Free spirit or meticulous planner? Meet three holiday personality types – and read their top tips
Or perhaps you're more the flexible type, who likes to plan a few things in advance, but leaves space for spontaneous fun? Or maybe you're the one who breathes a sigh of relief as your super organised friend hands out colour-coded itineraries at the airport?
We gathered together some of the holiday heroes that bring getaways to life to find out how they do it – and to discover some of the clever ways Barclays can help your holiday go even further, whichever group you belong to.
'I create a visual itinerary for every trip,' says Sian Downes, 36
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Over the years, I've organised girls' trips, multigenerational family holidays and surprise getaways. As the founder of an events company, I'm a natural organiser. I enjoy finding bargains, and I don't mind taking on the planning. In fact, I love it.
I wasn't always like this, but after a few holidays where nothing was planned and we had a terrible time, I realised it's better to know exactly what you'll be doing in advance. There's nothing worse than traipsing around looking for a restaurant when you're hungry, and when you're busy with work and family, you want to maximise your holiday time. Being organised is the best way to do that.
My holiday organisation can get a bit extreme, but it's always worth it – I love looking things up on maps and working out the most affordable way to get around. I generally pay for as much as possible in advance, from accommodation to drinks packages, and put everything on my Barclaycard Rewards card* so I can take advantage of rewards such as cashback, then ask people to pay me back.
I'll also draw up an illustrated itinerary, so everyone can see our plans at a glance. The first time I presented my husband with one, he didn't know what to make of it. He'd never seen a holiday itinerary before, but I think it makes a trip special, and it's a great souvenir, too. I certainly won't be hanging up my chief holiday officer mantle any time soon!
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'I use word of mouth to guide our getaways,' says Jessica Shaw, 49
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When I was growing up, my mum liked to choose a country, book a place to stay, then see where it would take us. We once went on a package holiday to Egypt, but she still chose to take public transport to the pyramids!
That approach has definitely rubbed off on me. When I go on holiday, I like to let things unfold naturally – I don't pre-book excursions or restaurants. Luckily, my partner is incredibly laid-back, and all the friends I've travelled with have the same spontaneous outlook. Perhaps that's because my travel style reflects my approach to life in general – my creative training business is all about embracing the power of play, and that naturally seeps into other areas of my life.
It's certainly led to some memorable moments. During a recent holiday to Greece, we were asked if we wanted to join a snorkelling trip. If we'd had plans, we would have had to say no – but instead, we had the most incredible day swimming in clear blue waters.
The secret to keeping holidays adventurous is to be prepared for any eventuality. I have annual multi-trip insurance, and make sure I take enough money to cover any emergencies. You should also be ready to chat to locals and fellow travellers and ask for their recommendations. I've discovered some beautiful places that way, from hidden waterfalls to beaches surrounded by snow-capped mountains. When you exchange stories of your adventures, you never know what you might discover.
'I take a 50-50 approach to holiday planning,' says Furrah Syed, 57
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I love travelling – with my friends, my husband, or alone – but as time is limited during each trip, I want the best of both worlds, planning some things but also embracing unexpected adventures. I'll do my research beforehand, and will book tickets in advance if an attraction is very popular. I learned that the hard way, after a visit to Rome – as an artist and educator with a focus on colour, I was desperate to see the Sistine Chapel, but it was impossible as I hadn't booked.
One of the things I always book is a walking tour. Getting a local's perspective uncovers places you won't find online. It also helps you to spot the restaurants filled with locals, which is always a good sign. Another tip is to travel by road wherever possible, as it takes you through so many different landscapes and allows you to see people's day-to-day lives. You don't get that on a plane.
When I'm budgeting for my holiday, I always keep some money aside for spontaneous adventures – the last thing I want is to come home regretting not being able to do something unexpected. I'd say my approach overall is 50% planned and 50% go-with-the-flow, and that works really well for me.
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Rights of Reply When presented with figures that showed that most agents ended up making a loss, an InteleTravel UK spokesman said: 'We believe this information originates from PlanNet Marketing where this information is in the public domain, so we suggest redirecting your questions directly to PlanNet. 'PlanNet handles the recruitment for InteleTravel, so to join InteleTravel, you go through PlanNet. 'InteleTravel isn't going to comment on the commissions earned by agents. 'InteleTravel is a host travel agency and should you wish to talk to us about selling travel through our travel advisors, we would be happy to showcase some of our successful agents to you.' When asked for average earning figures for their agents, however, they refused to comment further. We contacted PlanNet but received no response. Agents for Vicky Pattison, Jess Wright and Tanya Bardsley declined to comment. 'There is no way you could do that while being a mum or around another job. 'If you break even with the financial investment and don't lose money, you'll still end up spending a lot of hours either in the meetings, doing training or trying to organise bookings. 'For most people, it's not sustainable, and then you feel like a failure. 'Especially with the messages telling you to 'get out of your own head' and 'change your story'. It's done specifically to make it feel like you're the problem. 'People are scared to leave because they don't want to come across as failures or they are embarrassed to admit they were sucked in.' And it's not just would-be travel agents who have found themselves out of pocket. Holiday hell 19 19 Marisa Noyce, from Hampshire, alleges a dream holiday for her recent 40th birthday turned into a nightmare after she booked through an InteleTravel agent. 'My hairdresser told me about this lady who gets good deals on holidays, so I got in contact and she said she could get me the same deal I'd found online for almost £700 less,' she says. 'I felt confident because she lived near me and I trusted my hairdresser, who'd booked through her before. 'But something was off from the beginning. The confirmation PDF was something the agent had made herself and we had no official documentation. 'My husband and I were both chasing the agent for our travel details for weeks, but she kept fobbing us off. 'Eventually, a few days before, I was starting to panic so I rang the hotel in Morocco and my worst fear was confirmed - there was no record of our booking.' Further digging revealed the agent had not booked the flights for Marisa and her family either. False promises 19 19 19 'We repeatedly chased her for answers and our money back and at the very last minute she got back to me, claiming it was an admin error. 'At this point, the hotel we planned was sold out but she said she could get into an even nicer place in Greece for the same price. 'She seemed very genuine, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.' 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More claims 19 19 Back in the UK, she relayed her experience on Facebook and warned other locals not to hand over money to the agent. She was contacted by people who claimed to have had similar experiences, with one family having their Christmas trip to Lapland cancelled. 'I now warn people about booking with these agents. I'm sure most are not dishonest, but I feel more confident booking with an established agency,' says Marisa. 'This agent wasn't even privy to great deals. Our hotel in Greece was actually just booked through 'You are just literally handing over your hard-earned cash to a complete stranger for a deal you can get online for yourself. Why risk it?' As for Gemma, who left InteleTravel at the beginning of the year, she is still getting approached every day by agents hoping to re-recruit her. 'It's always by other women. They reply to your Instagram stories about something else, befriend you and then cleverly lure you in with their messaging, which they appear to be trained for, because everyone says the same. It's shady,' she says. 'The lady who recruited me was very persistent. She messaged me for months before eventually giving up. 'I just wanted to sell travel, not a promise of making all this money to my friends and followers on social media. 'And, of course, I never did make anything close to that.' 19 19
