What gives early booking tours. What is an early booking? And how profitable is it? What is hidden under the sign "Hot tours"
What is early booking and does it really save money? What are the pros and cons of early booking? Who benefits from it? In this article I will tell you in detail about everything and give advice.
This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age.
Are you over 18 already?
Early booking tourist packages are gaining more and more popularity every year. Travel agencies offer tourists to book a summer tour in winter, and in summer to book a trip to New Year and offer huge discounts. Everyone wants to have a good rest, but no one wants to overpay for their vacation, and this is quite logical.
What is early booking and who benefits from it
Early booking is booking a tour at least 21 days before departure (usually these are not very popular destinations). This special offer with an attractive price and the ability to pay for the tour in several stages. In the tourism business, like any other, everything depends on demand: high demand - high price, low demand - low price. The "winter season" is considered the "low season" in tourism, after the "New Year's boom" the tourist market freezes. Of course, tourists vacation all year round, many go to warm up, others go skiing or fly to sales in Europe. But still, February and March are the months when there is no huge tourist flow. What to do to "cheer up" the tourist market?
Let's first remember what a travel package (tour) consists of. The cost of the tour consists of the cost of the accommodation facility (the main part of the tour), air travel, transfer and medical insurance. Many Mediterranean hotels work in the "minus" in winter, and, of course, they need the money. Where can you get them? It's simple: hoteliers give good discounts to tour operators, subject to receipt Money Here and now. Accordingly, the tour operator has the opportunity to reduce the price, the tourist will book the tour and pay for part of it right now at a “low price”. » season. Everything is quite simple.
Everyone benefits from early booking, starting with hoteliers who can “survive” the winter: in any case, they will not work at a loss, because the “high season” is ahead, during which they will earn very good money. The tour operator is also satisfied, he has the opportunity to earn money even during the "low season" and be sure that there will be income. And the tourist gets his discount.
And now about the most important thing: is it really worth running to a travel agency or a tour operator in February-March and booking a tour for the summer period? Below are the pros and cons of early booking for a tourist.
Advantages of early booking
1. Choosing a convenient flight.During the "high season", the most popular destinations are usually served by several flights a day. By booking a tour in advance, you can choose a flight and departure airport that is convenient for you (in most cases, you will have to pay extra for specifying a flight). But during the season, mostly charter flights fly, which means that even if you have specified the flight, the flight can be rescheduled.
Advice! If you are dependent on departure time, book tickets for regular flights- this will help to avoid unpleasant surprises, but regular flights are always more expensive than charter ones.
2. Wide range of accommodation facilities.Booking a tour in advance, you have the opportunity to choose exactly the hotel you need. This is the main plus, because the choice is huge, you can choose among thousands of hotels, apartments and villas. You can choose the category of room you need - this is important when relaxing with a large company or with children. Some tourists prefer to rest year after year in the same hotel. If the choice of accommodation is a priority for you, then early booking is for you. Indeed, in the "high season" there may simply not be places in the hotel.
3. The cost of the tour and the payment of the tour.The cost of early booking is lower than in the season (of course, "hot tours ”No one has canceled, but they may or may not be, and remember that a “burning tour” is almost always leftovers that they could not sell). The cost of the tour for early booking is fixed in currency (dollar, euro) and is paid at the rate of the tour operator on the day of payment. This means that the cost of the tour will only change depending on changes in the exchange rate. Tour operators pay differently for the tour, but most often you first need to pay 50% of the tour cost, then you can pay in installments, and 2 weeks before the start of the tour, payment must be 100%
4. Planning.Many tourists like to plan everything in advance and know that they will fly to rest on a certain day, in a certain hotel. Booked a tour in February and relaxed until August. During this time, you can plan, for example, interesting excursions. Or if you are flying with one company, but from different cities, then it is very important that the whole company rests in one place at the same time. Many vacations take place on fixed dates, and if you do not take care of the tour in advance, then there may simply be no seats on the flight that day.
Cons of early booking
1. Cancellation.Many tour operators apply very severe penalties when canceling tours. And some even fine for making changes to the application, for example, changing the name. Or, let's say you decide to remove / add a tourist to the application. Although every year tour operators are becoming more loyal. In any case, carefully read the contract for the provision of services, especially the clause with the terms of the penalty.
