Doing the trip DYI HELPPPPPPP lol

[potterp]

Hi everyone.

We are looking to go to Florida in 2021. Normally we just book with virgin but have decided to try and Do It Ourselfs. I was just wondering of anyone has a guide. We are not doing the parks as we just want a villa and 2/3 weeks sunshine. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Things I'm looking at would be Booking a Villa how much deposit do most people look for. What's best car hire, best ways to go about booking flights, what worries us we book a villa then cant get flights that fit.

Thanks Potterp

[Cannavar]

everyone will have their own ideas on this one. Me, I always buy the flights before anythign else. Once I have that "skeleton" of dates I can by everything else hang off it from that point forward. Also, if you book at the earliest possible time you will nearly always get the best prices for what is normally the most expensive part of the trip.

I understand some will say that they would miss out on the villa they want if they waited for the flights. I understand that and is something to think about.

They rest is the easy part Car hire I take my time over, use the sites that allow cancellation and just rebook if I find it cheaper...its easy.

[TelfordWolf]

okay - we have done this many times now...
Flights will be available from 330-365 days out... generally speaking I would book those first as you then know your dates and can look for a villa to suit..
However if you find a villa you really want you could book that first with the caveat that the owner could move your dates by a day or two - usually okay for most I think.
Once you have a flight and villa, you just need Car Hire - I use Virgin as they are usually very competitive and decent car choice.
After that its tickets if you want any and then planning...
Hope that helps...

[potterp]

Hi all. Thanks for info so far.

Does anyone how payment is broken down when renting villa. When does it have to be paid in full how much deposit roughly do people take.

Thanks.

[cornishfrogboy]

We have increasingly moved away from the parks and have found some really great things to do in the area.

1. Rainbow River at Dunellon. You kayak or tube down a 4.5 mile, Chrystal clear river (see my report, Epilogue, Planes Trains and Automobiles)
2. Horse riding at the lazy h ranch. (See trippie).
3. De Soto beach and fort (South of St Peters).
4. Casperson beach (use a Walmart serve and find fossilised Sharks teeth.
5. Delnor Wiggins State Park long drive, but beautiful.
6. Airboat ride with Buffalo Tiger on the Tamiami near Miami.. nothing like the ones around Orlando (See trippie).
7.KSC
8. Valiant Air command museum at Titusville.
9. Daytona Beach, great promenade, speedway and racing history.
10.Old town Kissimmee.
11. Crab Island at Destin (boat trip where there is no island.. and no crabs.
12. Pensacola Beach.
13. Pensacola Naval Aviation museum.

That may give you plenty to research!

[ROBBOTOO]

If the villa is a big part of the holiday, especially if not doing parks, then decide what you want from it.

We have to have nice private view (we like lake facing), don’t want to be overlooked by other villas or looking at a fence.

South facing pool aspect (to get the best/most for villa/pool days).

Covered lanai area (needed for shade from the sun but also to still be outside if it’s raining).

The villa needs a lot of good (plus importantly recent) reviews.

Good contact with the actual owner is a must for us.

Plus we like a late check out on last day. Don’t want to be out of the villa and killing time before an evening flight home personally. We like to have access to the villa, pool, shower etc and our luggage is safe too.

Plus a villa owner who will hold a few days around the ones you are looking for until flights are released, to allow a few dates either side once flights are out to allow you to pick the dates which are best for you.

[Sew109]

Originally Posted by TelfordWolf

okay - we have done this many times now...
Flights will be available from 330-365 days out... generally speaking I would book those first as you then know your dates and can look for a villa to suit..
However if you find a villa you really want you could book that first with the caveat that the owner could move your dates by a day or two - usually okay for most I think.
Once you have a flight and villa, you just need Car Hire - I use Virgin as they are usually very competitive and decent car choice.
After that its tickets if you want any and then planning...
Hope that helps...

See more...

I would always book the accom first there are flights on 365 days of the year 366 on a leap year. If you do see it cheaper to move by a day or 2 then you can ask the villa owner if they can help you if not you need to get a hotel for a night or 2 at the beginning or end of your holiday.

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Sew109

I would always book the accom first there are flights on 365 days of the year 366 on a leap year. If you do see it cheaper to move by a day or 2 then you can ask the villa owner if they can help you if not you need to get a hotel for a night or 2 at the beginning or end of your holiday.

See more...

We are totally the opposite.

Whilst the cost of a villa doesn’t move very much over a few days or even weeks and there is clearly an oversupply ( In 2016 we were left stranded at 3 weeks out, wanting 10 days in the Easter school hols and had absolutely loads of good choice as we rebooked), flights are a very different matter indeed. I would hate to be unnecessarily restricted in my choice of flights by the fact that I am already committed to a villa. I don’t even like confining myself to an airport of either departure (London) or arrival. We have either arrived or departed at Daytona, Sanford, Tampa, MCO, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Pensacola.

I research a great deal before committing to buy flights and have saved hundreds of pounds pp, when moving by maybe a week over the summer vacation period (clearly you are more restricted at Easter).

For us, we would never book a villa before we have purchased our flights. I have no great concerns over a particular villa or even a particular area (within reason). We have never yet stayed in a villa that was not very good indeed.

There are advantages and disadvantages either way, depending on where your priorities lie. For me, it is money over villa.

[themurray's]

I am in the same position for next year. We booked a DIBB villa with £200 deposit with remainder due 10 weeks before.

[Kasalic]

Our villa for next year had a much larger deposit than usual, it was just over half the cost, with the remainder due 8 weeks before we go.

I would normally get flights first, and then villa to fit, but this time the OH chose a villa which she really liked. I will find flights as cheap as I can, but may have to look at booking a couple of days early or late and stay in a hotel either side if that saves money. The key point is make this an added part of the holiday, and not just an inconvenience.