Why Booking a Holiday Shouldn’t Feel Like a Full-Time Job

We work with many businesses to help them manage travel more effectively, but sometimes, even our clients need a little reminder of just how valuable expert advice can be.

Take Anthony O’Mara who is an advisor to Frosch, for example. As a coach, business advisor, and consultant, he spends his days helping companies work smarter, not harder. Yet when it came to booking his own family holiday, he found himself making the same mistake he had for years, trying to do it all himself.

We’ll let him tell the story…

Planning Your Holiday Should Be Exciting, Not Exhausting

One of the things I have never enjoyed is booking holidays or, more specifically, picking a hotel after deciding on a location. You’d think that after choosing where to go, the hardest part would be over. But no. That’s when the real challenge begins.

A quick search for “hotels in the Costa del Sol” delivers thousands of options, each one looking like a five-star oasis, promising an unforgettable stay. You scroll through picture-perfect pools, airy rooms with crisp white linens, and glowing reviews that convince you this is the one… until you read the next review.

And so begins the spiral:

• This one looks great, but is it too cheap?
• That one has an amazing pool, but someone on TripAdvisor claims the staff are “soulless.”
• This one seems perfect, but what if I keep looking and find something even better?

Before you know it, what should be an exciting decision turns into analysis paralysis.

The Paradox of Choice

Barry Schwartz calls this the paradox of choice—the idea that having too many options actually makes decision-making harder. Instead of feeling confident in our selection, we second-guess ourselves, overanalyse, and ultimately feel less satisfied with whatever we choose.

I’ve been caught in this trap more times than I care to admit. But this time, I decided to do something different.

Since one of my clients is Frosch Ireland, a travel company, I reached out to one of their consultants and asked for help. In just a few minutes, they asked me the right questions, what mattered to me, what I wanted to avoid and within half an hour, I had three carefully selected hotel options, each tailored to my needs, with the added benefit of local knowledge.

Ten minutes later, the family agreed, and the holiday was booked. No stress. No scrolling. No second-guessing.

So, why have I been doing this to myself for the last 20 years?

For a long time, I convinced myself that more control meant better results. But in reality, expertise and efficiency are far more valuable.

This applies well beyond holiday bookings. Whether it’s business, leadership, or strategy, we often believe that spending more time and effort on a decision will lead to a better outcome. But sometimes, the smartest move is to step back and let an expert do what they do best.

Next time, whether it’s travel, business, or any major decision, I’ll be asking myself: Am I making this harder than it needs to be?

And if the answer is yes, I’ll be calling in the experts.

From Frosch Ireland:

At Frosch Ireland, we take the stress out of travel planning. Be it a short break or the trip of a lifetime, we help you find the right destination. Frosch offers top hotels and handles the details, so you can relax and enjoy your holiday stress-free. Get in touch with us, we’ll take care of everything!