Why use Cactus to book your language holiday abroad?

Here’s a run-down of the factors that make booking with Cactus the best way to ensure both value for money, and a great learning experience abroad.

1. First-hand experience of our courses

Here at Cactus, we all speak foreign languages and have attended courses abroad and in the UK. Every year we are encouraged to take a week-long language course at one of our partner schools, which gives us first-hand experience of what it’s like to take the courses that we sell, and an understanding of the questions and concerns that you might have.

2. Useful insight into our schools

Aside from the language course that we take each year, we also visit our partner schools on familiarisation, or ‘fam’ trips. This ensures that we have direct experience of the schools that we work with, meaning we can give you informed and impartial advice on which would be most suitable for your requirements, tastes and budget.

3. Help with foreign language communication

If you’re a beginner and don’t speak any of the language that you’re hoping to study, booking through Cactus avoids any communication difficulties that you might experience if booking directly with a foreign school. All course advisers at Cactus speak foreign languages, and can organise your booking in the language that you’re hoping to learn on your behalf.

4. Financial security through ATOL and TOPP

We’re ATOL bonded and TOPP protected, so your money is safe in the unlikely event of financial failure.

5. Careful school selection to ensure quality

It’s worth pointing out that all of the schools we work with have been carefully selected – in other words, we don’t just work with anyone who approaches us. We only maintain partnerships with schools that we consider to be high-quality, fully compliant with laws and regulations, and that we think will provide you with a great learning experience.

6. Lower costs relating to currency and domestic call rates

If you live in the UK, for example, you can pay for a course taking place in Europe or South America in Pounds, which may avoid currency/bank transfer fees that you might incur when booking direct. Equally, our US customers can pay for their courses in Dollars. Although it may seem like a small point, talking to our advisers in Brighton/New York also means that you avoid paying international call rates when you book and pay for the course, which, in some cases can prove costly.

7. Flexibility with payment options

We recognise that paying for a course and accommodation abroad can be a significant financial commitment, especially in these difficult financial times, and as such are able to offer certain bookings the option to pay in instalments.

8. Peace of mind in the case of emergencies or problems

Although the vast majority of people who book courses abroad with us have a fantastic time, occasionally there will be instances where people need to get home quickly, or where something occurs during their course that they need help dealing with. Our advisers are here to help throughout your whole booking, from start to end, and having an English speaking contact at the end of the phone who can offer useful language skills, or make the most of close relationships with the school staff to help sort your issue, can be priceless.

9. Useful assistance with travel ‘extras’

A point that again, is especially useful for beginner language learners, is that we are also able to help with arranging airport transfers and other travel ‘extras’ that you may require, including extra nights accommodation (availability permitting), hotel accommodation and multi-destination trips.

10. Continued learning after your trip

When booking with Cactus, we have options for you after your course abroad to help you continue your learning when you get back. We are all passionate about language learning, and we want to encourage our clients as much as possible to make the most of what they’ve learnt and to carry on building their skills. As a result, we offer discounts to anyone who wants to continue learning at one of our UK or US based language courses, which include 10-week evening courses, 5-week evening courses, 1-week intensive courses and weekend ‘crash’ courses. Tailor-made language training to cater for your individual needs can also be organised for you, at a discounted price.

Please visit the Cactus Language website for course listings, prices and to book a course.