Friday, September 19, 2014

Now or Later?





As a travel agent, I am asked all the time, "Should I book now or wait and see if I can get a better deal later?".   I am here now to answer this question once and for all....

There is no perfect answer to this question.

Nope.  Sorry.  I don't have any magic formulas to reveal.  There are pros and cons to both.

- Booking now guarantees that you will get the resort that you want, the room category that you want, at the price that is advertised right now.
- Booking now, if far enough in advance, gives you an opportunity to pay off your vacation before you even leave your house.  A big plus!
- Booking now, if far in advance, could mean that the price MAY drop.  Not every tour company offers a price drop guarantee, but there are some who, if the price does go down on the exact package that you booked, they will honor it ONE TIME.
- Booking now, for a holiday that may not be happening until next year, anything could happen between now and then.  Something unforeseen may cause you to not be able to go when the time comes.  However, this is why you listen to your travel agent and always purchase insurance for your vacation that includes cancellation insurance.  Although cancellation insurance doesn't cover, "I've changed my mind", it does cover many other legitimate reasons.  This does not just necessarily apply to booking in advance, but booking anytime.  Life happens.  Be prepared!

- Booking later, you can sometimes score a great deal!
- Booking later gives you that exciting, spur of the moment feeling of, "Yes!  We are taking off!"
- Booking later can make your choices really easy....this could be a good thing or bad.
- Booking later, the resort you have been wanting, or the room category you have had your heart set on, may have already been booked up by other people planning in advance.  Then, the resort you have been imagining yourself at, gets tossed out the window, and the search for a new one begins.  Again, your travel agent will already know what type of place you are looking for and will be an invaluable source of information and help.
- Booking later, the price may go UP.  There is a common misconception that last-minute travel is the best deal available.  This is not case at all!  Sure, sometimes there are fantastic last-minute deals, but not always.  Sometimes the best deals are months in advance!!  Think about it, if a supplier sees how hot their destination/resort are on the market, they are going to want to make as much money as possible on that!!
- Booking later, you should always plan for the worst but expect the best.  Even if you are leaving tomorrow, listen to your travel advisor and buy that travel insurance!  

So, I'm sorry that there are no great secrets revealed in this post.  Everyone has their own different travel and planning styles.  Some people like to plan far in advance, others just like to be spur of the moment.  Neither are bad!!   The bottom line is that you go and have an amazing time!

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