DIY holidays are ‘a false economy’

Holidaymakers wishing to save money by purchasing their flights, accommodation and car hire themselves may find that they are not covered by travel insurance, the Association of Independent Tour Operators (Aito) has said.

Booking the different parts of a trip separately could be “a false economy”, since people may be putting themselves at financial risk in the event of something going wrong, according to the organisation.

As many as 20 million consumers on ‘do-it-yourself’ holidays could be risking their money this summer and could even be stranded abroad if a company goes out of business, the Civil Aviation Authority reported.

Consumers are advised to book with one operator because if something goes wrong, such as a plane being cancelled, this could also affect car hire and accommodation arrangements.

A spokesperson for the Aito commented: “Always book with a tour operator because you’re spending quite a considerable amount of money and rather than saving one or two hundred pounds, why risk it if something goes wrong.”

Tags: car hire, accommodation arrangements, Human behavior, operator, Civil Aviation Authority