Regular readers will know we have a partnership with GTC, which specialise in luxury hotels such as Virtuoso and special deals through the leading hotel brands with added perks such as Hilton Impressario and Marriott Luminous. GTC are not able to offer flight-only deals, but can still offer package deals, so we have formed a new partnership with Destinations Desired.
In this post:
Who are Destinations Desired?
Destinations Desired offers tailor-made getaways from hundreds of trusted suppliers to all corners of the
globe, from beach holidays and city breaks to far-flung backpacking adventures across Asia, weddings in
Europe and honeymoons in the Maldives – professionals in creating tailor-made itineraries designed around you.
With every booking you will receive access to a dedicated Tailor-Made Expert on hand to assist you with
anything you need, creating those unique experiences and memories. You’re truly in safe hands, with their average Tailor-Made Expert bringing forward twenty-plus years industry experience.
Providing 24/7 on-hand service, you can rest in the knowledge that your bookings are fully protected.
Destinations Desired are accredited members of the Travel Trust Association and operate a ring-fenced trust account. Additionally, every flight-inclusive package and flight-only booking they sell on behalf of their trusted operators are ATOL Protected. You can read their reviews on Trustpilot here.
Here is some recent feedback about the service received about Tailor-Made Expert Hayley Jones: “I have booked 4 holidays now with Hayley and she is absolutely amazing. We have children with special needs and holidays can be extremely stressful for us but since using Hayley we have had amazing holidays the whole family have enjoyed. Personally I would not use anyone else to organise our trips amazing service, amazing value for money.” Nikki Twine
Despite the launch of Destinations Desired in 2022, their roots date back some years. The homeworking division was once part of the Online Travel Agency (OTA), Kosmar.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, their senior leadership team devised a vision to create two strong brands that could focus on their marketing strategies and grow in their own right.
So why would you want to use a travel agent to book flights?
Usually, I write about booking direct with airlines, and you may have been advised to avoid using a travel agency. However, this mainly applies to using an online travel agent or one of the big companies that are hard to get hold of. Building a relationship with a reputable travel agent can actually help, as when things go wrong, instead of queueing with hundreds of people in the terminal to get rebooked, you can ask your travel agent to help. Destinated Desired has a 24-hour Duty Officer to help with such situations.
There are also a number of scenarios which are tricky to book yourself, such as multi-leg flights and round the world. These can have numerous rules and extra charges that can be very daunting for a beginner. Some fares also can’t easily be booked online, such as flights with lots of sectors. This is where Destinations Desired and its Tailor-Made Experts can help. Even if you have got to the stage of being able to come up with your itinerary on ITA Matrix, you can send over a screenshot and get them to book it for you. Or if you are not that confident looking for flights in the first place, they can also help.
How do I book?
You can book with GTC or Destinations Desired via our dedicated booking page here.
What services would you like to see TLFL offer you when it comes to booking travel? Let us know in the comments below.
12 comments
Presumably there are fees for booking flights through them? It would be useful if that sort of detail made it into the article.
Are they better (how?) or cheaper (how much?) than competitors, eg Propeller Travel?
There is a reason we no longer work with Propeller a) we have not been paid commission due since 2019 by them despite repeated promises that they will “make things right” b) there were more complaints than I would expect to see, both for TLFL customers and on other forums. In contrast, I have yet to see any complaints about working with GTC, which is how it should be. Destinations Desired also do great offers like low price or free upgrades in some situations. I have asked Jhy to give a response to this pricing query specifically.
I have no experience of using any “proper” travel agent other than Trailfinders, so no personal experience of Propellor or anyone else. Only seen good things on Flyertalk about them though, so a surprise/shame they’ve not been keeping to contracts with you – not a good sign for relying on them.
Hi Matt,
Thank you for getting in touch. You raise great questions, which we see many of our clients asking.
At Destinations Desired, we work with hundreds of airlines via many consolidators and suppliers. Our Tailor-Made Experts will always focus on value for money and the service they strive to deliver, ensuring we provide a fully rounded service.
As an avid traveller, you’ll already know that pricing is fluid and dynamic and changes without notice. Working with our business partners places us in a position where we can quote the best available rate from the most trusted supplier.
Destinations Desired are proud not to add fees or charges to a booking; commercially, this is made viable through exclusive agreements with the many different business partners we work with.
Please feel free to get in touch with us if you require any assistance.
Have a great Christmas!
Jhy
Thanks – so it’s not ITA-matrix rate plus a booking fee then? Should we expect to pay more, less or about the same as Google flights/ITA-matrix shows when booking through you (on average)?
Surely the airline is the supplier? Who else is involved in the process when booking through you?
We may well use them. We used to have that sort of service from Trailfinders with fully transparent costings but now they seem to flog packages all the time and dislike telling one the individual constituent prices for flights/hotels/transport.
PS Michelle, I am still having to input my email address each time, whereas It was saved under the old system. It is getting boring!
I had a look for you and I can’t see any change in the settings. It’s not asking me to log in when I try as a normal commentator. It’s very odd. I’ll ask if others are having the same issue. What device are you using?
An Apple Ipad Air
Thanks Paul. And you are not using something like an ad blocker or incognito mode?
Can they help with bookings using Avios and / or Companion Vouchers, please?
No only British Airways can make those bookings but you can phone BA for help.
I seem to see lots of yours and other ads so presumably not using an ad blocker. There us something in your controls that is not registering my email address. I will now put it in again! The last time.
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