Booking an individual or package vacation - which is cheaper?

In 2017, package holidays will once again cost less than an individually arranged trip. So if you want to book a cheap vacation, you should book early. The reason: large tour operators receive special discounts for their packages, which they pass on to their customers. However, as families with children are dependent on the vacation season, during which a particularly large number of Germans travel, they often have to dig deeper into their pockets. It is therefore particularly important to decide on the destination and time of travel early on and to look for suitable offers.

Is it cheaper to book a vacation at a travel agency or online?

There are a whole range of price comparison websites on the Internet. They earn their money by finding the cheapest offer. However, according to a test conducted by Stiftung Warentest, the prices determined by online searches and travel agencies do not differ at all. And at least for holidaymakers who don't yet know what, when and where they want to go, a qualified opinion from a travel expert can prove useful. If you want to be on the safe side, compare the offers from the travel agency at home with those online once again. As far as flights are concerned, the prices from comparison providers are often more expensive than on the airlines' websites directly. This is because they often have special rates for their customers. Tip: You should never book flights via your cell phone. Tests have shown that these offers are often more expensive than those clicked on from your PC.

Are there special deadlines by when I should book my vacation?

In the travel industry, January 31 is often regarded as the magic deadline. Discounts of 30, 40 or even 50 percent are possible with some travel providers up to this date. At TUI, for example, the offers are staggered: 30 until 31.1, 25 until 28.2 and a further 10% discount until the end of April. At Thomas Cook, "superplus early bookers" can still get a 40% discount until the end of February. At tour operator FTI, discounts of up to 50% are available until the end of January and up to 45% until 31 March. So, get on vacation, get set and go!