Photo by Linval Ebanks
At the beginning of the year, most people hit “pause” on life and take stock of where they are, and where they want to go — both literally and figuratively! Many families start dreaming about what incredible vacations they want to take over the next 12 months.
This feature article highlights what’s really going on in the travel marketplace for today’s consumer.
The best practice is booking as far in advance of your travel date as possible, and here’s why.
Three Critical Reasons Why You Want To Book Your Travel Today
1.You’ll Get the Best Discounts Now:
Gone are the days when resorts and cruise ships hosted incredibly discounted sales on rooms and cabins mere weeks before a specified date. These days, travel suppliers, including resorts, hotels, cruise lines, and airlines, use very sophisticated technology to predict their seasonal yields, and they price accordingly. Instead of rooms getting cheaper closer to the travel date, they get more expensive, because there’s higher demand for less inventory. So you’ll be getting the best deal possible by booking six months in advance or more. If you’re worried about plopping down a ton of money on a deposit right at the booking, don’t be; deposits for families of four are usually under $1,000 — and often lower than that.
2.You’ll Get the Pick of the Ship (or Resort):
The sooner you book, the more selection you’ll have. So if you have your sights set on a top balcony suite overlooking the ocean — or a room nearest the water park, for example, if you’re traveling with kids — book now to guarantee you’ll get your top pick. You’ll also get the best flight times at the best prices earlier on, and you’ll have a much better chance of snagging a seat next to your travel partner. There’s nothing worse than having to sit rows away from your loved ones when you’re just embarking on your vacation!
3.Go Ahead and Recommit:
Maybe you’ve experienced this during your travels before: Many resorts and cruise lines will try to get you to recommit to your next vacation with them before you’ve even debarked the ship or left the resort. If you’ve been wary of this practice before, don’t be — recommitting on site is a great way to get more discounts and the best rooms on the ships or at resorts. Plus, the booking automatically transfers over to your travel agent. So if you usually use Southern Travel Agency, the resort or ship will share the “recommit” booking information with us so we can handle the rest of the travel details for you!
We’ll Plan the Best Vacation Just for You
Unless you’re planning on traveling in the extreme off-season (for example, taking a cruise right after Thanksgiving and before the second week of December), your best bet on getting the best prices and amenities is by booking early in the year.
If you’re already thinking about this year’s vacation, why not go ahead and book? Our travel experts are ready to help — contact our travel experts to get the ball rolling on travel.