Not many posts lately as we have found ourselves a bit under water with tour bookings. Its a great problem to have when all the news is seeminly bad, yet curious that business is so strong. We certainly won't complain. While it is hard to manage last minute bookings, we are getting them done. It is obvious why it is the year of the last minute booking - if anyone reads the news they gotta be scared! So, planning far in advance for a vacation doesn't seem like a good strategy anymore.
In light of this trend, how can travelers keep the stress level down and plan a vacation? First of all, I suggest that a traveler stop watching the news! Or, at least try to put things in perspective when you get your news. Consider why you might be waiting and not booking in advance. Is it a tenuous job situation? Is it a tenuous financial situation, or both perhaps? These are stressful enough on their own. A vacation is a nice getaway from those stresses and the media and other daily life adventures. But, I suggest you look at the type of vacation that you want to have. If you book in advance, are there penalties to cancel? If so, how much and is it worth it to book in advance? For example as we are finding in much of France, hotels are filling up and space is getting sold. If you are really set on a particular experience, you may want to weigh the costs of cancellation against not being able to book it later for lack of space. And, can you get an airline ticket at the last minute; and at what price? Do these add up to good choices?
Anyone looking at our self guided trips or just doing a trip, on their own -on the fly - should be ok to wait to book, as long as you remain flexible. We are adjusting hotels to sometimes upgrade or go down a star rating in order to get an itinerary to work. Sometimes we have to adjust by a day or two for the start. Last minute bookers should expect to be flexible - in time, and possibly cost as well as lodging.
With what seems to be a bad economic time for many, one would think discounts could be had. The airlines and some hotels have started to train the public that booking last minute is the way to get a deal. That is not a universal application. Many people have asked us for a discount on our tours this year; unfortunately we aren't getting any discounts from our suppliers and we are at much lower margins than our industry standard. So, discounts, if you will, are already built in - the price is the price. We recommend some comparison shopping and you should ask yourself how a company that is offering a $500 discount on a tour can do so without losing a lot of money. And, do you think they are losing any money? If so, they won't be around long! Look at the terms and consider how much your paying for that product!
Booking last minute shouldn't be planning last minute. Travelers should continue to do their homework and study the exchange rates, evaluate the terms and conditions of the tour they like and the competition, and finally watch the airfares and their attached terms. If you do so, you'll be very informed when it does finally come time to book - even if its last minute.
