Booking a holiday

Holidays can be expensive, so it’s always a good idea to shop around to get the best deal. Always try to book through a travel operator that can offer you protection and make sure to get travel insurance that covers you if things do go wrong.

Choosing a travel operator

There are lots of travel operators online and on the high street, meaning you can get a great deal but it can also be overwhelming to choose one.

Speak to your travel agent or tour operator about the protection they have if something happens. You should ask if:

they have an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL)
they are a member of an approved body such as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)
they have a suitable insurance policy
they have a protection scheme or trust fund for any payments you make ahead of travelling

Make sure to ask if the protections they have in place cover the travel arrangements you are making. If they don’t, the company may be able to offer suitable insurance to cover you.

Your rights if an airline or travel company goes bust

Booking tips

Here are some tips for booking your holiday. You should:

shop around to get the best deal
use a reputable travel company – this can be on the high street or online
get your travel insurance sorted at the same time – make sure it gives you the cover you need
pay your deposit with a credit card

Paying your deposit or your whole holiday with a credit card can give you extra protection. This is especially handy if you’re not protected by an ATOL, as you may be able to claim back from your credit card company. However, be aware, you may be charged a fee for using a credit card.

If you book a package or flight plus holiday you should get an ATOL certificate. This certificate will tell you what cover you have. Make sure to read it carefully and bring it with you on holiday.

Information for consumers – ATOL website

Holiday and flight scams

Be careful of unsolicited emails, phone calls or adverts online offering you cheap flights and holidays. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Find out more about scams.

Package holidays and linked travel arrangements

Find out what to do if there are issues with a package holiday or with travel services bought from different traders in separate contracts but which are linked.

Protections

When buying a flight inclusive package holiday, your money must be protected under the ATOL scheme. When you book your holiday the agent or operator must give you an ATOL certificate confirming this.

Insurance

You should always get travel insurance no matter how you book but if you’re booking independently check if your insurance policy covers airline failure or gives you extra holiday protection.

Most insurance policies won’t include a Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) as standard but you may be able to:

buy SAFI as an add-on
buy separate holiday protection insurance

If your insurance policy includes a SAFI, always check the airline you’re using is covered. Adding extra protection will increase the cost of your policy so you may want to consider the following before you buy:

what you paid for the trip
how confident you feel about the airline
how cheaply or easily you could get home another way

Make sure to read the booking tips above if you’re booking independently.

Sample complaint letters for goods and services

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?

report a problem

leave feedback

ask a question

Report a problem

Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

A link, button or video is not working

There is a spelling mistake

Information is missing, outdated or wrong

I can't find what I'm looking for

Another issue

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

Tell us more about the problem you're having with the nidirect website.

Enter your feedback

What is your question about?

Choose a topic for your question:

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit. Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme, email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about 60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly. We don't have access to information about you.

Extra comments (optional)

Translation help

Select a language