Own flight or flights included? How joining a group works

On most Spice Escapes holidays you do not have to fly with the group. You choose a fare: the price with flights from a UK airport, or an own flight fare that leaves the flights out and lets you arrange your own way there. The hotel, the group and the plans are the same either way, and the own flight fare is the lower of the two because it takes the flights off the bill.

The choice sits under the fares on most holiday pages. On Kraków Discovery4 nights · from £589, for example, there is a fare for each UK airport the group flies from, plus an own flight fare. This page explains what the fare names mean, what stays protected and what to check before you buy a flight of your own.

The fare names, and what each one tells you

The names are the ones the holiday page prints. They look similar, so here is how to read them:

• Own flight without transfers: you arrange your own flight, and your own way between the airport and the hotel. Most holidays use this name.
• Own flight and transfers: you arrange the flight, and the transfers between airport and hotel are included. This is the name on Fuerteventura and on Prague Christmas Magic.
• Own travel and Own flight: the same idea on the holidays that use these shorter names, such as the Paris boat hotel and Ancient Athens. The page tells you what the price covers.
• A named UK airport, such as London Stansted or Manchester: the fare that includes flights from that airport. The same holiday carries one fare for each airport the group flies from.

A few holidays have no own flight fare at all. Some of those need no flight: the fjord cruise sails from London Tilbury and back, so there are no airports, and the First World War journey goes by Eurostar from St Pancras.

What stays the same when you make your own way

The fare is the only thing that changes. You are on the same departure, in the same hotel, following the same suggested itinerary as everyone else, with the same Spice host. What the holiday includes, such as breakfasts, evening meals and the excursions listed on the page, is part of the holiday and not of the flight.

What does change is the journey. Your flight times are yours to choose, your baggage allowance is the airline's, and on the without transfers fares the trip from the airport to the hotel is yours to sort out. Read the first day of the itinerary and aim to arrive on it.

Is my money protected if I book my own flight?

Spice Escapes holds payments for the holiday in a bonded trust account. Holidays booked with flights are ATOL protected under licence 9046. If you arrange your own flight, the money you pay Spice for the holiday is still protected by the trust account, but the flight you buy elsewhere is not covered by Spice's ATOL.

That is worth a moment's thought when you shop for the flight. Check what the airline or the booking site offers if the flight is cancelled, and make sure your travel insurance covers a trip that depends on a flight you booked yourself.

Four holidays where the own flight choice shows clearly

Berlin Bound: every fare side by side

4 Jun 2027 – 7 Jun 2027 · 3 nightsBerlin Bound22 places availablefrom £549See this holiday →

Berlin Bound lists the own flight without transfers fare beside a fare for each airport the group flies from, so you can compare them directly. The itinerary has a transfer to the hotel on the first day, where rooms are ready for check-in by 3pm, and a transfer to the airport on the last. If you fly yourself on the own flight fare, 3pm is the time to aim for, and both airport journeys are yours to plan. The hotel is by Alexanderplatz, a short walk from Museum Island. The itinerary also recommends the Berlin Welcome Card, and the level it points to covers public transport around the city and to and from the airport.

Fuerteventura: the airport journey is looked after

30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027 · 7 nightsAll Inclusive Fuerteventura Winter Sun & FunPlaces availablefrom £1,19936 already going · 3 places leftSee this holiday →

All Inclusive Fuerteventura Winter Sun & Fun is an adults-only hotel where all meals and drinks are included, and its own flight fare is the one called own flight and transfers. That makes it the simplest holiday here to arrange yourself: the transfers between airport and hotel are part of the fare, so the only thing to book is the flight itself. You get a four-star sea-view room, strolls along Jandía Beach when you fancy them, and a spa, jacuzzi and pool for the days you do nothing. Steve Dell is the Spice host.

Prague Christmas Magic: a short break with transfers included

4 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 · 3 nightsPrague Christmas MagicPlaces availablefrom £67514 already goingSee this holiday →

Prague Christmas Magic uses the same own flight and transfers fare, which suits a short break where you would rather not work out the airport journey at the other end. The first day is flying in, a transfer to your centrally located hotel and an evening to settle in, perhaps with a stroll to see the lights of the Old Town Square. Hotel Rott stands on Little Square, steps from the Old Town Square, so the market is minutes away, and a Spice host is with the group for all the nights.

A Taste of Lisbon: the metro to the hotel door

15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027 · 3 nightsA Taste of LisbonPlaces availablefrom £63915 already goingSee this holiday →

A Taste of Lisbon sells an own flight without transfers fare, and the holiday page says why: the quickest way into the city from the airport is the metro, and there is a stop very close to the hotel. Details of how to use it come with the joining information before you travel. The first day is arriving, settling in and a relaxed wander round the local area, so there is no fixed hour to rush for. The hotel, My Story Hotel Tejo, is in downtown Lisbon next to Figueira Square.

Why people choose to make their own way

The reasons are practical. Some live a long way from the airports the group flies from. Others prefer to pick their own flight times, or already hold a ticket or airline points they want to use. The choice does not change which holiday you are on or who you travel with, and it does not make you a different kind of guest. For the other ways to keep the cost down, read affordable group holidays for one.

If you are weighing a holiday for the first time, our guide for first-time solo travellers covers the rest of the booking. The single supplement page shows what a room of your own costs on each holiday, and solo holidays for the over 50s shows what is on sale. For the choice of destination, start with holidays in Poland or the short breaks page.

Questions people ask

Do I have to fly with the group?

No. Most holidays offer an own flight fare, and a few need no flight at all. Choose the fare that suits you on the holiday page.

Is my money protected if I arrange my own flight?

The money you pay Spice Escapes for the holiday is held in a bonded trust account either way. Only holidays booked with flights through Spice carry ATOL protection, so a flight you buy elsewhere is not covered by it.

Are airport transfers included?

It depends on the fare name. Own flight and transfers includes them, and own flight without transfers does not. The fare name on the holiday page settles it.

Is the own flight fare cheaper?

Yes, because it leaves the flights out. Compare it with the fares that include flights, and add what you would pay for your own flight, before you decide.

Can I fly from an airport the group does not use?

Yes. The own flight fare lets you fly from wherever suits you, as long as you arrive for the first day of the itinerary.

See the dates and book Kraków Discovery online

26 May 2027 – 30 May 2027 · 4 nightsKraków DiscoveryPlaces availablefrom £58918 already goingSee the dates and book online for Kraków Discovery

For a question before booking, ask Jackie Whyte, the Spice host, through our contact page, or ask Rosie, the chat on every holiday page.