5 reasons to book a package holiday in 2026

Package holidays have been around since 1841 when Thomas Cook arranged his first tour – a rail trip between Leicester and Loughborough. A big hit with travellers, they have since evolved to include everything from cruises and all-inclusive escapes to villa holidays and city breaks.

In fact, according to the Association of British Tour Operators (ABTA’s) Holiday Habits 2025-26 report, package holidays were the most popular type of trip booked by Brits last year.

Whether you’re a package holiday devotee, or usually travel independently and are toying with trying a package this year, here are five reasons you should consider booking a package.

What is a package holiday?

According to ABTA, “you book a package when you buy two or more travel services together. A package holiday must cover a period of at least 24 hours or involve overnight accommodation and is a combination of at least two different types of travel services.”

These travel services include transport (a flight, coach or train but not airport transfers), accommodation, car hire and a tourist service such as tours, passes or theme park tickets, that are an essential part of the trip.

Why is booking a package holiday a good idea?

1. They give you financial protection

The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 require travel companies to put financial protection in place for the package holidays they sell.

This means that UK companies that sell a package holiday with a flight are legally required to register with the Civil Aviation Authority’s ATOL Scheme, while those selling package holidays that do not include a flight may be covered by ABTA. It’s important to remember that non-UK based travel companies selling package holidays aren’t covered by ATOL or ABTA protection.

This financial protection means that should the travel company you booked with go out of business before your trip, you’ll get your money back. If you’re already travelling, arrangements will be made to get you home and you shouldn’t be left out of pocket.

When the original Thomas Cook collapsed, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who run the ATOL Scheme, flew almost 150,000 travellers home.

Want to know some good news? All of the package holidays you find on TravelSupermarket are protected by the ATOL scheme.

2. You have support should things go wrong

While no one likes to think of anything going wrong on their holiday, the current situation in the Middle East shows how quickly things can change. Package holidays will remove many of the headaches when things change, under the Package Travel Regulations 2018.

For example, if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) warns against travel to your destination before your trip, your travel company must either offer a refund, change your trip or allow you to defer it. If the FCDO advice is changed while you’re away, your travel company should arrange transport to get you home.

If you’ve booked independently on the other hand, you’ll have to negotiate with each of the companies you booked with.

Also, if your package holiday isn’t as advertised or you get ill or are injured while away, your travel company should also offer support and, if this isn’t satisfactory, you may be able to claim compensation.

3. They offer excellent value

Let’s be honest, one of the key things many of us look for in a holiday is value for money. And package holidays offer just this, often coming in significantly cheaper than booking all of the individual elements separately.

This is because travel companies have access to discounts that they can pass on and there are often incentives to book a package that drives the cost down such as free kids’ places.

We ran a quick search on TravelSupermarket for a week-long holiday at the beginning of the school summer break (27 July until 3 August) for two adults and two children aged seven and nine. Based on staying in the PortBlue Club Pollentia Resort & Spa on a bed and breakfast basis, we found a package holiday with Jet2holidays including flights, four 22kg bags and airport transfers for £3,114 – or £778.50pp. When we looked at the price of booking all of the same elements separately, the price was £3,533.38 or £883.34pp. That’s an overall saving of £419.38 plus added financial protection through the ATOL scheme.

4. They are easy

Mature couple enjoying a city bus ride, sharing smiles and looking relaxed.

While there are certain bragging rights associated with booking every element of a trip yourself, doing it this way can also mean multiple tabs open and hours of research.

A package holiday on the other hand allows you to look at everything together, book in one click, have only one booking confirmation and gives you only one company to deal with.

TravelSupermarket makes booking a package holiday even easier as it allows you to compare deals from the UK’s top travel companies in one place.

5. All-inclusive packages make budgeting a breeze

For the ultimate ease, an all-inclusive package holiday allows you to book and budget for all of your holiday essentials before you’ve even boarded the plane.

All-inclusive trips are ideal if you’re after a fly-and-flop break or are travelling with little ones as everything from food and drink to entertainment and snacks are usually included in one upfront price giving both you and your wallet a well-deserved break.

Please note: All prices were accurate at the time of writing (1 April 2026) and are subject to change.