You love to travel and you’re always looking for the best holiday deals on the Internet? I got you covered! But if you have ever wondered what’s behind the scenes of Holidayguru, check out my FAQs. Here’s the place to find answers to the most frequently asked questions about my blog.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions on Holidayguru
I hope my FAQ helps to answers the most frequently asked questions. However, if you still have any questions, feel free to send me an email to contact@holidayguru.ie I’ll try my best to get back to you as soon as possible and add the answer to your question here in my FAQs. :)
FAQ – General
- What is Holidayguru and how does it work? | Who is Holidayguru? How did it start? | Is Holidayguru a travel agent? Do you work as a travel agent?
- How do you find the deals? | Where is Holidayguru based? Does Holidayguru operate in other foreign markets too? | Is Holidayguru for free?
- Is Holidayguru ATOL protected?
FAQ – Deals
- How can I book a deal? | Can I change the dates or party size of the deals? Can I get the same deal departing from my favourite airport?
- Why do I sometimes see a different price, when I click on the link of a deal?
- A provider displays double the price you have promoted – why? | When is the best time to book a holiday?
- Can Holidayguru inform me directly when a deal about a certain destination comes up? Do you have a brochure?
- Why is there a difference in costs at different times of the year? | Can you find me a holiday?
FAQ – Booking
- Do I book with Holidayguru? | How can I change my booking? | I have lost my booking details, can you send me a new email?
- Do I have to book immediately? | Can I pay a deposit?
FAQ – Technical Questions
- Can I change the country in the Holidayguru App? | Why am I not able to see the Irish version of your Facebook page anymore? |
- Is it possible to sort the deals departing by airport or dates?
FAQ – General
What is Holidayguru and how does it work?
Holidayguru is a live travel deal blog, sharing every day the best holiday deals on the Internet. No matter if you’re looking for an all-inclusive holiday, a city break or simply a relaxing spa break – there’s everything for everyone. If you didn’t find the right deal on my homepage, check out my categories. There you will find travel offers within the categories Holidays, Hotels, Top Destinations and Flights.
If you have spotted a deal that you like just follow the links within the post or click the Deal Button to open the website of the provider who is offering the respective deal. If you’re looking for a specific deal you can fill out my Deal Finder Form and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Please just note that I get loads of requests every day and it takes time to get back to everyone as I’m browsing the Internet to find you the cheapest holidays. I really try to answer as quick as possible, but please understand that sometimes it happens that it takes more time, especially after weekends.
Who is Holidayguru? How did it start?
Holidayguru is a small team of dedicated travel bloggers who love to find you the best holidays deals. Holidayguru.ie started in February 2014 and we owe our origins to the success of the German blog Urlaubsguru.de, launched in summer 2012. Urlaubsguru and Holidayguru are blogs that belong to the company UNIQ GmbH, based in Holzwickede (Germany) opposite Dortmund Airport. We are currently operating in 10 countries in total.
Is Holidayguru a travel agency? Do you work as a travel agent?
Holidayguru is a live travel blog and we’re neither a travel agency nor travel agents. We do NOT offer or provide any of the deals that we present. We simply show you the cheapest way to find a holiday and where you find them. The deals published on our website are not provided directly by us, but by external travel agencies and providers. Deals must be booked on their websites using the screenshots provided as a guide.
How do you find the deals?
We’re browsing through the internet every day to find the best holidays deals on the Internet by hand. Our experience helps us to find these deals and we only recommend deals that we would book ourselves. There have always been great and cheap travel deals on the Internet, but only a few take the effort to share these deals. That’s why I’m here! I search for vouchers, last minute deals or so called error fares, which save you a lot of money.
An error fare is exactly that – a mistake with the pricing. When setting the price of a flight, for instance, a mistake can be made. Take this for example – a travel agency has flights from Dublin to New York. This flight normally costs €440 per person. When the price was entered there may have been a technical problem – the price is missing a zero. Suddenly the flights cost only €44: a crazy price that’s hard to believe!
