STA Travel (STA Travel)

Member Name: abyznw

Product:	STA Travel
Date:	04/03/09 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great staff, friendly atmosphere

Disadvantages: Extremely busy, problems with the computers

STA Travel is a Travel company that is specifically geared towards student travel, they have branches all over and have 45 branches in the UK alone.
A few months ago I went on holiday to Australia, I had a fantastic time, and although Australia and its inhabitants were mostly responsible for this, I think it's only fair to recognize the contribution made by STA Travel! I visited the Leeds and Preston branch and booked flights, a tour and a large chunk of my accommodation through the company. I went in relatively clueless - I hadn't really thought further ahead than 'I want to go to Australia', but after two meetings with STA Travel, I had an itinerary, a good deal on flights, and plenty of useful tips on places to go and things to see.

Advantages:
The great thing about STA is the staff - they all seem to be keen travelers - the woman who booked my holiday in the Leeds branch had spent 3 months in Australia, and so was able to give me great advice that I wouldn't get elsewhere, such as travel tips, advice on local customs and telling me the best places to stay. For example, I had plan to visit Cairns, but she told me it was the Australian version of Blackpool, and seen as I was looking for something different from my holiday I avoided Cairns and spent my time in areas more suitable to the kind of holiday I wanted.
As with any travel agents, I am always dubious that I am going to be talked into spending an excessive amount of money on flights and accommodation, but I really didn't feel like that with STA. There was no pressure to purchase, and I was able to go home and have a real think through all the information they gave me, and I felt like they really got me a good deal.

Disadvantages:
One problem with STA is that they are always really busy. I was fine because I had booked an appointment, but both times I went in there was a big queue of people who had just dropped by who had to wait, so I would definitely say book an appointment. Also in both branches they had problems with the computers which was a bit of a pain, though this could have been just my bad luck rather than a problem with the company.

Overall:
I would recommend STA to any student wishing to book a holiday - the staff are always friendly and seem to go out of their way to help you out. They have a lot of experience and definitely added to me having a great holiday.

Summary: A great company to book a holiday through