Holiday of a Lifetime

'I've just got back from the holiday of a lifetime... Never again!'

A funny joke doing the rounds at the moment. Funny, yes, but unfortunately it can be true.

Many of us when we think about holidays start off our thought process by thinking about the place we want to visit. Our minds then wander off, and we dream about the sun the sand and whatever else, we wish for.

This stimulates us into the buying process and unfortunately reality then kicks in. We have been conditioned so much by the industry over the past 30 years to think about JUST the cost that few of us go beyond this when it comes to actually booking anything.

I must hear the phrase 'I am looking for a cheap holiday' 10 times a day.

I know that is not what is meant by this statement, but few think beyond price when selecting a holiday. If this were not true then the Internet would not now be the way many of us select our holiday choice. The perception is that the Internet is ALWAYS going to be cheaper than the high street in terms of cost.

The fact is that this is far from the case. Sure it can be, but few look beyond the price. Most Assume. When you assume you make an ASS out of yoU and ME. Sorry, it is an old one but always relevant.

Ultimately I suppose, if you are happy with the price then you are happy with your choice. Loads of us actually brag about how little we pay for our holidays. If you are one of those people, I love you guys! I love the expression on your faces when someone quotes you a price lower than yours and you then try and blag your way out as now you feel you have been ripped off.

Let me state right here and now that price is important to us all.  Let me also state now that it is not the be all and end all.

When I am told 'I want a cheap holiday' I understand that what I am really being told is that 'I want great value for money'.

Unfortunately, the Internet cannot always give you this as it cannot determine what 'value' means to you. It can only give information and a price for that information. You, the punter, have to determine for yourself if that information is 'value' or not. Easy yes? If it is that easy why then do so many get it wrong?

That 'holiday of a life time' we conceive in our minds during the booking process can so easily become the holiday from hell all because our interpretation of 'marketing speak' proves to be incorrect.

You visit a professional when you seek medical advice, or legal advice, or dental advice. A holiday is a major purchase for most of us so why do we then trust a 'slot machine' with our holiday dream, and our money?

I do not know. May be you can give me the answer.

And if things go wrong... like the tour operator fails. Do you get your holiday?  No in most cases. Do you get your money back? Yes, eventually in most cases, but in many cases NO!

If you are looking for a great holiday, giving you memorable experiences for a lifetime, without costing you an arm and a leg and with 100% financial security you need to talk to a professional.

September and October are always the worst months in the Travel Industry. These are the months that most financial failures happen. This year will be no different.  In fact this year it has started earlier than in some I remember.  Already over 100,000 people have lost their holidays and many their money too because they played the slot machine once too often.

Remember this and remember who told you. 'Cheap is WEAK'.

Contact me at www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/paul.reid

Holiday Reassurance

Hi again,

Over the last few weeks we have seen many Holiday Tour Operators and Airlines fail and customers money put at risk.  Even worse customers are not having the holidays they paid for as these failures have resulted in their holidays being cancelled.

The industry is in turbulent times. A great quote I heard today was 'Cheap is weak'. How true.

Through my association with Travel Counsellors I am able to offer my customers the best financial protection around.

Please see below a letter from my company Chairman David Speakman being sent to all Travel Counsellors customers today. I thought this worth sharing with you as it underlines our commitment to protect you when you book your travel arrangements through me. We stand by what we promise that is why we work so hard to protect our customers. I do not do 'cheap' I do though do great value.
Have a great day.

Important News for USA

Just a quick piece of advice.




The US Government has recently announced that as from 09 September 2010 a $14.00 per person charge will be levied for all ESTA applications.



The ESTA is a compulsory internet form that must be completed prior to travel on the US Visa Waiver entry scheme.



Currently the ESTA is free of charge, and is valid for a period of 2 years from the date of issue. NO travel arrangements need to have been made in order to apply for the ESTA.



Therefore if you are travelling or even thinking of doing so to the US (including US islands in the Caribbean, Hawaii or Alaska) in the next two years, my advice is you complete your ESTA on line now.



