Travel packages: what is a package holiday?
Your holidays are coming up. But should you book the flight and accommodation as a package or separately? Comparis explains the advantages and disadvantages of a package holiday.
30.04.2024
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1. What is a package holiday?
For a package holiday, you book several services with a provider or intermediary. You pay a price for everything together.
For example: if you book a 14-day bus trip through the USA including flights and hotels, this is a package holiday. If you book flights and a hotel separately for a week in New York, this is not a package holiday.
The components of a package holiday include:
Transportation
Accommodation
Other tourist elements of a trip, for example a rental car
A package holiday should also meet one of two criteria:
It should last longer than 24 hours
It should include at least one night’s stay
With a package holiday, the tour operator may define the specific components included in the package. However, you may also put together the trip according to your own wishes.
Types of package holidays
Package holidays refer not only to all-inclusive or club holidays. You can also book city breaks or adventure holidays as a package holiday.
2. Advantages of a package holiday
The components of a package holiday are coordinated with each other. This is true, for example, after arriving at the airport: the transfer to the hotel is usually included and adapted to your flight time.
Packages often come with early bird discounts and last minute deals. These usually allow you to save more with the offers than if you had booked all the elements individually.
By offering early bird discounts and last minute deals, tour operators try to avoid losses. They have a certain number of places that they cannot change at short notice. These include hotel rooms or seats on the plane.
With early bird discounts, providers are more likely to sell some of the existing leftover capacity. With last minute offers, they try to sell the remaining places.
Peace of mind when booking a package holiday
If you book a package holiday, you are covered in certain situations even without travel insurance:
In the event that the provider becomes insolvent, the tour operator must repay you the money and organize the return transport (Art. 18 of the Federal Act on Package Travel, PTA).
In cases of force majeure such as natural disasters, the tour operator or intermediary will take care of you (Art. 15, PTA). This may involve, for example, organizing a return trip or moving you to another hotel.
The tour operator or intermediary cannot simply increase the price of the trip. The possibility of a price adjustment must be stated in the contract. In addition, the provider must explain that the price change is justified by an increase in the cost of a package component (Art. 7, PTA).
You are not required to accept an increase of more than 10%. In this case, you can withdraw from the contract (Art. 10, PTA). You have three options:
You can take an equally expensive or more expensive trip with the same tour operator or intermediary. You will not incur any further costs.
You can take a cheaper trip with the same tour operator or intermediary. You will be refunded the difference.
You can be refunded all amounts paid as soon as possible.
If you are unable to take the trip, you can assign it to another person (Art. 17, PTA). You and your substitute person must pay for any additional costs.
Information from the provider
With package holidays, you usually have a travel representative on location or a contact person who can be reached by phone. If neither contact is available, tour operators and intermediaries usually have an emergency number.
According to the Federal Act on Package Travel, the provider or intermediary must inform the travellers in good time about regulations for passports and visas. This also includes the duration of the application process. There is an exception: non-EU/EFTA citizens must explicitly request the information right away.
3. Disadvantages of a package holiday
If you book a package holiday online, the range of packages available may be confusing and overwhelming for you. Many providers offer similar trips, but they differ in individual aspects. So you have to read the package offer carefully.
Some services may take more time on package holidays than if you book them individually. For example: the airport transfer collects and transports travellers staying in different hotels. This can significantly extend the transfer time.
More options with independent trips
Independent travel may be cheaper in some cases. If a low price is important to you, compare the prices of the individual services with the total price of the package holiday.
If you book your trip independently, you can make plans spontaneously. This lets you travel freely at your destination. You don’t have to keep track of existing bookings or cancel them.
For independent trips, you have more choice when booking. You are not bound by the tour operator’s offer. You are free to choose flights and hotels.
4. Package holiday or independent travel: what should I book?
Whether you book an independent trip or a package holiday depends on your preferences. If the price is important to you, it is best to compare the different offers of package holidays and individual travel options.
Would you like a complete package so that you don’t have to worry about anything while on holiday? Then a package holiday is the right choice. Would you rather decide spontaneously what to do during your holiday? Then independent travel is better suited for you.
Combining package holidays and independent travel
A package holiday can be worthwhile if you only want to commit to flights and hotels. You can choose the rest of the holiday programme for yourself. However, you still benefit from the advantages of a package holiday.
The flight time category is based on the EU classification.
Short haul: fewer than 1,500 km away
Medium haul: between 1,500 km and 3,500 km away
Long haul: over 3,500 km away
The example prices of package holidays (as of 30 April 2024) are based on the following filters:
General: 2 adults, flight from Zurich, travel dates 16-22 September 2024, hotel rating of at least 7
Adventure trip: no star limit, breakfast
Party trip: at least 3 stars, half board
City break: at least 3 stars, breakfast
Beach holidays: at least 4 stars, all-inclusive
Prices do not include extras such as a transfer from the airport.
This article was first published on 28.08.2023
