I bought my flight to India last year with Co-op Travel... they were amazing! I normally buy all of…read moremy flights over the internet, but called into the Co-op on a whim one day, just to see how competitive they could be... I had no intention of booking a flight through them at the time. I'm pretty well versed in buying flights off the internet on the cheap and so I guessed that you'd be expected to pay a hefty premium for using the Co-op... surely manning an office on the high street, where business rates are exceptionally high, would mean that their service couldn't compete with a dingy office in the middle of nowhere, that only has an internet presence...? But I was really surprised! Not only did they take away all of the hours of infuriating web-searches that I would have had to put myself through, but the price of the ticket was the cheapest that I'd seen. The person serving me was a woman in her forties, and with plenty of experience under her belt, she made light work of the process. I bought my ticket there and then... I'd have been foolish not to!

Blue Skies specialises in tailor made holidays - especially in the Far East, USA & Canada, Dubai,…read moreAustralia & New Zealand, and the Caribbean. They are keen to emphasise the fact that they are NOT one of the many travel agents owned by tour operators who need to sell their own packages. Instead, they can give you impartial advice and put together bespoke, multi-centre holidays and cruises that suit you, looking at a wide range of options and suppliers. You can go to them with a list of destinations you'd like to visit, for example, and they'll come up with a proposed travel itinerary to suit. Or if you're getting married and want a foreign wedding, you can ask them to help you create your dream wedding abroad, suggesting locations ranging from luxury beach resorts in tropical destinations to USA cities such as New York. They can also set up a a Wedding and Honeymoon Fund where your guests can contribute to paying for your honeymoon rather than buying items off a traditional wedding gift list. Their confusing and poorly designed website is unlikely to fill you with confidence, but having made a call to them to ask for some ideas about a multi-centre holiday I found them very friendly and helpful - so perhaps they're busy channelling their energy into good service and customer care rather than their company web design? As they say on their website, their reputation "means a great deal" - and for local travel agents word of mouth recommendations must be of huge importance. You can follow them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Whitchurch-United-Kingdom/Blue-Skies-Travel/138144371865?ref=ts

Excellent service! Alex the manager organised everything for us and gave very good advice when…read moreasked. I highly recommend this travel company and will definitely use them again. There are parking facilities behind the agents premises and the staff inside are all helpful and very pleasant.

I am a massive fan of everything STA has to offer. They have seen me through many independent…read moretravels in the last five years, and they have always been top notch. Recently I went in to ask about options for travelling around USA, Canada and Alaska (they don't think of themselves as the USA, so I won't either). The staff member I spoke to was extremely well informed, although he admitted that he had not himself been to these places. He was very considerate and really listened to me before making suggestions. I always come out of this place feeling like they have created a holiday just for me, rather than persuaded me to do something I'd not really wanted to do (as has happened before with other agencies *cough* Thompson's *cough*). STA specialise in travel for students and young people, meaning that they have a great range and knowledge of backpacking and lower budget tours, travel and accommodation. I'm not quite sure what I'll do when I grow up and can't really use their services any more.

Wonderful and helpful staff…read more I have been booking flights with STA travel in Cardiff and have been always amazed by their dedication to satisfy their customers. Many times I tried to book a flight though online with other agencies, but always have been disappointed, but STA travel is a brilliant agency to arrange your holidays and flights, as staff will try and help you to find a good, comfortable and cheap flights.

This well established travel agent is based in the Llanishen area of Cardiff and has been serving…read morecustomers in the Cardiff area for more than 25 years, so they certainly have a lot of experience under their belts. In fact on their website they claim to be 'Leading Cardiff and Wales ABTA Bonded Travel Agents'. They offer travel from major tour operators as well as smaller specialist companies, with an emphasis on value for money and often discounted prices. If you're looking for a themed break such as a Christmas Market holiday, a visit to Lapland, a Battlefield Break in Europe, or an African Safari, they have partner companies that they use to deliver these types of specialist holidays. They also offer thousands of more general holidays with other partners such as First Choice, Thomson and Monarch Holidays. Obviously if you book through them it's good to know they're ABTA bonded, which is critical in giving you financial protection if they were to go bust (which has happened to many travel companies in the current unstable climate of the travel industry).

