You've spent the evening looking at holidays online. You've found a lovely hotel, decided the swimming pool looks considerably more appealing than the weather outside, and started imagining yourself sitting beside it with something cold to drink.
Then someone suggests booking through a travel agent.
And immediately, there's a perfectly reasonable question.
"Won't that cost me more?"
The short answer is: not necessarily.
Sometimes a travel agent's quote will be cheaper, sometimes it'll be more expensive, and sometimes it'll be exactly the same as booking directly.
But there's something else I think you should know before we go any further.
I don't charge you a planning or booking fee
That's right. You don't pay me an additional fee for researching holidays, discussing your options or helping arrange your booking.
I work as a travel consultant through New Travel Holidays, and when you book through me, I receive commission from the holiday supplier.
That's how I earn money from the service I provide.
There isn't an extra Planned by Jay planning fee appearing on your holiday quote.
Of course, this doesn't mean I can guarantee I'll beat every price you find online. Holiday prices change, suppliers run different promotions and occasionally you'll find an offer that's only available through a particular booking channel.
If you've spotted a great deal yourself, I'm certainly not going to pretend it doesn't exist.
My job is to help you find the right holiday, not talk you into paying more for the wrong one.
Why do holiday prices sometimes look different?
Here's something that catches people out surprisingly often.
You find two holidays at the same hotel, for what appears to be the same week, but one is £200 cheaper.
Naturally, the cheaper one catches your eye.
But then you discover that one includes a different room, one has breakfast included, or the flights depart at rather different times.
Perhaps one includes checked baggage and airport transfers while the other doesn't.
Suddenly, you're not comparing quite the same holiday.
That doesn't mean the cheaper option is bad. It might be absolutely perfect for you.
It just means we need to understand what you're actually getting for your money.
When I'm comparing holidays, I look at the complete arrangements: the people travelling, flights, accommodation, board basis, baggage, transfers and any important booking conditions.
Because saving £100 isn't quite as exciting if you end up spending it getting from the airport to the hotel.
What do you actually get by booking through me?
This is the part I think matters most.
There are some excellent travel websites out there. You can search thousands of holidays, compare hotels, read reviews and book something in a matter of minutes.
But having thousands of options isn't always helpful when you're trying to decide which one is right.
You might know you want a family holiday somewhere warm, with a good pool, restaurants nearby and a reasonable journey from the airport.
That sounds straightforward enough.
Until you discover that one hotel is up a steep hill, another has a brilliant children's pool but no suitable family rooms, and the third looks lovely but sits right beside the busiest nightlife strip in the resort.
All three might have excellent photographs and glowing descriptions.
They just aren't necessarily right for your holiday.
That's where I can help.
I'd rather start by understanding who you're travelling with, what you enjoy, your budget and anything you'd particularly like to avoid.
Then we can narrow things down to holidays that genuinely deserve a place on your shortlist.
It might be a family resort, a cruise, a city break or somewhere you hadn't even thought of visiting.
And if there's something important about the accommodation or arrangements, I'd much rather investigate it before you book than leave you to discover it when you arrive.
You still make the decisions
I think this is worth making clear.
Using a travel consultant doesn't mean handing over control of your holiday.
If you love researching destinations yourself, brilliant. If you've already found a particular hotel, tell me about it.
We can start with your ideas.
Equally, if you've got no idea where you'd like to go and just know you desperately need a week away, that's fine too.
You don't need to arrive with every detail worked out.
I'll research suitable options, explain what I've found and help you understand the differences.
Then you decide what feels right for you.
And if the best holiday for your needs turns out to be different from the one we originally imagined, that's part of the value of doing the research properly.
What happens after you've booked?
Your holiday doesn't suddenly become a different product because you've booked it through me.
The travel supplier's terms and conditions still apply, including payment deadlines and any charges for changing or cancelling arrangements.
If you need to amend a booking, I'll help you understand the available options and how to progress your request through the appropriate booking channels.
But I can't promise that every change will be possible or free, and I wouldn't want to suggest otherwise.
Likewise, if you're travelling on a package holiday provided by a tour operator, that operator remains responsible for the services and obligations attached to its package.
My role is to help you research, choose and arrange the booking through New Travel, with the relevant supplier and booking details made clear.
And before you travel, it's important you know who to contact if something goes wrong, including which supplier assistance arrangements apply while you're away.
What about ATOL protection?
You've probably seen the ATOL logo when looking at holidays.
ATOL is a UK financial protection scheme for eligible flight-inclusive travel arrangements. It is designed to protect customers in specified circumstances if an ATOL holder fails.
But it's important to know that booking through a travel agent doesn't automatically make every holiday ATOL protected.
The protection depends on the holiday and how it's arranged.
Where an ATOL-protected booking applies, you should receive an ATOL Certificate when you first pay, including when paying a deposit. That certificate explains the protected arrangements and identifies the relevant ATOL holder.
It's also worth remembering that ATOL isn't a substitute for travel insurance.
I'll make sure the relevant supplier and booking arrangements are explained rather than leaving you to guess who you're actually booking with.
For more information, you can visit the UK Civil Aviation Authority's ATOL website.
So, is using a travel agent worth it?
I think it depends on what you're looking for.
If you know exactly where you want to go, have found a holiday you're happy with and enjoy arranging everything yourself, booking directly might suit you perfectly well.
But if you're comparing several destinations, juggling family requirements, considering your first cruise or simply don't fancy spending endless evenings searching hotel websites, having someone do that research with you can make a real difference.
And because I don't charge a separate planning or booking fee, you can ask me to investigate suitable holidays without paying an additional fee for my time.
I won't promise that every holiday I find will be the cheapest on the internet.
What I will aim to do is help you understand your options, ask the questions that matter and find a holiday that suits the people actually going on it.
Because the cheapest holiday isn't necessarily the best value.
And an expensive holiday isn't automatically a better one either.
The right holiday is the one you can look forward to, knowing you've made a properly informed choice.
Shall we find you somewhere lovely?
Whether you've already got a hotel in mind or you're starting with nothing more specific than "somewhere warm, please", I'd be happy to help.
Tell me who's travelling, when you'd like to go, your approximate budget and what matters most to you.
I'll take it from there, research some suitable possibilities and help you work out what makes sense.
No separate planning fee. No obligation to book something that doesn't feel right.
Just a real person helping you plan a holiday.
And hopefully, considerably less time spent opening another fifteen hotel tabs.