Travel Question: Is it better to book package or go DIY?

Q We are thinking of booking a holiday to Walt Disney World, Florida, and we have found that booking the villa, flights and car hire separately rather than as a package is a lot cheaper. Are there any benefits to booking a package or would you do the individual way and save money?

Simon R

A Package holidays provide the gold standard in consumer protection. If you book flights and one or more elements such as accommodation or car rental at the same time, then you are covered by the Package Travel Regulations. These specify: “The organiser is liable to the traveller for the performance of the travel services included in the package travel contract.” Which the traveller can paraphrase as: “Sort it out”. You transfer the disruption risk to the firm that supplied the holiday.

The tour operator (the company that has put together and sold the holiday) is expected to provide what you have booked. If it cannot, whether because the outbound flight is cancelled or the villa is double-booked, then it must sort out the problem and make financial amends if necessary. Contrast this with booking the elements separately. Were poor weather to delay your arrival by two days, the accommodation provider has no obligation to refund you for the missed stay. And if the villa isn’t as advertised, then you are on your own in sorting out the muddle – there is no tour operator to solve the problem.

Tour operators also claim that their buying power allows them to provide better value than buying the elements individually – so make sure you are fully comparing like with like when you price the alternatives.

Most DIY holidays are problem-free, which is why millions of travellers choose them. They also offer more flexibility – you can go for odd duration such as six or nine days, and can pick from a wider range of airlines and accommodation. But unless I have special requirements, I will always choose a package.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder