Knowing how to choose a luxury holiday package comes down to the paperwork more than the brochure. Two quotes for the same island can show identical hotel photos and still differ on the room, the flight times, the cancellation charges and who protects your money. What follows is the check we would run on any package quote before a deposit changes hands, together with the consumer rights UK law gives every package traveller.
Quick answer
Choose a luxury holiday package on its paperwork, not its photos. Before any deposit, confirm who holds the ATOL protection, what the total price covers, when the balance falls due and what cancelling would cost. Then compare the flight times, connections and cabin, the named room category and the board basis. A vague line on a quote is a question to put to the seller.
How to choose a luxury holiday package: what to look for
Run each quote through these nine checks. The middle column is what a well-prepared quote shows, and the right-hand column is what should make you pause.
| Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| ATOL certificate | Every traveller in your party listed on it | A name missing from the certificate. |
| ATOL holder | A holder name and ATOL number in the quote or terms | No holder named anywhere in the paperwork. |
| Price basis | A total for your party, with occupancy stated | A per-person “from” figure with no dates or room type. |
| Flights | Airport, times and cabin shown for every leg | Legs described only as “flights included”. |
| Transfers | Private or shared, stated in the quote | “Transfers included” with nothing else. |
| Hotel and room | The hotel’s own name for the room category | “Or similar” beside the hotel or the room. |
| Board basis | Room only, B&B, half board, full board or all inclusive, in writing | A meal plan described as “dining included”. |
| Deposit and balance | A deposit figure and a balance due date | No balance date on the quote. |
| Cancellation terms | A published scale of charges | Terms that only arrive after you have paid. |
Ask each company for the quote in writing with the same dates, cabin and room category, or you are comparing different holidays.
The same checks work on any of our luxury holidays. The sections that follow expand the rows that need more than a line.
How do you check a package is ATOL protected?
Read the certificate itself rather than trusting a logo on a website. It names the business providing the protection, gives its ATOL number and carries a unique reference for your booking.
The holder named may not be the company you spoke to. A travel agent can sell ATOL-protected trips without its own licence when it acts for a disclosed ATOL holder. That is legitimate, provided the agent tells you who the holder is and the certificate matches. You can search the holder on atol.org. Our own certificates carry ATOL 10713.
Two further points catch people out. Any amendment, such as a date change, should bring a fresh certificate. And a flight bought on its own, with an e-ticket issued when you pay, is not ATOL protected. For what the scheme does and does not cover, read ATOL protection explained.
What does “included” really mean on a luxury quote?
Start with the price basis. Many quotes are per person based on two adults sharing a room. A solo traveller, or a third person in the room, changes the figure, so ask for the total you will actually pay. Ask, too, whether air passenger duty and airport charges are in that total or listed separately.
Local charges are different. Some destinations levy a nightly tourist tax that the hotel collects when you check out, so ask whether it is in the price or payable locally.
Transfers vary more than the word suggests. A shared coach may stop at several hotels before yours, while a private car goes direct. On a late-night arrival after a long-haul flight, that difference matters.
The room category deserves the closest reading. “Deluxe” is the entry room at some hotels and a mid-grade room at others. Ask for the room name the hotel itself uses, plus the view and bed configuration. If a villa or suite has a private pool, that should appear in writing too.
Finally, match the board basis to your flight times. Half board is poor value on an arrival day that ends at the hotel close to midnight. On all-inclusive stays, ask which restaurants need reservations and whether any charge a supplement.
For typical budgets by destination and cabin, see how much a luxury holiday costs.
What should you check in the flights?
Begin with the departure airport. A regional departure may save a journey to London, or it may add a connection that a London departure avoids.
Next, look at what the times do to the first and last days. An early-morning return often means leaving the hotel before breakfast, and an evening one can leave you without a room for most of the day. Ask what a late check-out or day room would cost before you commit.
For connecting itineraries, note the length of each connection and whether both flights sit on one ticket. A single ticket normally means your bags go through to the final airport. Two separate tickets put the risk of a missed connection on you.
Check the cabin on every leg, not just the long one. A business class quote can include a short economy sector on a connecting flight. Confirm the baggage allowance for the cabin booked, and whether choosing seats in advance costs extra.
Can the price or the holiday change after you book?
Yes, but only within limits set by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. These rights apply to any package sold in the UK, whichever company you book with.
A price rise is allowed only if your contract says so, and only for three reasons. These are fuel or other power costs for transport, third-party taxes or fees such as airport charges, and exchange rates. The organiser must explain the rise and show the calculation on a durable medium, such as an email. That notice must reach you at least 20 days before departure. After that point, no surcharge can be added.
If a rise exceeds 8% of the price, you can accept it or cancel without paying a fee. The same choice applies when the organiser needs to make a significant change to the main features of the trip. Examples include a different resort area or a lower grade of hotel. The organiser must tell you without delay and give you a reasonable deadline to decide. It may also offer a substitute package.
If you cancel and decline any substitute, every payment must be refunded within 14 days. Minor changes are a separate matter. An organiser can make insignificant changes only when the contract allows it, and must tell you clearly on a durable medium.
What cancellation terms should you look for?
You can cancel a package at any time before departure, but the organiser can charge a reasonable, standardised fee. Good booking conditions set that fee out as a sliding scale by days before departure. Look for where the charge steps up, because the steepest increases often sit close to the balance due date.
Also note how much the deposit is and whether it is refundable. Our own figures and scale are in our booking conditions. Read any company’s terms before you pay, not after.
Travel insurance is what covers cancellation for personal reasons such as illness. Government advice is to buy it as soon as you book, so the cover is in place if something happens before you travel. A GHIC or EHIC is no substitute. It does not pay for private medical treatment, repatriation to the UK or mountain rescue.
Tailor-made or off-the-shelf package?
A tailor-made trip lets you choose the flight times, room and pace, while a set package fixes them in return for a simpler quote. The checklist applies equally to both. For cost and flexibility trade-offs, compare tailor-made vs package holidays.
