TUI is one of the UK’s largest package holiday operators, alongside Jet2holidays and easyJet Holidays. It’s part of TUI Group, one of the world’s biggest tourism companies, and also owns Marella Cruises and First Choice. A TUI package bundles flights, a hotel and, on most trips, transfers into one ATOL and ABTA protected booking. This guide covers what’s included, whether TUI is actually any good, how it compares with Jet2holidays and easyJet Holidays, and how to get the best price.
If you’re ready to browse, search TUI holidays to see current packages from your nearest UK airport.
What does a TUI holiday include?
Every TUI package holiday includes return flights, usually with TUI Airways, your hotel and, on most beach and resort trips, airport transfers. Hold luggage is built into the price too: 20kg per person as standard, rising to 25kg if you’ve booked TUI BLUE, Sensatori, a Holiday Village or a TUI River Cruise package. City break packages don’t always include transfers, so check what’s in your specific booking before you travel.
That hold bag matters more than it looks. If you’d booked flights only and needed to add luggage later, TUI’s own online add-on starts at £55 for a 15kg bag on short and mid-haul routes, or £75 on long-haul, before the per-kg rate for anything heavier. See our full TUI baggage allowance guide for every allowance by holiday type. Getting all this bundled into the headline price is one of the clearest reasons a package can beat DIY booking.
| What you get | TUI Holidays | DIY booking |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | ✓ Included | Book separately |
| Hotel | ✓ Included | Book separately |
| Hold bag (20kg, 25kg premium) | ✓ Per person | From £55pp per flight |
| Airport transfers | ✓ Most packages | Book separately |
| ATOL and ABTA | ✓ ATOL 2524, ABTA V5126 | No (unless credit card) |
| Price-Match Promise | ✓ 72-hour window | No |
Every TUI package also comes with two layers of financial protection. Flight-inclusive holidays are covered by the ATOL scheme, licence number 2524, and TUI also holds an ABTA bond, V5126, for the non-flight parts of your trip. ATOL protects your money if TUI stops trading before or during your holiday. ABTA membership backs your right to the holiday you were actually sold.
Is TUI Holidays actually any good?
Independent evidence gives a mixed picture, which is normal for a big operator. Which? surveyed 2,411 TUI customers for its 2026 package holiday research and gave the company a 76% customer score, ranking it 16th out of 30 operators tested and just outside the top half. TUI didn’t make Which?’s list of Recommended Providers. It scored three stars out of five for customer service, accommodation, transport and value for money, and four stars for organisation and how well the holiday matched its description.
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Jet2holidays (82%) and Trailfinders (87%, the top-rated operator in the survey) both scored higher than TUI. easyJet Holidays (73%), On the Beach (72%) and Loveholidays (69%) scored lower. Review platforms tell a rosier story: TUI holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, badged Excellent, from more than 180,000 reviews.
That gap between the two isn’t unusual. Trustpilot reviews are mostly left by customers whose holiday went to plan. Which?’s survey asks about the whole experience, including what happens when something goes wrong, which is a harder bar to clear. Book TUI for the choice and the reach. Don’t expect it to be the best-reviewed operator in the market, because on the numbers, it isn’t.
Where can you go with TUI?
TUI flies from more than 20 UK airports to over 100 destinations worldwide, more reach than either Jet2holidays or easyJet Holidays. Popular beach destinations include the Algarve, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Majorca, Menorca, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and Cyprus, plus Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. TUI also covers long-haul destinations the other two don’t touch, including Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, the UAE, Thailand and the Maldives. For city breaks, packages run to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Prague, Rome, Madrid and Krakow, among others.
Beach and resort packages typically run seven or 14 nights, in line with the rest of the package holiday market. City breaks are usually shorter, two to four nights.
Long-haul packages, such as Mexico or Thailand, are only available with TUI Airways operating both legs, which is also when the higher 25kg Premium baggage allowance applies.
TUI’s Price-Match Promise, deposits and cancelling
TUI’s Price-Match Promise lets you claim back the difference if you find the exact same holiday cheaper elsewhere within 72 hours of booking. The claim only qualifies if the flight, hotel, room, board basis, duration, passenger numbers, transfers and baggage all match exactly, and TUI reviews claims against a screenshot of the cheaper offer. It doesn’t apply to holidays with third-party flights, Marella Cruises, Crystal Ski, TUI River Cruises, First Choice, or prices only available through a promo code.
You can secure a booking with a low deposit from £60 per person on short, mid and long-haul holidays. For summer 2026 departures, the balance is due 30 days before you travel; for winter 2026/27 and beyond, it’s due the standard 12 weeks out. A £0 deposit option is available by Direct Debit if you’re booking 26 weeks or more before departure, with the final Direct Debit payment due eight weeks before you fly.
| How long before you travel | What you pay if you cancel |
|---|---|
| 70 days or more | Loss of deposit |
| 69 to 63 days | 30% of holiday price |
| 62 to 49 days | 50% |
| 48 to 29 days | 70% |
| 28 to 15 days | 90% |
| 14 to 0 days | 100% |
TUI also offers a low fee to change your holiday, such as dates, hotel or passenger details, up to 28 days before you travel; the exact fee depends on what’s changing. If TUI cancels your holiday or makes a major change, such as switching your destination or downgrading your hotel by a full star rating, you’re entitled to a refund or a replacement holiday, plus compensation on a sliding scale from £25 to £100 per person depending on how much notice you get.
