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Hays Travel review
Find out how Hays Travel fares across nine categories, including beach holidays, all-inclusives and escorted tours in our survey of nearly 20,000 package holidays
Who is Hays Travel?
Family-owned Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agent selling other firms’ holidays, as well as a tour operator offering its own holidays. It mostly sells fly and flop holidays in popular European destinations, but also city breaks and far-flung tours. You can’t book online – you have to call or pop into a store. Hays Travel has 470 branches across the UK.
Which? verdict
Hays Travel is a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for family holidays, where it is among the best options. It is highly rated as a beach/resort holiday and all-inclusive holiday provider, although some rival companies are better.
Book a holiday with Hays Travel
Hays Travel customer ratings
| Holiday type | Which? Recommended Provider? | Customer score |
|---|---|---|
| Family holiday | Yes | 79% |
| All-inclusive holiday | No | 83% |
| Beach/resort holiday | No | 82% |
| Tailor-made holiday | No | 80% |
| City break | No | 77% |
| Self-guided tour | No | 75% |
| Solo holiday | No | 74% |
Customer score Based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the company. In an online survey in August/September 2024, we asked 12,119 Which? Connect panel members and members of the public about 19,958 holidays from the past two years.
We tracked the price of more than 20,000 holidays to find out exactly when to book to get the cheapest price – read our 28 ways to save on your next holiday
What’s a Hays Travel holiday like?
Hays Travel acts as both a travel agent (selling other operators’ holidays) and a tour operator (providing its own package holidays). We have only rated the holidays it provides.
Its scores were a mixed bag, depending on the type of holiday. It was rated one of the best family holiday providers, and ranked high in our beach/resort holidays and all-inclusive holiday tables; however, it finished in the bottom half of our escorted tour, self-guided tour and cultural tour tables.
The majority of respondents who told us they had booked with Hays certainly had no issues with its ‘brilliant’ customer service. It received a flawless five-star service rating in the beach/resort holidays category. This might be down to the fact that you can only book Hays Travel holidays on the phone or in-store, which creates a more personal experience. One loyal customer said: ‘We use the same guy, he’s a well-travelled person, who seems to be able to identify our needs.’
Unfortunately, its two-star ratings for accommodation in our beach/resort holiday table, and for value for money in our all-inclusive table, prevented it from being a WRP in those categories.
Hays Travel’s refund, cancellation and surcharge policy
Hays Travel is a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP), which means that as well as being one of the most highly rated holiday firms in our survey, it guarantees to offer a full refund, or free changes, if the Foreign Office (FCDO) changes its advice about your destination.
It has also promised that in 2025, it won’t apply any additional surcharges to holidays that have already been booked.
Should I book a holiday with Hays Travel?
For your family holiday and if you prefer to book in-store, yes. Hays Travel offers great customer service and organisation, which has earned it Which? Recommended Provider status for its family holidays.
For other types of holiday, there are better options.
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