STA Travel is an especially popular place for students wishing to book a short trip,…read moreindividual/group holiday or flight as staff will provide excellent advice and tips for your trip such as the important things to be aware of. After all, staffs that work there have been through it all themselves and have had previous experience when it comes to travelling abroad. Booking your vacation or flight is simple and easy when done through this agency so there is no need to be afraid as when you leave, everything will be sorted hassle free. It is not only holidays they sell but language courses and volunteering projects abroad are also popular among students (even if you wish to travel off the beaten track). Choices are wide; more often than not, there will be a tour or a course that usually takes your fancy at affordable prices.

This travel agency is just one vowel away from being hilarious and somewhat tragic. Still that…read morecrucial vowel is not in place, we have an 'A' instead and we should probably all be happy about this because STA offer great, once-in-a-lifetime getaways to the under-26s at student overdraft friendly prices. There are a number of tours offered in their brochures (I have come very close on a number of occasions to booking the Greek Island Hopper - reasonable at £775 for 10 days of mediterranean fun) but equally a few enquiries with one of the friendly staffers here can see you jetting off on your own tailor-made break. If you're after genuine seat-of-your-pants adventure it might be best to organise the whole thing yourself (an eccentric university friend of mine said that he found he was constricted a little by some of the scheduling on the tours - comparing his tour of Turkey with a SAGA coach trip with more booze) but if you're after having someone guide you through your options and work to get you the holiday with a difference then I have many more friends who very much recommend the services here.

If I ever fancy a day trip or a short break with family and/or friends, I usually pop down to…read moreBarnes Travel because this travel agency offers a fantastic choice of tours for all ages so whatever takes your interest, you'll tend to find something that catches your eye when browsing the brochure filled shelves. Staffs at the desk are there to help with your reservation(s) as well as to provide all the necessary details of your forthcoming journey. Usually a coach will collect the passenger at a local pick-up point of your choice on the selection form which is a convenient method to save time. This is a great place to book short holidays too especially if you're taking the kids along and they always have special offers displayed on the outside window of their shop.

Sometimes I don't feel like becoming an expert…read more For two years running now, I've used the services of Gates Travel to find and purchase train tickets for travel throughout the United Kingdom. Not only are they prompt to respond via email but they know the ins and outs of train travel in a way that I don't and that I don't care to learn. One year ago I needed to get from a town in the North Cotswolds to a town in Wales and was growing uneasy with the process and baffled by my options. Gates Travel to the rescue. Not only could they tell me exactly which trains ran when but they could also tell me which were the best deals. They even went further when they realized that I was traveling in a party of two: they did the math and determined that the "two together" card was a worthwhile investment for my trips. I doubt I'd even know of the "two together" pass and benefits without it having been recommended by Gates Travel. All of my train tickets and the "two together" card have been secured and paid for online and Gates Travel sends me the physical documents via email and/or the postal service. With the help of Gates Travel I don't have to become an expert. I'm uncertain what other travel services Gates Travel provides as I've only used them to secure train tickets and advice. But based on this, I feel comfortable that they could help with any of your United Kingdom travel needs.

This travel agency is part of a local group based in Kendal. The staff know what their doing and,…read morewhen I've been there very patient and obliging. They have the concession for selling train tickets, and will try their hardest to find a convenient route at the right price. They also do all the other things from Cruises to Coach trips, via package holidays. I find the atmosphere there relaxing and also noticed a coffee machine in use for another customer. I highly recommend the staff, and shop.

I don't really like travel agents. I've been travelling a few times and never used one. I actually…read moreenjoy browsing around for the best deal for a flight, reading hotel and hostel reviews to make sure there are no cockroaches and making up the rest of the details when I get there. However, as far as travel agents go, STA isn't a particularly bad one. Rather than intimidating orange ladies with red neckerchiefs, this branch of STA usually has about four chilled out 20-something year old lads in checked shirts behind their desks. I've never seen the queues that Thomas describes but maybe this is just in the run-up to the university holidays. I went into this branch with a friend (who annoyingly pronounces it staaar travel), as she thought it would be the cheapest place to buy our tickets to NZ. Despite the friendly staff and fact that they apparently give discounts to students and under 26s, the prices they quoted for the flights to NZ alone were more expensive than flights I had found on the Quantas website which included 3 free stopovers. I've also been tempted to buy STA's travel insurance in the past but have always found better deals for my requirements elsewhere. As for volunteering, unless you fancy paying a grand to work for free, then you can find much cheaper (and some free) volunteering projects with companies such as Concordia. Only good if you are a student with no time and no imagination.

