Lania and Graham

We asked members about their experiences with travel packages. Many spent more on their holidays than they initially expected.

  • When Lania Jones (pictured, with husband Graham) booked for a 10-day July holiday in Samoa, the cheap room she'd seen advertised was no longer available: "It was booked up. So we had to go up a grade - which increased the price by around $200 per person".

  • Jenni Davies booked a cheap package to Vanuatu with a friend. She wanted to stay longer than the number of nights advertised, but found the extra cost was more than expected: "When I queried this I was told that the cheap seats on the later flights had all gone".

  • Shawn Curtayne bypasses travel agents, saving money by booking direct. "Why book through a travel agent when you can do it yourself and save money? Use websites such as Expedia.co.nz, Expedia.com, Wotif.com, or Octopustravel.com. Or email the hotel yourself".


Join Consumer now and make your decisions easy on a huge range of products and services

  • Over 500 reports, plus interactive tools and calculators
  • Independent advice from NZ's trusted source of information
  • Join over 65,000 members who help us get all NZers a fairer deal

from just $28

Join now
Read what our members say