I wish I could say it was I who booked a fabulous around-the-world trip with Trailfinders, but…read moresadly, I just went to visit this Cardiff branch with a friend of mine who needed to get to Rio for Carnival (while I rot in Wales in February - something ain't right here). We walked right up to lovely woman at the front desk who was friendly and helpful without being annoying or patronising, which is always a good start. I'm jealous of all these well-seasoned travellers and their extensive knowledge of the world. Bitter, moi? Well, I guess if you're going to help people book the trip of a lifetime, you'd better have the geographical and cultural knowledge to back it up. And she did. I'm not sure if they work on commission or not, but it was a relief to just have a chat and throw around a few ideas without the pressure of having to commit to a booking. When (not "if") I plan my fabulous around-the-world trip, I'm definitely coming here first, and, as they specialise in adventure holidays, you can have the added bonus of a range of exhilarating activities to go along with your lazy beach-lounging days.

BOOKED A HOLIDAY TO THAILAND this morning in the Pontypridd store . Both my partner and i was very…read moresurprised with the,professionalism and time given to us by the store manager Gareth . Never have we had the customer care given to us by other agents ! We will definitely make all future holiday bookings with Gareth and team ! THANK YOU! REGARDS James & Nick Farrugia

I have only ever flown with Thomson, the Swedish travel company, but this isn't unusual. I never…read moreuse the allied services of companies that operate an airline as well as arrange holidays, rental cars etc etc... My approach to going on holiday is to book the cheapest flight that I can find on the net, and then wing the rest when I get there. To my mind it's more fun this way, and not in the least bit scary as I've done it enough times to know that I'm pretty unlikely to come a cropper, and will always find somewhere safe to stay... even if it's a bus station! I have had a few close calls, and have also ended up paying a lot more money for accommodation than I'd like, but all in all, I've definitely saved money on average, and have met some really interesting people that I wouldn't have had cause to talk to had I booked everything in advance. So, Thomson! Great company! I've flown with them a few times and I've never been disappointed. The standards are high, and difficult to beat. The budget airlines like Ryan Air don't come close. I'd be a happy person if my internet searches came back with Thomson offering the cheapest flights to my desired destination every time!

Thomson offer some great late deals, city breaks and package deals. I wouldn't choose them for a…read morelong holiday but for great late packages you can get a real bargain. I prefer to arrange flights and accommodation myself so the idea of paying extra for a middleman to book these for me seem wrong, also you can spend much more time planning the journey which ends up being more enjoyable than a 20-30 minute conversation that is supposed to try to help you find the package you want.

"I want to go on holiday..."…read more Well, obviously. That's why I'm in a travel shop, and that would be why the Lady Behind the Desk is looking at me like I'm a little bit...special. I'd been sent by my mum to find somewhere to go for some 'winter sun' since we couldn't agree on where to go, and this is what I explained to the Lady Behind the Desk as I sat down smiling at her expectantly, waiting for her to come up with the perfect vacation. I'm not very well travelled: I've been to France a couple of times, Gran Canaria as a child, but that's about it. I don't know the difference between Tenerife and Lanzarote, or what the weather is like anywhere besides sunny old Wales. I had no idea where we were meant to go for a week of sunshine in late November. The Lady Behind the Desk was very patient with me as I talked her through what my mum wanted, the age of my younger brother, the budget we were working with and she was extremely helpful. She knew exactly what she was talking about - she didn't just read from the book as I've known some to do, and she was honest and almost blunt about what I could expect from the various destinations. She never once seemed like she was just trying to sell me something: I only wanted advice and advice was what I got. I liked that. I left with arms full of brochures and confident that I could make an informed report back to my mother. I know that when I'm thinking about my next holiday, I can always pop for a chat with the Lady Behind the Desk if I need any help making my decision.