2. "Hot tours". TO as I wrote above, this is most often what is left, for example, a plane flies, and 70 seats are bought from tour operators, and 68 are sold, money for the seats is paid, and the tour operator gives it away at “cost”, respectively, the price decreases. It's the same with the rooms in the accommodation facilities. But good tours also sometimes burn, but again, this is a matter of luck.
3. Exchange Rates. The question is ambiguous. The cost of the tour is fixed in foreign currency, and the exchange rate is not always stable. So, for example, tourists who booked tours for the New Year in the summer of 2014 did not save, but rather overpaid, because the exchange rate in the fall of 2014 more than doubled. This happens infrequently, but nevertheless we are not immune from it. In any case, most often the tourist immediately pays 30-50% of the cost of the tour, and the recalculation is already for the remaining amount.
1.Tourism is a business, and no one will do charity work and "give" vacation to the detriment of their business. Therefore, when you are promised discounts of up to 50%, this is nothing more than a marketing ploy. Yes, you can really save money on early booking, but not much.
2.Buy early booking tours only from a trusted travel agency.
3.Check the tour operator, go to the Rostourism website, make sure that the tour operator really exists and conducts tourism activities. In principle, good travel agencies do not work with unreliable tour operators. Alas, not a single tour operator is immune from bankruptcy, and we have clearly seen this over the past few years.
4.Carefully, no, read the terms of the contract very carefully.
5.Keep the contract for the provision of tourist services and all payment documents until you return to your home country, so that in case of unpleasant situations, for example, checking into the wrong room, you have evidence in court.
In any case, you decide what is best for you. Early booking is really beneficial, but is it really reliable in today's economy? In any case, you need to rest, because travel helps us to take a break from everyday life, see the world and get incredible emotions.
Early booking is bargain tour with discounts from 10 to 50 percent. As well as the opportunity to plan your budget and vacation in advance.
Why should the tour be booked in advance? 5 reasons.
1. Opportunity to save money and get mutual benefit.
If you book a tour using the early booking system, this means that the tour must be purchased before the start of the tourist season, for example, a few months before your trip. All tour operators and hotels are very interested in selling as many tours as possible by the beginning of the season, thereby supplying themselves with customers and warning themselves against economic worries and various situations. Hotels want to have a large number of tourists, so they make good discounts. Similarly, tour operators have their own interest in making tours in advance. By providing discounts on ready-made tours, tour operators thereby reduce the risks of not selling tours. As a result, the discount for the early booking system is obtained from the discount of the hotel and a particular tour operator. The discount strongly depends on the hotel and destination. It usually ranges from 10 to 50 percent. Early booking - it means to buy a tour profitable!
2. Large selection of tours.
If you are thinking about summer holidays in winter, or in summer about winter holidays, then you have an amazing opportunity to choose any hotel that is presented by the tour operator from which you are going to go on vacation. Before the start of the summer season, almost all hotels are free and quickly confirm the reservation. As we all know, the best deals sell out first. Don't miss the chance to be among those lucky ones who have a rest in the best hotels in the peak of the season, paying a low price for the tour!
3. Tour planning.
Early booking gives you a great opportunity to plan your trip! You can choose a hotel and an airline in advance, buy the necessary things and pack your suitcase, make an excursion and entertainment program, get acquainted with information on the country you are going to travel to. In general, you will have a lot of time to plan your vacation in such a way as you see it as ideal.
4. Flight.
If you book a tour in advance, then you have the right to choose a flight from your favorite airline, as well as on the dates and convenient time of departure. For example, it may be an early departure (morning) to the planned country, and a late departure (evening or night) back. Convenient isn't it? Thus, during the early booking campaign, you can choose any flights that will be available and convenient for you and your family!
5. When is the early booking promotion?
Tour operators usually hold an early booking promotion 2 times a year - before the start of the summer and winter seasons. Thus, you can buy tours with discounts all year round! For example, book a vacation in Turkey in February for June, and in July book a trip to Thailand for January or Austria for New Year's dates. So plan your vacation in advance, save money and warm yourself with pleasant thoughts that in a few months you will go on a long-awaited journey that will bring a lot of emotions and pleasure!
Where to buy a tour with an early booking promotion?
