First choice is a holiday shop where you can book your latest holiday, take home brochures to view…read moreover later on, book extras like insurance and also exchange your money into foreign currency. The shop is small but there are plenty of staff to deal with the customers. They are helpful and will spend considerable time going through holidays to find you the right one. One problem I have found when going into here is that their exchange rates are dismal. Last time I compared this place with the the post office I would have been £50 worse off for the amount of money that I was changing over.

This is my first stop for holidays. Staff are very helpful and they have a great selection of…read morebrochures to help you choose your holiday. Recently I looked into several holiday options and on all occasions Thomas Cook tried very hard to not only beat previous quotes but also to get an even cheaper price! They also threw in some free upgrades as a thankyou! I'd avoid here on Saturdays and Sundays - Its a fairly small branch and there's not really space for more than 5-6 consultants at any one time. You can sometimes wait for 20-30 mins for an adviser and then you feel pressure to speed up on decision - not by the staff - but by the rest of the queue

Thomsons is located right in the heart of the town centre. It is probably the most popular of all…read morethe travel agents in town - eve if not necessarily the best. I have booked holidays at this shop in the past and the service was excellent. The staff were really helpful in helping to complete the transaction of a holiday we had seen outside in the window - even when that holiday had gone they were able to offer a virtually identical holiday package and reduce the price to meet the price of the one we had originally seen. Inside, the layout is as follows, towards the back of the shop there is a little exchange counter. I have found that there exchange rates are not very competitive so usually decide to go to the post office where there is no commission charged for changing your money over. One time, I was left with a sour taste in the mouth after one of the supervisors came over after we had said we didnt want to book their travel insurance along with the holiday because we already had our own. The woman tried the hard-sell tactic and quite condescending in how she spoke to me.

Absolutely appalling service - do not book with these cowboys. My mum paid £700 for a week away…read morewith her friend, they were due to be collected at 9:15 by coach from Moss Street. When they arrived at 9:00, there was no one else about, they spoke to Althams when they opened at 9:30 and were told the time was changed to 8am and they had been unable to reach them by phone. No one has left a voicemail or an answer machine message, sent a text or even a letter and when asked about a refund was told that they wouldn't be doing that, knowing they had never advised my mum of any changes. Shocking customer service, no empathy no resolution recommendations and no refund. Althams are crooks. When people save up all they can and look forward to time away, Althams have ruined that and we're not interested in resolving the problem. When they did event come up with a solution it was that my mum pay £50 at her own cost to get a taxi and chase the coach!

We booked our recent holiday through Althams the Service was fantastic, the staff are so helpful -…read morewe also booked the airport pick up and return and it was brilliant, they were waiting for us as soon as we stepped off the flight - we have usually booked holidays online but i wouldn't do again - was far easier and cheaper through Althams - highly recommend.

With the rise of internet bookings and cheap flights (which may soon be curtailed what with the…read moretalk of per-plane tax) there seems less and less use for a physical Thomson holiday presence on the high street. Honestly though, it would be sad to see it go. All of my early holidays independent from my parents were booked here; Tenereek, Megaruf, Megaruf again (we enjoyed it so much). The staff were patient and helpful, explaining to us in the most friendly way that most hotels would probably not be willing to take a booking of fifteen eighteen year-olds and that it might limit where we could actually go. On the first occasion the assistant even argued (albeit in the same friendly manner) with the hotel bookings department to allow the holiday to go through. She was honest too, about the sort of accommodation we would be getting - it wasn't exactly tripadvisor but she did warn us that she knew it was a little basic. The internet is a fantastic tool, if you know what you're searching for, but often if you want a selection of possible options then it can be best to talk to an actual person in an actual shop which is exactly why Thomson Formby is so good.

Through previous experience I've personally found that the independent travel agents usually…read moresurpass the big chains and St Andrews is no exception. The staff are friendly, approachable, sympathetic to your holiday needs and work hard and long, tirelessly, to find a holiday that is right for you. They're always professional and polite and are available and happy to help both pre and post booking your holiday.

I've used Hays Travel for every holiday I've booked since I've lived in Bolton (10 years). Although…read moreI can only speak for the Horwich branch, I've found the staff to be helpful, incredibly friendly, and enthusiastic. They've helped us travel all over the world, including our honeymoon, and kept us updated with any relevant details, as well as getting us the best options and prices available. We also regularly get our foreign currency through their bureau de change. The shop itself is on a main street, with a free car park literally a 1 minute walk away), there's usually 2 or 3 consultants available at any one time, and the shop is clean, comfortable, and has a wide variety of holiday brochures, promotions, and multimedia about places you can visit on holiday. I've never felt compelled to book a holiday through anyone but Hays Travel. They're the best for us.

We use Westby Travel for all of our holidays and we have done for years!!…read more Christine and Emma are so friendly and they always go above and beyond to find us the perfect holiday at the right price. Sometimes we have them working for days to find us exactly what we're looking for, which they are always more than happy to do. It's very obvious they actually care about customers needs and wants! Highly recommend!