Are you beating the winter blues by booking your summer get-away? Here is some useful information to help you stay informed during the booking process, and what to do if you have a problem with your package holiday.
What is a Package Holiday?
A package holiday has a legal definition, which may be useful for you to know if you have a problem with your holiday booking.
A package holiday has “two or more travel services” which are quoted as a single price. It must be at least 24 hours or one overnight stay long.
“Travel services” can be flights, accommodation, airport transfers, car hire, trips or excursions .
“Quoted as a single price” means that you are offered your package holiday as one price, not as individually priced services, for example, the travel agent or website quotes you one price for flights and hotels and does not list the prices of each separately. This still applies even if you pay off your holiday with instalments.
Cruises are considered package holidays.
Before booking your package holiday
Do your research
Check review websites and see what they say about the travel agent you are using, or the accommodation you are interested in. You could also google the travel agent and see what reviews or news stories you can find about them. This can help you to make an informed decision.
Always read the terms and conditions carefully
You should pay particular attention to any terms and conditions about changes made to the booking by you, changes made by the travel agent, and cancellations. If you are paying a deposit to secure your booking , you should also check the terms and conditions about deposits carefully.
Different travel companies might have different terms and conditions, so it is important to check the terms and conditions of each company if you are shopping around.
Remember, if your holiday deal seems too good to be true – it just might be.
What can I do if something goes wrong with my package holiday?
If something goes wrong with your holiday, the travel organiser must address the problem. If significant parts of the holiday are not as specified, you must be offered suitable alternative arrangements.
You should contact the travel agent to raise a formal complaint. If you are unable to resolve this issue through a complaints process, then you can submit a complaint to ECC Ireland, if the travel agent is based in another EU country, Norway, Iceland, or the UK. Submit a complaint
You can find more tips for booking a holiday here
Package travel – European Consumer Centre Ireland
Booking a foreign holiday in 2024: Dos and Don’ts – European Consumer Centre Ireland
ECC Ireland is here to support you with consumer issues where the business is based in the EU, Norway, Iceland or the UK. See our letter templates here to help you to contact a business if you have an issue – ECC-IE Letter Templates. If you cannot resolve your issue with the business, you can contact us. If you are in Ireland and the business you have an issue with is also based Ireland, you should contact the Consumer and Competition Protection Commission (CCPC). Contact the CCPC here Contact us – CCPC.