and travel agents in the United Kingdom. This associations aims to improve the quality of service provided by its members but also protect financially customer.

Unlike ATOL, which covers flight based holidays only, if a holidaymaker buys a land- or sea-based holiday such as coach, rail or cruise holiday from an ABTA member their money will be protected by the ABTA scheme of financial protection.

This effectively means that should your travel agent go bust whilst you are on holiday, under this scheme you can still enjoy your holiday and return on the same date home.

In other words, it’s very safe to book a package holiday.

Some governments around the world also operate similar style schemes. In the argument of package holidays vs independent travel this bit is often overlooked.

We had an experience where we truly appreciated the advantages of a package holiday. During our trip to Punta Cana , we had hurricane Irma (category 5 hurricane) come on our side of the island. TUI were very instrumental in arranging the evacuation and a like for like hotel in the capital of Santo Domingo .

Other guests were sent to the nearby school and slept on the floor throughout. Not only were we evacuated from the dangerous area, but we were also offered a 5-star hotel and excellent service. On top of this, we also got money back for the days we spent outside the resort.

This could be also something to consider on your next trip. It totally changed our perception of the benefits of a package holiday. Needless to say, we have been using TUI ever since.

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Independent Travel

Here is a photo of us, planning our next trip from the comfort of our garden 🙂

First of all, you might wonder what does independent travel mean? It means self booking your trip or holiday without needing a travel agent.

Booking independently has really taken off with the wide adoption of the internet and the .com bubble. With the creation of GDS systems which feed aggregators like Agoda , Booking.com , Skyscanner and many others; ordinary consumers all of the sudden became their own travel agents.

This, in turn, allowed for democratization of the travel booking experience. No longer did you need to leave the house or call your travel agent, all you had to do is type in the 16 digits on your card and off you go!

Whilst some individuals tend to be a bit reserved when it comes to booking it themselves, the benefits should outweigh their fears. In our article about How to Plan a Holiday we discuss some of the points that any traveller should have front of mind when booking a trip independently.

Whilst there are some benefits to booking a package holiday, self booking also comes with some perks. What we noticed is that the advantage of independently booking consists in the granularity and the choice for options at your disposal.

Want a flight Thursday at 5pm from your closest airport? Plenty of choices. How about a quirky looking boutique hotel at your destination? You’ve go it. And the list goes on.

An example here is our trip to Vienna , which we decided to combine with a trip to Bratislava . Given the proximity of these capitals and how well connected they are, we were able to plan our own trip, arrange our own travel at the times we wanted and visit two countries in one long weekend. How cool is that?

This plethora of choices gives travellers the flexibility of booking and tailoring their holiday to their liking. It’s a bit like making a pizza. For those that don’t like off the shelf products they are better off making it at home as they wish.

As we live in the UK, we mainly travel by plane. In our article on Top Tips on How to Find Cheap Flights , we even uncover some of the things you should consider when independently booking your flights.

Whilst booking a package holiday can have some benefits such as ATOL/ABTA protection, discussed above, if used wisely, credit cards can also provide a similar style protection.

Depending on your local country laws, credit card providers can offer certain benefits and protections. Some of these can also be engrained in law.

I remember reading in the news when WOW Air went bankrupt and there was this one line that made me reconsider how I book my flights. It was to do with the order of reimbursements in this particular order:

• Credit cards
• Protected package tours (travel agents)
• Insurance (if covered)

And that’s it. If you booked with a debit card, the administrator may refund you after those above have been processed and only if there is any money left. Ouch!

Next day, we got our credit cards and since then have used them for travel. That is because in the UK, credit cards fall under the Consumer Act of 1974 which covers you of any liability when using borrowed money and when buying services or products and the vendor can’t contractually fulfil their obligations.

However, if your country doesn’t have this in law, some credit card providers offer it anyway as part of their customer service. American Express is well known for going above and beyond in these situations.

When we book our trips abroad such, we always book them on a credit card to make sure we are somewhat covered in these eventualities.

Don’t forget to get a travel insurance to cover yourself and your family. This is especially important when organising your holiday independently.

For EU citizens, health insurance is somewhat covered in other member states as long as you have an European Health Insurance card.

A similar scheme applies in the UK for healthcare cover abroad. You can get a UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK GHIC) or a UK European Health Insurance Card (UK EHIC). We both have the EHIC cards and thankfully haven’t had to use them.

Now when it comes to the conclusion, you will see it’s not a straight forward line. It mostly depends on your circumstances and specific situation.

It depends on your personal preferences, the type of holiday you are booking, the amount of time you have at hand and how confident you feel organising your own trip.

See below a summary of key things:

So the conclusion is that it really depends on your situation. You might self book when you want that extra fine granularity in your trip, otherwise a standard packaged holiday might do just fine.

As experienced travellers, we prefer to book our own trips and make our own holiday plans that work around our schedule and the time we have. If you are like us, you may find our article on how to plan a trip useful.

Remember, booking on your own also means investing more time and doesn’t always pay dividends if you are fairly novice.

Since our trip to Punta Cana , we appreciate even more the benefits of a package holiday. We tend to book package holidays for our summer all-inclusive holidays, so we can fully relax knowing everything is done for us.