Sta travel is a hubbub of excited students planning their next jaunt. In those desperate few months…read morebefore the summer things get a little mad and I recall my experience of waiting in a queue for upwards of an hour as a very frustrating experience. Couple this with me not actually going on holiday it made for quite the wind up. I'm trying to see the light with this place, it is student orientated they have lots of well sorted trips that can be booked to pretty much any corner of the world apart from maybe Afghanistan (the army careers office is further down the road) or maybe the poles. Yet again though these trips draw me into another pet hate apart from queuing, the gap year was for me about really plonking you in the middle of nowhere, no guides nothing. Then through your experiences, developing an interpretation of local culture and perhaps even a temporary role within the community; that's real travelling. In recent years more and more websites and travel stores have become gap year orientated creating series of frustrating package deals wrapped up as the real deal, go nurture lion cubs in the outback making a real difference £1200, go diving in some of the most beautiful reefs in the world in the name of conservation (aka a body to drag a measuring tape across the coral) £800 and teach English in Ethiopia amid the savannah grasslands (£900). In my opinion you may as well book yourself two weeks in Magaluf.

First Choice Travel is a travel agents located on Albion Street in Leeds city centre, one of the…read moremost popular streets, housing Waterstones, Argos and PC World. So it is well situated for passing trade. I often pop in for a brochure and the prices seem competitive and the staff very polite indeed, and not too pushy, as you can sometimes find in travel agents (especially in the current climate). The advertised late deals and offers in the windows look great especially if you are on a budget or if you can drop everything and go! Sadly I can't but I love looking at the deals, some of them are excellent. They offer a good range of destinations, packages (such as Disney) and even weekend breaks and city breaks. There is plenty to choose from and stay within your budget. They are a travel operator I trust and all their holidays are ABTA protected which after the XL fiasco is a very good assurance to have. I have yet to purchase a holiday from them but after going in, picking up some brochures and having a chat with them it is a high contender to be the place I purchase my forthcoming honeymoon from, so watch this space. I think the shop is well situated, fairly busy whenever we have passed, and the staff are very nice, so I will be happy to spend my money there. I will give it 4/5 for service so far.

The First Choice Travel shop on Albion Street is a great travel agents, one of my favourites, in…read morefact I have just booked a cruise through them. They are part of the Thomson group now so you are basically going into a Thomson travel agents when you go into a first choice. The staff are lovely and really responsive to what you are looking for. I found a cruise on their website and when I called up to book it they matched the online booking price saving me £100 and when they heard it was my honeymoon they made a note on the account to upgrade me if possible and put wine and flowers in our cabin! They are very friendly on the phone and the shop is very nice. I would say this is my favourite travel agents in Leeds and well worth a visit if you are looking for a bargain luxury holiday.

This is an amazing online travel agent which has some of the best deals available online. They…read moredon't offer package holidays, you simply find a flight to whichever destination you choose and once you've chosen one, it then gives you literally hundreds of hotels from which to choose from. From real budget hotels to high end the hotel options are fantastic. I have used them several times and they haven't let me down yet!

Best travel agents in town, in my opinion. Can't do enough for you and the currency cashier did a…read morereally good deal for me on my US dollars.

One of several Poulton travel agents and much like all the rest really. Friendly staff, a broad…read morerange of holiday brochures and a Bureau de Change. I used the Bureau de Change and they were efficient and friendly as you'd expect. There are always a few holiday offers advertised in the window too. Recent offers I spotted included long stay winter Malta/Costas style holidays, probably popular in a town with its fair share of affluent retired folks who can afford to leave Britain's chilly shores behind for a few weeks in the winter months. All in all a typical local travel agent.

Excellent service it's the first time I've used holiday hamster…read more My travel agent Hayley went above and beyond to help me, she gave me different options ,dates and prices nothing was to much for her .Booked a trip to Disney world and got a really good price better than what I found online after weeks of searching Will definitely use them again and highly recommend

We had been using the traditional airline/come travel agent and had booked a trip to Orlando, then…read morea friend suggested I try Martin and Hayley as they had been excellent. So i did. Not only did they save me a LOT of money over the other quote the service was super and far more detailed and helpful. They are now my travel agent of choice and I would not go anywhere else.