Choosing the perfect destination at a price that's right can make or break your summer. The internet has emerged as a strong alternative to travel agents when booking summer breaks, write Ali Bracken and Anja Friedrich

But with no after-care service available to online customers, disappointments can result if standards falls short of expectations. But an Irish Times survey found that booking online offers greater holiday independence as well as - mostly - a cheaper holiday deal.

An exclusive Club Med two-week holiday to Kemer in Turkey cost € 2,676 per person, € 5,352 for a couple. This includes flights, accommodation in Club Med's three-star village, unlimited food and drink, night-time entertainment and water-sports. Alternatively, if you shop around online, a couple can book flights and a five-star hotel for € 2,628 for two. A five-night trip to New York costs € 3,200 with Dalkey Travel but the agent stressed that travelling in August "is not the ideal time because you are paying top price for hotel and flight". The same trip and stay in the same Manhattan hotel costs over € 630 less for a couple who book their holiday online.

Travel agents have access to "bed banks", cheaper hotel and apartment accommodation than is available to the general public, says Michael Doorley, president of the Irish Travel Agents' Association (ITAA). However, by searching the internet, hotel accommodation of the same standard is available for the same price or less.

"For a short break, there is definitely savings to be made [by booking online rather than through a travel agents]," said Dermott Jewell, chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland. "The downside is that you are on your own, there is no travel agent to fall back on if there is a glitch or a problem. This could ruin your holiday. But it's great for people who don't want a standardised holiday. It's very much up to the individual."