To do this go to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta



TIP: Once completed, print off the confirmation page with the long reference number on it to keep for your records to update it when you need to. Remember one per person is required.

Don't panic!

0750am Friday 16 July.

My phone rings and on the end a stressed out passenger trapped on the M20 in a traffic queue, following a road accident.
Basic facts:
Check in 0700 am
Their flight departs 10.00am
Check in closes 0900 am

The caller (my customer) pleads - HELP! What shall we do?

Don't panic says I.

They were lucky. They had booked their holiday with myself a travel agent. Not just any Travel Agent mind but a Travel Counsellor. Yes, I was open! Always am for emergencies, and do not charge extra.
Actions:
First , I contacted Emirates Airlines at Gatwick letting them know the problem. It was clear that with the check in desk closing at 0900am the clients chances of catching the flight were slim, particularly as they had booked off airport parking too which requires a minimum of 35 minutes time to park and ride to the departure terminal.

Emirates agreed to keep the check in open until 0910 am.

The next job was to arrange for meet and greet parking so as they could drop their car and run for check in. Not an easy task this as man power is always in demand for this type of premium parking.  Indeed, the first one I tried could not help, but I managed to persuade the second one Maple Manor Parking to help me.

The logistics took some minutes to put in place and payment had to be made etc.

Time now 0850 am
I contacted the client again - how good are mobile phones. I established their whereabouts left instructions with them to meet the car company and then redialed the check in desk to update Emirates on my clients progress.

0910 am - They were closing! I persuaded them to stay open until 0920 am.

0918  am - the clients arrived at check in.

0927 am -  I called the client again to make sure they were through passport control and security. They were scampering down to the departure gate having been fast tracked through security.

10.04 am My phone rang and I received a very relieved call from the client to say they were on board. I knew this as I could hear the captain in the background introducing his crew.

Phew! A close call yes, but you cannot get that on the Internet! or on the high street either, as it is fair to say, as they would not have been open at 0750am.

Welcome to the 4th Travel Emergency Service. Just a phone call or an e-mail away.

Goldtrail up in Smoke!

It's happened again. Yet another tour operator supplying cheap as chips holidays goes to the wall.
Cheap holidays are NOT sustainable!
It was true 37 years ago with Clarkson Holidays, it happened with Excel more recently and now Goldtrail are the latest in what is an annual event it seems, with at least one failure of a CHEAP supplier going to the wall every summer.

I do not know when our Brit attitude to holidays is going to change, and what it is that will make it change, but change it must. This is not rocket science.  You get what you pay for and if you pay nothing you get nothing in return. Like NO holiday at all, or worse still a ruined one. 

For any of the 16,000 now stranded help is at hand thanks to the ATOL protection in place, so you will get back, but think about the actual cost of what you paid in relation to what you received. It may have been fantastic value. Was it realistic though? If you are being honest then no it was not, so what did you expect? Even if you insist it was, how much has it cost you to return home in stress, extra expense, and uncertainty?
A lot more than what you could have paid to buy a sensibly priced holiday with no hitches, that is for certain.

For those of you who have paid for a holiday yet to be taken I feel for you too. Yes, help is again at hand if you used a travel agent, if you did not then you are on your own. However, you will almost certainly now pay more if you decide to travel at all and you will only now be getting what no one else wants. If you decide against an overseas holiday at all then you must wait, and wait and wait for your money to be returned. Yes, it will be returned eventually, that is at least good news.

Despite what some think a holiday is still a luxury for most and should be chosen in the same way you would buy a new or good quality second hand car,with great care and attention to detail. Afterall a holiday can cost much the same as a new car these days particularly if you have a family to budget for.

Wise up people. Understand this. Travelling has always been and always will be a risky business with few certainties. Our society gives you protection sure, but no one can budget for incompetence. If it looks too good to be true then IT IS too good to be true. Do not leave things to chance, use a trusted source. Remember you have a choice always make sure you make the right choice is what I am saying.

