Humphrey Appleby Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 In that respect many speedway fans are no different to people booking all-inclusive holidays in other aspects of life. Not sure why all the traditional travel agents are going the way of the Dodo then. My actual point though, was not that people don't want to book all-inclusive holidays, but the method by which they do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted January 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Not sure why all the traditional travel agents are going the way of the Dodo then. My actual point though, was not that people don't want to book all-inclusive holidays, but the method by which they do it. I have used Travelplus and would use them again a little on the expensive side but they take care of things like tickets transfers etc. Have travelled all over the world and have used travel agents the internet and independent agents each have their own customers, must be a good few years since i have been in a high street travel agents though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiegal Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Not sure why all the traditional travel agents are going the way of the Dodo then. My actual point though, was not that people don't want to book all-inclusive holidays, but the method by which they do it. I am not a Travel agent..but your frequently expressed opinions are wide of the mark. In fact statistics from the past 18 months show an increasing move back to the (licensed Travel agents)...This has nothing to do with using the net, but more of people being caught out by on-line operators who are not licensed, and run from outside of the Uk, often with clients losing vast sums of money and not getting what they paid for. We have 2 cases now pending in the courts against individuals running unlicensed Tours...it is a criminal offence to do this and believe me those who run UK licensing do not take kindly to such cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) I am not a Travel agent..but your frequently expressed opinions are wide of the mark. In fact statistics from the past 18 months show an increasing move back to the (licensed Travel agents)... I wasn't talking about whether people were using licensed or unlicensed travel agents (or tour operators), but the method of booking. However, I suspect any trend back towards using high street travel agents/tour operators is because most of the really bad ones have gone and the others are working harder for the business. With respect to the scare stories about unlicensed travel agents and/or those run outside of the UK, it's reasonably easy to check their credentials and if you pay by credit card then that provides protection anyway, plus wise people have insurance too. In 20 years of being a very frequent traveller, I've been affected once when an airline went bust, but I also saved a fortune over the years by being able to shop around on the Internet. Travel agencies were and quite possibly remain one of the biggest rackets going - mostly incredibly lazy and colluding with favoured operators which customers usually didn't realise until the advent of the Internet. And unless you're prepared to do hundreds of thousands of pounds of business with them, they make very little effort to do anything more than you can do yourself and often for a higher price. Airlines and hotels selling direct is one of the best things that ever happened to the industry. Yes, I'd agree there's still some place for tour operators because they can still leverage bulk deals and put together competitive packages. I'm not totally adverse to using them in some circumstances, but if I can't book it on the Internet then it doesn't get my business and I suspect that's the case for the majority these days. Edited January 20, 2016 by Humphrey Appleby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 BUT there is a world of difference in booking air travel or even hotels than a fully fledged tour with all that entails which is where Travel Plus appeal to so many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 BUT there is a world of difference in booking air travel or even hotels than a fully fledged tour with all that entails which is where Travel Plus appeal to so many. I don't think so, but each to their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semion Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 I have used Travelplus and would use them again a little on the expensive side Well someone has to pay for all that advertising in Speedway Star. Must be like a nice late Christmas Pressie for Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 I have used Travelplus and would use them again a little on the expensive side but they take care of things like tickets transfers etc. Have travelled all over the world and have used travel agents the internet and independent agents each have their own customers, must be a good few years since i have been in a high street travel agents though! Similar to me I have used Travel Plus in the past but now do my own travel plans. Feel sorry for the single travellers on their tours , £50 per night single supplement is absolutely scandalous,the Warsaw weekend would cost me £639 . You can get a single room, 4 star hotel in Warsaw for that weekend for £60 a night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcatdiary Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 Interesting to read see of the issues regarding late arrival because a few years a lot of mine used to come Friday, Saturday and very occasionally Monday and after speaking to my local postman it was clear it wasn't his fault or the stars. The postman told me some magazines are held over by the local distribution areas and after a firm email to the local SO manager it funnily enough doesn't happen anymore except for the odd bank holiday. I think the star is a quality read and like others I especially enjoy the special articles and track reviews over the winter, the new super 7 being a good example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldBulldog Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 Some things could do with improving. Page after page of fawning over the GPs: who is that interested? National League tucked away at the back as an afterthought. It's a fully-fledged league now, Phil! Only a postage stamp-sized section for MDL/NDL affairs. This deserves very much more. Totally ignoring the Amateur speedway scene, although Richard Hollingsworth sends a report every month. There is Lydd, Iwade, Dragons and STR as well. Well I for one, (and I know some others are the same) religously buy it for the reports and reviews of the GPs. I dont usually buy it on non GP weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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