TUI vs Jet2holidays vs easyJet Holidays
| Company | Checked baggage | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| TUI | 20kg per person (25kg on TUI BLUE, Sensatori, Holiday Village and River Cruise) | Long-haul and worldwide destinations, plus the widest hotel choice |
| Jet2holidays | 22kg per person (25kg on Indulgent Escapes) | Family beach holidays with a resort rep |
| easyJet Holidays | 23kg per person | City breaks and independent beach trips |
TUI’s baggage allowance is the smallest of the big three as standard, though its long-haul reach and hotel choice are unmatched. Jet2holidays and easyJet Holidays are both short and mid-haul only, so if you want to fly further than North Africa or the eastern Mediterranean, TUI is usually the only package option of the three. Thomas Cook doesn’t fly long-haul at all, but it’s consistently cheaper on short-haul beach holidays if that’s what you’re after. loveholidays and On the Beach are cheaper again on short-haul price, but neither carries TUI’s own-airline backup if your flight is disrupted. For long-haul beyond TUI’s own worldwide routes, Virgin Holidays is a genuine specialist alternative, built entirely around Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic and Caribbean network rather than European beach holidays. For the fuller breakdown across every UK operator, see our package holidays comparison.
TUI’s city break range covers destinations like Budapest, Prague and Krakow that some short-haul operators don’t offer as packages, alongside the beach and long-haul holidays it’s best known for.
TUI Holidays vs booking separately
For a family beach holiday of a week or more, the package usually beats DIY booking once you add up hold luggage, transfers and ATOL cover. For a long-haul trip, TUI’s package prices are often close to or cheaper than booking flights and hotels independently, because TUI negotiates hotel rates in bulk that individual travellers can’t access. For a light-packing solo city break, the savings are smaller, so it’s worth pricing both options before you book.
How to get the best price on a TUI holiday
Booking early gives you the widest choice of hotels and the lowest deposit options. TUI’s biggest sales tend to land in January, when new-year booking demand peaks, and again in early spring as summer availability starts to sell through. Midweek departures are consistently cheaper than Friday or Saturday flights.
The low deposit and £0 deposit by Direct Debit options are worth using if you want to lock in a price without paying in full months ahead. TUI’s biggest discounts land during set sale windows rather than through codes, so it’s worth checking our guide to when TUI has sales before you book.
Browse current TUI holidays to see live prices from your nearest UK airport.
Practical guides for TUI travellers
TUI baggage allowance 2026: every hold and hand luggage rule by holiday type.
Hand luggage size for UK airlines: compare TUI’s cabin bag rules against every other UK carrier.
Airline Luggage Checker: check your allowance against eight UK airlines side by side.
Canary Islands holidays: TUI’s most popular winter-sun destination in detail.
| Detail | TUI Holidays |
|---|---|
| ATOL licence | 2524 |
| ABTA membership | V5126 |
| Standard hold bag | 20kg per person (25kg on select packages) |
| Low deposit | From £60pp, or £0 by Direct Debit (26+ weeks out) |
| Price-Match window | 72 hours from booking |
| Destinations | 100+ across 20+ UK airports |
Frequently asked questions
Is TUI Holidays ATOL and ABTA protected?
Yes. TUI holds ATOL licence number 2524 and an ABTA bond (V5126). ATOL protects your money if TUI stops trading, and ABTA covers your right to the holiday you were sold.
What luggage is included in a TUI holiday?
Most packages include a 20kg hold bag per person, rising to 25kg on TUI BLUE, Sensatori, Holiday Village and River Cruise bookings, plus a 10kg cabin bag and personal item. Flight-only bookings don’t include hold luggage.
How much deposit do you need for a TUI holiday?
Deposits start from £60 per person on the Low Deposit scheme, or £0 by Direct Debit if you’re booking 26 weeks or more ahead. The balance is typically due 12 weeks before departure, or 30 days before for summer 2026 low-deposit bookings.
What happens if you cancel a TUI holiday?
You lose your deposit if you cancel 70 days or more before travel, rising on a sliding scale to 100% of the holiday price inside 14 days. The exact fee depends on how long before departure you cancel.
Does TUI have a price guarantee?
Yes. The Price-Match Promise refunds the difference if you find the exact same TUI holiday cheaper elsewhere within 72 hours of booking, provided the flight, hotel and every other detail match exactly.
Is TUI Holidays actually any good?
Reviews are mixed. Which? gave it a 76% customer score in 2026, ranking it 16th of 30 operators and outside its Recommended Providers list. Trustpilot rates it 4.6 out of 5 from over 180,000 reviews.
How does TUI compare with Jet2holidays and easyJet Holidays?
TUI includes slightly less hold luggage as standard than Jet2holidays or easyJet Holidays, but it’s the only one of the three with long-haul and worldwide destinations. Jet2 and easyJet are both short and mid-haul only.
Is it cheaper to book a TUI holiday or separately?
For a family beach holiday, the package usually wins once you add up luggage, transfers and ATOL cover. For a light-packing solo city break, a DIY booking may work out slightly cheaper.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
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