Why book with Planet, can't I just do it myself?
We are sometimes asked ‘why book with a Tour Operator, isn't it cheaper just to book direct with the airline, hotel, sports centre etc.. ?' A holiday booked with Planet Travel is either cheaper (sometimes substantially), or around the same price as a member of the public can find by sourcing the individual elements and booking them separately. Tour operators have special 'trade' prices on hotels, flights and other services, allowing us to make a profit margin but still remain very competitive.
However, in our opinion, the most important role of a good travel company is to ensure you get the right holiday for your budget, total financial security, and 24/7 service should you need it. We do not try to offer the cheapest holidays, but the 'best value' quality holidays. We have been to all the resorts we offer and thoroughly check the hotels and sports centres to ensure we can recommend the very best, and most suitable options to our clients. We are very passionate about the sports we offer, and understand how important the right location and conditions are for each individual's specific needs.
If you feel for any reason that you are not getting the very best value just talk with one of our experienced travel professionals and we can check to ensure the best price. Very often a price difference comes down to a higher level of service that we have included, or a difference in terms of dates, duration or room category. It's always best to check.
Planet is a fully bonded travel company with
ATOL and the
Travel Trust Association. That means a holiday booked with us is fully protected against any failures in service such as an airline cancelling or hotel overbooking.
Planet Travel focus on offering the highest levels of service, expert impartial advice and quality holidays; a combination that we hope you will agree, offers exceptional value for money.
Daniel
What can I book with Planet ?
Planet Travel is a tour operator which means we are a fully licensed travel company offering holidays inclusive of flights, transfers, accommodation, sports instruction/rental and tours. We do not sell flights only as our trade airfares are designed to be sold as part of a holiday but we can sell accommodation or sports services only if you wish. However, it is always best to try and book your flights and accommodation together with us so that the whole holiday is protected with our travel agency bonding.
Matt
Can I learn to Ski on holiday?
Absolutely! For some general information take a look at our Learn to Ski page. You can Learn to Ski in many of our ski destinations. However some are more suitable than others so give us a call to talk over some options.
Daniel
Can I check my ski gear through to my Swiss resort
If you are flying to Switzerland, we can arrange the Fly Rail Baggage service. You check your luggage at your departure airport and it will be sent, via Zurich or Geneva Airports, to the railway station at your Swiss ski resort. For your return flight, luggage for many international airlines can be checked in at the Swiss railways stations. We will send you detailed instructions on how to use the ‘Fly rail luggage labels’ with your holiday documentation.
Matt
Are ski helmets included with pre-booked ski hire?
For adults helmets can be pre-booked but are not generally included as standard. In most ski resorts we include helmets for children free of charge when pre-booking equipment hire.
Daniel
Do I need Travel Insurance?
It is not compulsory but STRONGLY recommended. It is essential that you have valid insurance to cover cancellation prior to departure (including a positive covid test) and good medical cover during your holiday. In addition, you will need to ensure it provides adequate cover for the sport you will be doing. Kitesurfing and scuba diving below 30m normally entail a policy uplift. Please check the 'small print' or ask your insurance company,
Planet Travel is not an authorised insurance broker so we do not provide our own insurance for you.
Marcus
Can i Just call for advice, I don't want to book.
There is a huge amount of information on our website which is free to use. We really do try to do our best to help our clients, and put a huge amount of time and effort into every enquiry we get. If we are not able to find the correct holiday we are very happy to give you advice on where and how you may be able to find what you are looking for. However, we often spend a lot of time advising clients, following up with detailed holiday itineraries, with no feedback or response at all. For us, this is very demoralising and often frustrating. We simply ask that if you do use our service, we are kept informed about your holiday plans. As a small tour operator, most of our holidays are bespoke tailor-made, which involves a lot of time and effort for every enquiry.
Thank you!
Marcus
Why can't I search & book a holiday on-line?
Planet Travel is a specialist niche tour operator. Our main objective is to be able to use our huge amount of expert knowledge and experience to provide you with the correct holiday. With this in mind, it is important that we speak our to clients directly, which is why we do not provide online booking.
On each of the hotel pages, we offer a price guide based on a one-week flight-inclusive holiday. Please note prices will vary a lot over peak holiday periods.
We are very good at giving fast quotes over the phone and can then follow up with detailed holiday itineraries on the trips that fit you best.
So please just call us in the first instance for an immediate best price availability check.
Paul
How to I book a holiday with Planet
Once we have discussed your requirement and agreed upon the correct holiday we will email you a full holiday itinerary for your approval. You will then need to call or email us with passenger names (as per passport) and address. Initial deposit payment must to take by phone unless we agree otherwise. We will then book all requested services and email you with a final holiday confirmation. At this stage you will be given access to our post booking client area where you can check all of your details, amend your contact information, add API (additional passenger information such as passport numbers) and pay any balance as it becomes due.
All money received by us goes directly to a Travel Trust account that is over seen by the Travel trust Association for your complete financial protection.
Travel documents are emailed around 2-3 week prior to departure or immediately if within this time.
Matt
Is my holiday protected with Planet Travel
Holiday financial and ATOL protection
All our holidays with flights are covered by ATOL and TTA (Travel Trust Association) , and our holidays that do not include flights are still covered by our TTA protection, which means that you are 100% financially protected when you book your holiday with us. So what does that mean exactly for your holiday financial protection?
Planet Travel has ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s License) bonding, ATOL number T7314. By law, every UK travel company which sells flight-inclusive holidays and flights is required to hold an ATOL. If for any reason a travel company with an ATOL ceases trading, the ATOL scheme protects customers who had booked holidays with that firm. The scheme is designed to reassure consumers that their money is safe, and will provide assistance in the event of a travel company failure.
ATOL protection does not apply to holidays and travel services which exclude flights, for which protection is afforded by our membership of the Travel Trust Association. Planet has been a TTA member since 2001 ensuring that our customers get the best financial protection whatever holiday is booked with us.
When you pay any money to us your funds go directly to a special TTA Trust Account. This Trust Account is a bank account designated to hold customers’ money securely. These funds can only be used to pay for TTA-authorised suppliers, or under strictly insured and vetted third parties, appointed to provide your holiday services (such as hotels and flights). Any remaining funds may not be accessed until you have completed your holiday. Every holiday also comes with additional financial protection insurance, as well as being guaranteed by the Travel Trust Association.
Marcus