But especially if you’re flexible with your dates it is very easy to find cheap and cheerful holiday deals.
Where is Holidayguru based? Does Holidayguru operate in other foreign markets too?
Holidayguru is based in Germany, Holzwickede opposite Dortmund Airport. We’re also operating in Germany (Urlaubsguru.de), the UK (MyHolidayguru.co.uk), Austria (Urlaubsguru.at), Switzerland (Holidayguru.ch), Spain (Holidayguru.es), France (Holidayguru.fr), Netherlands (Holidayguru.es), Brazil (Holidayguru.com.br) and Denmark (Holidayguru.dk).
Is Holidayguru for free?
Holidayguru is for free and all our services such as presenting the deals we find, our newsletter, our app and replying to requests are for free and will always be for free!
Is Holidayguru ATOL protected?
Holidayguru is a live travel blog and therefore neither a tour operator nor a travel agency. You do not book any deals through Holidayguru but with the provider who is offering the deal. That’s why Holidayguru is not ATOL protected. Think of me more as a consumer providing a guideline. :)
All deals that I post forward you directly to the original providers where you will be completing the booking. I make sure that the deals are bonded with ABTA and/or IATA and all packages are ATOL Protected. Please just note that so called “Do-it-yourself packages” are excluded, as you would need to book the hotel and flights separately. But each provider is trustworthy. Holidayguru only recommends deals that we would book ourselves, so we really take care that the tour operators are trustworthy.
FAQ – Deals
How can I book a deal?
It is very easy to book the deals you find on Holidayguru: You simply follow the links or blue buttons within the deal description, which normally say “Book the hotel here”, “Book the package here”, or “Click here to book”. Then you get forwarded to the respective provider like Falcon, Expedia, Trivago, Click&Go or Groupon and Livingsocial and that is where you can pursue with your booking.
Can I change the dates or party size of the deals? Can I get the same deal departing from my favourite airport?
Yes, you can change the dates when you follow the link to the deal, however, then it can be that the price changes. So it is up to you and how flexible you are when it comes to the price. I give you the date with the cheapest option.
Regarding the party size: I only make suggestions for party sizes and you’re free to change the settings on the provider’s page yourself. If one of the deals that I have found takes your fancy, but the party size is too small or too big, just follow the link to the provider’s page and amend the search.
Most of the deals that you will find on Holidayguru can be changed yourself. You just need to follow the links to the provider’s page and there, amend the search to suit up your needs. Any details like party size, duration, dates and airports can be changed and are not set into stone :)
Please note that you probably won’t get the same price if you change any details on the provider’s page. The prices depend on various factors and changing them may increase the price or even decrease, if you travel with more people for example.
Here’s a Guru-Tip: most holidays depart from the biggest airports as the prices are usually lower from the most popular airports. Sometimes it’s worth checking to travel from a different airport than the one that you prefer. Some providers charge incredibly high supplement, just because you want to fly from a certain airport
Why are some of the deals not bookable or showing dates in the past?
Please understand that we can’t keep updating all details of every deal that we post. Some deals are still available after months and some deals are booked up very quickly and gone within a few minutes. That’s why you may find deals that are not bookable anymore or showing dates in the past.
Why do I sometimes see a different price when I click on the link of a deal?
Unfortunately the price of a holiday is subject to change quickly. Within couple of minutes a bargain can get more expensive or even cheaper. That’s why it might happen that you see a different price than I did. I add a screenshot of every deal that I find to my posts, to show you that this price really exists or at least has existed for a while. I really don’t have any influence on the prices- especially flight prices might vary a lot.
A provider displays double the price you have promoted – why?
My posts about a bargain are usually based on the price per person, unless there is an exception. Some providers display the price in total or the room price. That’s why you get the impression that the price is double than I have promoted. For example: Dublin Hotel Deal: 1 Night in a 5* Hotel only €75 > you follow the link and you see the price €150 > that’s the total price per room and per night based on 2 adults sharing, so €150 divided by 2 people is €75 per person.
