Who to travel with in 2023 - and how to get there

Planning a holiday, particularly one that doesn’t break the bank, can seem like a lot of work. However, choosing the right company can make a big difference.

In our surveys, we’ve found a huge contrast in the quality of customer service, value for money and other key factors. The highest-scoring brands are named as Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs). 

All of the travel WRPs look after their customers. The holiday firms have also pledged to waive their right to add a surcharge to your booking, after you pay, even if costs rise during the cost of living crisis. Keep reading to see those we recommend and those we think you should avoid.

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Best and worst airlines

In October last year, we asked 8,046 members of the Which? Connect panel and the general public about their experiences of flying in the past two years.

Best Jet2 80%

Crucially, given the disruption which has become common in air travel in recent years, Jet2 reliably looks after its customers. It was one of only two airlines from more than 20 that was rated the full five stars for customer service.

Worst Wizz Air 48%

Wizz Air failed to pay claims for expenses and compensation, not just after the flight, but even, in many cases, after people won cases against it in court. It racked up more than £2m in county court judgments and was named the worst UK airline in our annual survey. Yes, even worse than Ryanair.

See our full survey of the best and worst airlines.

Best and worst holiday companies

In August 2022, we asked 8,361 members of the Which? Connect and the general public about their experiences of booking and going on holiday in the past two years. We have Which? Recommended Providers for most kinds of holidays, from a beach or resort break to a walking holiday or cultural tour. 

Best Audley Travel (tailor-made holidays) 95%

Audley Travel got a spectacular customer score for its tailor-made holidays in our survey. That means its advisors are brilliant at listening to your dreams of what a holiday might be and turning them into reality. They’ve all either travelled in their specialist regions, or lived there, so they know what they’re talking about. 

Worst eDreams/Opodo (beach and resort holidays) 64%

eDreams was the cheapest provider in our 2023 survey, but it came at the bottom of our table of beach and resort providers. Customers complained that the reality of their holidays didn’t match up to what they had been sold and said that it was difficult to get hold of anyone to help when things went wrong, so look elsewhere.

See our survey of the best and worst holiday companies.

Best and worst UK cottage providers

In June 2022, we asked 3,025 Which? members about their experience of booking a holiday cottage in the UK

Best The Landmark Trust 92%

There are only around 200 Landmark Trust properties in the UK but the people who stayed in them had a far better time than those who stayed with some bigger cottage companies. It got five stars for everything in our survey and rapturous reviews of its unique properties, such as lighthouses and a (refurbished!) pigsty.

Worst Sykes 72%

Sykes was one of the worst UK cottage providers in our survey last year. We reported it to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in 2020 for failure to refund customers during the pandemic. It did provide refunds in the end, but smaller rivals such as The Landmark Trust are much higher rated.

See our survey of the best and worst holiday cottage providers.

Best and worst car hire providers

In January 2023, we asked 2,657 members of the Which? Connect and the general public about their experience of using a car hire company (car provider or broker) in the past two years.

Best (car hire broker) Zest 87%

Zest is a broker, rather than a car hire provider, but we recommend it for the peace of mind it gives customers. It got five stars for customer service and clarity of final price. It also only works with car hire providers who will treat their customers fairly, and it regularly checks them to make sure that standards don’t slip.

Worst (car hire provider) Goldcar 54%

Goldcar has been one of the worst performers in this survey for a decade. Its prices might be low, but it gets two stars for value for money. Even worse, in 2020 we went undercover to film its staff pressuring customers into buying additional insurance. It’s since told us this kind of pressure selling is ‘unacceptable’, but it still gets just two stars for customer services.

See our survey of the best and worst car hire companies.

Which? Travel surveys

Which? Travel has numerous other surveys, from the best and worst seaside towns to the best and worst chain hotels.

You can see all of Which?’s travel advice here.

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