Ready to book? Below are some recommendations to get your trip started:

• Flights – we use flight aggregators such as Skyscanner and Google flights to find the best options. You can find more information about finding cheap flights here .
• Accommodation – would recommend booking your accommodation through an aggregator such as Booking.com or Agoda to get the best rates. We also use TripAdvisor to read reviews.
• Transport – consider  Rentalcars.com for car renting or if you rely on public transport, you can use Omio for trains, coaches, ferries, airport transfers and even flights.
• Activities – a great option is GetYourGuide , Klook or Viator for tours, excursions, experiences and tickets to many tourist attractions.
• Travel money – we have Starling Bank accounts (UK residents only) with 0% fees on FX and a good Mastercard exchange rate. Revolut is another good option.
• Internet abroad – with Airalo or Nomad you can access a wide range of eSIMs (digital SIM cards) available for different countries and regions.
• Luggage storage – if you need to store your bags whilst exploring the destination, you can use Radical Storage to find your closest luggage storage and enjoy your journey until the very end.

As an Amazon Associate and member of various other affiliate programmes, some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Can I cancel my Travel Republic Booking?

Do you have to cancel your Travel Republic booking?

Yes, you can cancel your booking but you are not guaranteed any refund for the money you spent in making the original reservation. Because most people choose to pay the low deposit choice Travel Republic offers, they must make their accommodation bookings at least 15 days prior to departure; and the remaining balance on these discounted rooms is due 14 days prior to departure, and is non-refundable. Some hotels require the full payment at the time of booking if it is a discounted deal and are therefore also not refundable. In addition to keeping your deposit, you have to pay a cancellation charge of £40. 

With the exception of the aforementioned discounted non-refundable hotel rates, the following charges will apply to all hotel only bookings:

More than 7 days before departure

You will be charged with a €40 cancellation fee, or you can choose to pay the value of the booking as a whole if it is lower than the cancellation charge. However, if you make a new accommodation booking within 30 days having cancelled more than 7 days before departure, you will be provided with a refund of €15

7 days or less before departure

You will be charged with 100% of the booking value. If you have cancelled 7 days or less before departure contact Travel Republic’s Sales Team to see if any refund is applicable.

Do you think that that’s quite expensive? Do you want to recover more from your cancelled holiday? Many people are not aware of this, but you have an alternative to cancelling your booking – sell it to another person and get your refund that way. If this sounds like the better option, read the last section below ‘Can I sell my Travel Republic booking’. If you don’t have a friend to sell the holiday to, SpareFare can help you find a buyer.

Can I cancel my Travel Republic reservation within 24 hours of booking?

Yes, but you will be charged with 100% of the booking value. 

How do I cancel my Travel Republic reservation within 24 hours of booking?

Step 1: Go to Travel Republic’s website and access your booking using the Manage Your Booking tab

Step 2: Submit a Customer Support Request stating that you wish to cancel your reservation

Step 3: Wait for a response from Travel Republic’s customer support. This will not exceed 2 business days, but priority is given to urgent requests that are closer to the time of departure.

Step 4: If you do not wish to go through steps 1-3, then you can call customer support directly.

How can I change my Travel Republic booking?

If you purchased the non-refundable rate from a hotel or other provider, full payment is required at the time of booking. Because this is a promotional rate, no changes at all can be made to your booking once it is confirmed. However if you wish to amend the booking after its confirmed in regards to your flight, please contact Travel Republic’s customer service who will then inform your airline provider of your change request and wait for a response whether or not it’s possible to make the changes. It is not always possible to amend your booking, especially if it is close to the departure time.

To change the date, time or destination of your Travel Republic reservation, follow these steps:

Step 1: Call customer support directly.

Step 2: Tell customer support your request for an amendment to your reservation

Step 3: Wait to hear back from customer support and they will advise you if it is possible to make the changes or not

Step 4: Be prepared to pay €25 amendment fee on top of any airline charges you may be faced with

Travel Republic name change policy

Do you know that you can change the name of the person who is travelling and sell your own holiday to someone else? That way you might be able to recover much more than simply cancelling your booking. Travel Republic allow you to change the name of the passenger for your holiday for a €25 fee. You are also responsible for paying any of the fees that the accommodations or airline subject to you.

How can I change the name on a Travel Republic reservation?

Step 1: Go to Travel Republic’s website and log into your “My Booking”

Step 2: Log in using your flight booking reference and name

Step 3: Submit a Customer Support Request and request the changes you would like to make, such as a name change

Step 4: Wait a maximum of 2 days for a customer service representative to confirm the changes that have or have not been made. Please note that changes to bookings that are closer to their departure date take priority because they are more urgent.

Can I sell my Travel Republic booking?

Yes, you can! As long as the flight and hotel reservation allows for name changes then a simple change of name is all it takes in order to be able to resell your booking. You may be faced with the amendment fee of €25 on top of any airline charges.

But did you know that under the Package Travel Directive, which applies in the whole of the European Union, travel agents have to allow name changes for package holidays? A package holiday is anything where you buy two combinations of travel bookings - like a hotel and a flight. Travel Republic has to allow you to transfer the holiday in another person's name. 

Where can I sell my Travel Republic booking?

You can sell your holiday on SpareFare. We are like eBay for travel reservations, with the added benefit of secure transfers and expert customer support. Click here to sell your holiday.

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