pete sant
Roda Anorak
Roda Riddler 2008
UNITED - NOT ARROGANT - JUST BETTER
Posts: 6,977
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Post by pete sant on Nov 4, 2009 18:24:19 GMT 2
Following Chris's post about the drop in visitors this year i'm sure that you will have noticed for yourselves how quieter the village was, i know i did. Roda probally did better than some resorts due to it's higher than average number of independent travellers. I for one cannot believe why more people don't holiday this way nowadays, after all, nearly everyone has access to the internet, or could book flights and accomodation over the phone. Time and again i hear people complaining that their travel agent tells them that "Roda is full", that's if it's even in the brochure to start with, some people who had their heart set on Roda have even ended up going to places like Turkey or Egypt ! Just because the big tour companies can make more money out them by sending them there. People will say that by going independent you don't get the "services" of a rep - in most cases they are only interested in getting their commission for the trips they sell to you and their local knowledge is usually inferior to your own. On the cost side of things it can be cheaper to buy a package deal but now that easy jet & jet2 are flying to Corfu that needn't be the case and by booking privately you get to choose where you want to stay and to fly when you want to fly and on top of all this you are putting your hard earned money into Roda and not the pockets of the greedy tour companies. That's my little rant over - what do you think ? Is it better to travel on a package or to do your own thing ? pete.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2009 19:06:46 GMT 2
Personally Pete, I whole heartedly agree with you on the Independent issue. We always booked through Travel Agents, and I have to say we had some very good deals, but then these companies started going down the pan, and we were left with bigger and more expensive companies (I wonder why). So one year we decided to go independent having got access to the internet we obviously found things very easy, and very helpful in the information we gleaned from others.
We chose to go Flight Only from Bournemouth using Palmair, which some would say is expensive, but in the long run it is cheaper than getting transport, or parking at the like of Gatwick, etc. We got a ver good deal at a hotel we usually stayed at, but had independent rooms set aside (Sadly they now have finished altogether).
We felt a far greater sense of freedom, at the same time feeling a good sense of pride in doing what someone else would have done for a far lot more. As you said, there is no need for the Reps, the Travel Shops in local resorts are far better and far cheaper.
Independent from now on, moreso with a shorter drive to the likes of Bristol, and a cheaper flight with Easyjet. Hopefully Thomson will be doing flight only, cheapish flights from 2010 from Bournemouth.
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parsonsgang
Roda Anorak
Roda Riddler 2009 - 2013
Posts: 1,722
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Post by parsonsgang on Nov 4, 2009 19:09:07 GMT 2
I agree Pete, I'd much rather travel independently and choose my own accommodation as well as putting the money back into Roda instead of the tour operators pockets. The so called "services" that the travel reps offer have always been completely useless to us in Roda as we know more about it than they do. When Alisha came down with food poisoning many years ago, it wasn't the travel reps that came to our assistance but our friends, the locals who couldn't do enough for us. Also with having 3 kids it's actually cheaper to travel independently as tour operators always charge the 3rd child adult price. How can they justify this as most accommodation owners will happily put an extra bed into a room and not charge any extra. Now we've both had a rant Nikki
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Post by artisans on Nov 4, 2009 20:17:01 GMT 2
I guess you know where we stand, Pete! I was considering one of your points earlier today - if an independent holiday and a package holiday to the same village cost exactly the same price, how do the benefits compare? Certainly, you get a rep - usually inexperienced with only a few days on the island prior to the start of the season, and they then proceed to tell you everything you need to know to enjoy your stay. One of the first jobs they have at the start of the season is to pin warning notices on palm trees at holiday complexes which tell you what not to do in case the company gets a claim. It is implied that by booking a package, you can have the confidence that you will be taken care of in an emergency - hmmmm! - not sure about that one! Anyone care to comment? One stop shopping might be another reason for booking a package, but with the internet now you can shop from home. Other benefits of booking by the package route would be appreciated, but I can't think of any. Steve
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pete sant
Roda Anorak
Roda Riddler 2008
UNITED - NOT ARROGANT - JUST BETTER
Posts: 6,977
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Post by pete sant on Nov 4, 2009 20:24:08 GMT 2
The reason i started to travel independently was due to a totally inaccurate brochure description for a "two bedroom apartment" - our daughter ended up sleeping in a foldout chair in the kitchen - the kitchen was unusable when the "bed " was in it, it wasn't just our apartment, the rep was getting stick off everyone in the complex. For the best part of 20 years i have looked after myself with just the one hiccup last year which most people know about, and which, on looking back was quite enjoyable ! ;D pete.
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