Get the holiday you pay for and avoid the tears

In the wake of the Thomas Cook collapse, I have been inundated with people calling me frantically now trying to secure a suitable alternative holiday to replace the one they have had cancelled.

I am truly sympathetic with all the losses these people have incurred.What has surprised me is the number of people who have genuinely now believed that with TC’s collapse, other operators will be taking a sympathetic stance and offer whatever holidays they still have left at reduced prices.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Holiday costs have, and will continue, to show a steep rise. This is only natural.

Thomas Cook’s demise was certainly a mixture of many factors but one at least was that, in travel, you often get what you pay for and if it’s too cheap then it often ends in tears. Operators have to sell their holidays at prices that are commercially sensible and if they do, then it is a win win situation for all.Most holidaymakers will get reimbursed if they had the correct protection in place, but it’s a rather messy business and could always have been avoided.

Thomas Cook had tell-tale signs of problems going back many years. What they did, they did well for many many years but then the way holidays were getting booked showed that TC’s business model was in need of change. They tried but too little too late as they were already issues, now very well publicised in the press.Build your relationship with a brilliant cruise agent and trust in them.

I hope my many clients were not affected by the Thomas Cook collapse. I doubt they were.

As always, I am happy to share my knowledge with those booking their cruises with me.