I wish all those affected by this bad news well really, and if there is anything I can do to help you then please ask, but do not expect much sympathy. I will not give it as I am tired of the same old story, but I will give you sound advice and who konws I may even be able to find you a fantastic holiday you can actually enjoy and remember for years to come rather than misery.

Christmas is a coming...

I know it is only July but things are already booking up for Christmas. Not suprisingly prices during this festive season rise tremendously, so when a bargain comes along it needs snapping up without hesitation.

I do not know about you, but now my offspring have flown the nest, I find Christams a bit repetitive. It is a bit like ground-hog day.

Every year I say to my wife lets' go away this year and every year - so far that is - we have not taken action and missed the rare opportunities that come our way. Coming from a Travel Agent that sounds really silly I know, but it is true.

Celebrity Cruises sent me this offer this morning and it is without doubt a fantastic deal, as not only does it include everything you expect from a 5* cruise company, but it also includes flights too, and we all know these are ridiculously expensive usually at this time of year. Check this out. It really is a superb offer on a beautiful ship.

FANTASTIC BALCONY STATEROOM RATES!!

Balcony Prices from £1618 Heathrow

Balcony Prices from £1688pp Manchester

Balcony Prices from £1688pp Glasgow and Edinburgh

Hurry though as this is selling fast!!

Late Summer Ideas...

The question on many lips now is what can we do in late Summer? 'We are looking for the unusual, something different.'
If sunning yourself on a beach is old hat now and you are looking for a little adventure or doing the unusal then maybe I have a few ideas for you.

Adventure and exploration tourism is fast becoming the 'in' thing to be doing these days. As a nation we are becoming more well travelled and informed about travel abroad, so we are looking to broaden our minds and wanting holiday experiences rather than just a visit to ne destination.

With this in mind I have a few suggestions to wet your appetite. Please though do not think this list is finite, if there is something that is a 'must do' for you then please contact me and I will be happy to arrange it for you.

Top Summer walks in Europe

Levada Trails of Madeira
Spend a week traversing Madeira on foot, following the levadas as they meander along the southern slopes and enjoy the 'balcony walk' to Madiera's highest peak.
8 days from just £679.00 per person available until October.

Alpine Lakes of Slovenia
Discover Mountain peaks slicing into forested valleys, visit some of Europe's most amazing caves sytems and experience blue glacial lakes fed by rivers from the Alps.
8 days from £898.00 per person available until September.

Moorish Trails
Enjoy a week of moderate walking and good food in a spectacularand little visited corner of Andalucia.
8 days from just £570.00 per person available until Septemer.

Azores Island Hopping
Discover the best of five islands in two weeks, including walks to the thermal springs and around ancient calderas.
14 days form just £1382.00 per person dates available in August and September.

Travelling Solo
Small group adventure holidays are ideal for single travellers, as they allow you to meet and travel with other like-minded people. They are also extremely flexible, and allow plenty of free time to explore things for yourself too. Travelling in small groupd is also much safer than travelling alone and should not be under-estimated.
Single supplements can also be avoided if you are willing to same sex share accommodation. Don't worry if you are not though as you can still pay that little extra to have your own privacy.

What about these for some ideas further afield?

The Lost Continent of Madagascar.
Search the Madagascan rainforest for the world's largest lemur, take nocturnal walks and explore the sapphire mines, savannahs and canyons for the remote south.
17 days from £2277 departures available until October.

Toubkal Ascent
A chance to climb North Africa's highest peak in just 5 days, You'll start and end your journey in Marrakech with the chance to explore the maze of Souks. leaving Marrakech behind you will spend 3 days trekking Jebel Toubkal to a spectacular 4165m.
5 days from £530.00 per person departures available until September.

The list goes on and on with possibilites to visit the Galapagos islands, or doing the Inca Trail, maybe even seeing the gorillas in Uganda. The world is your oyster literally.