When is the best time to book a holiday?
From my experience it’s hard to say when the best time to book a holiday would be. Sometimes it’s possible to find a good deal months in advance and sometimes it’s better to look for last minute deals (anything within 6 weeks before departure). I would usually recommend waiting until closer to the time to book a holiday, because you tend to receive bigger discounts closer to the time of departure. It’s basically the same when it comes to finding a package compared to booking flights and hotel separately. It really depends on the providers and the dates.
Can Holidayguru inform me directly when a deal about a certain destination comes up? Do you have a brochure?
This is possible with my App! You can adjust notifications in the settings according to your dream destination. So you won’t miss any deals about this specific place. Holidayguru is not a holiday provider but a team of bloggers who find the best deals around, therefore we can’t actually provide you with a brochure as we don’t sell holidays. If you need more info about any deal that we find, please follow the link to the provider’s website and have a look at the details.
Why is there a difference in costs at different times of the year?
The prices vary and depend a lot on the time of the year you want to travel and the demand. The costs of a holiday within Europe are very high especially during peak seasons such as school holidays, summer months and public holidays. Travel providers are able to charge higher prices due to the higher demand. Whereas many Long-haul destinations experience peak season during our winter months. The cheapest deals are very often outside peak seasons, so the more flexible you are the higher the chance to find a cheap holiday.
Can I send you deal requests for specific dates or destinations?
As much as I’d love to help everyone out, the Holidayguru team is pretty small and we won’t have time to reply to everyone! However if you are on the lookout for hotels or flights for specific dates, I recommend using my Hotel Finder and my Flight Finder to browse and compare deals. If you have an urgent question, please pop us a message at contact@holidayguru.ie.
FAQ – Booking
Do I book with Holidayguru?
No, you don’t book any deals with Holidayguru. Holidayguru is a travel bargain blog finding the best deals on the Internet for you. Holidayguru browses the Internet for you to save money and time. You book the deals with the provider who is offering the deals. Just click on the links, provided in the posts and follow the instructions on the provider’s page.
How can I change my booking?
Please note that Holidayguru does not handle any payments or booking details. If you need to change your booking please contact the provider with whom you have booked with.
I have lost my booking details, can you send me a new email?
Holidayguru does not handle any payments or booking details and Holidayguru is not working as a travel agent. If you have questions concerning your booking, please contact the provider you have booked with.
Do I have to book immediately?
It is always safer to book as soon as you can as this increases the chances of the price being the same. But it’s completely up to you, just note that the prices are subject to change quickly.
Can I pay with a deposit?
Since you don’t book with me, but only through me, you have to check with the rules of the holiday provider. Some providers offer a low deposit, so it’s worth checking the details on the provider’s page.
FAQ – Technical Questions
Can I change the country in the Holidayguru App?
Yes, you can change the country in my App. Just go to the settings > Choose Country > Country. You will then see the deals of your favourite Holidayguru. Holidayguru is available in these countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Denmark. Please note: if you want to change the menu language, you need to change the language setting of your smartphone. The Holidayguru App adapts the menu language of your phone settings.
Why am I not able to see the Irish version of your Facebook page anymore?
Sometimes Facebook changes its settings and that’s why it happens that you don’t see the Irish version of my page anymore. You can use this link https://www.facebook.com/Holidayguru.IE to see the Irish page or if this doesn’t work just do the following steps on my Facebook page (on a desktop device): Click on the field with the three dots > Click on “Switch Region” > Choose your country. After saving these settings you should be able to see the Irish page or your favourite version of my Facebook page.
Is it possible to sort the deals departing by airport or dates?
Unfortunately it’s currently not possible to narrow down the offers by airport or dates. But if you use the search bar, it shows you all holiday deals that we found that include your search term. We are working on this feature and hope to have it in the near future.