It is best to buy a tour with an early booking promotion from a reliable and trusted tour search engine. For example, from the site tour-poisk.com - where you can choose a tour at the best price and compare prices for a large number of reliable tour operators in Russia.
Which hotel to choose?
Of course, you want to choose only the best hotel to spend an unforgettable vacation. On the page: the best hotels - a selection of hotels that you will want to return to again and again! Why guess, read a bunch of reviews, and so on, when there is already a formed base the best hotels selected by professionals!
In order to save money, many resort to early booking of tours, while others rely on "last minute" tours. All travel companies now offer both options for savings, but last-minute tours are in great demand, since for various reasons it is difficult for most vacationers to look far into the future in order to buy tours at better prices six months before the trip.
Booking early is more beneficial for both sides of the deal, especially if you're planning a vacation during peak tourist season.
When is early booking beneficial?
Hotels want to know in advance how many people they will have a rest in the high season, so already at the end of autumn, tour operators are provided with solid discounts on bulk bookings.
Advantages
- savings from 20 to 40% of the cost;
- the possibility of installment;
- wide choice of hotels;
- wide range of dates;
Flaws
- Prepayment (from 20 to 50% of the package cost);
- The impossibility to refuse the transaction without financial losses (but you can buy insurance against not leaving due to illness);
Agencies are less willing to advertise pre-booking, because they earn 8-15% of the cost of the entire tour. Accordingly, the less you pay, the less commission they will earn. In addition, the more such tours they sell ahead of time, the less they will be able to sell during the high season, when demand is higher and the client is psychologically ready to pay more.
If you have the ability to adjust your work schedule to any departure date during the summer, then early booking is the best option for you.
Many are afraid of getting sick or changing plans, so they cannot decide to pay for a vacation six months before departure. In this case, you can buy trips due to:
- sudden illness of the insured or a close relative with hospitalization
- injuries that occurred no earlier than 21 days before the start of the trip
- an infectious disease of the insured or a child that occurred no earlier than 15 days before the start of the trip
- significant damage or destruction of property, such as houses, summer cottages, etc.
"Hot Tickets"
Last minute deals are the sale of the remaining free seats on the plane with a choice of hotels on a residual basis. Real specials are offered in the last week. Everything that “burns” a month or more before departure is pure marketing.
Advantages
- saving up to 20% despite peak season
Flaws
- there is no possibility of a wide choice of resorts and hotels;
- possible problems with obtaining a visa;
- the likelihood of inconsistencies (there are no places in the specified hotel, the food is wrong, the rooms are bad, etc.);
- urgency of fees and minimum time for preparation;
It is profitable for travel agencies to sell last-minute tours. If you carefully read the terms of the contract, you will notice that in case of cancellation in less than 21 days, you lose from 30 to 90% of the entire tour price. No one will return this money, but the tour operator can and will certainly resell your tour.
- Early booking is only beneficial for peak season departure dates;
- Advance booking provides advantages in the form of comfortable conditions and guarantees timely departure, but saving money (up to 30% of the regular package) directly depends on the timeliness of the application - the earlier the booking, the higher the discount (it is advisable to redeem the first part before March 1). In addition, when buying a tour six months or more before departure (subject to timely payment), it includes the cost of the entire package and there is no need to pay extra and recalculate the price.
- Last-minute trips during the peak season are less profitable, because. high-quality and comfortable conditions are offered only out of season and at a lower price.
Summary
If you are planning a vacation at the height of the tourist season and you know the vacation dates for six months or more, then it is better to book a tour in advance. In this case, you get a large selection of hotels and maximum low prices. We also usually recommend using the early redemption options for family tourists, because family rooms and places in good children's hotels run out very quickly.
Otherwise, for the sake of savings, it makes sense to wait for offers until the last week. But be prepared for the fact that the choice of hotels will be very limited.
If you are unsure which option is best for you, let me know in the comments:
- desired direction
- planned travel date
- Group members
We will answer you as soon as possible - free of charge!
2019-09-21T16:08:11+00:00
Good afternoon, we have a separate article on this topic with a full breakdown of where, why and how much it costs to fly. Given the age of the child, Asia may not be the best option... You can consider Tenerife, but be sure to choose a hotel in the southern part of the island (there is more sun in November).
There is no need to rush to buy a tour. The season is low, there will always be offers closer to departure.
2019-09-20T14:52:30+00:00
Hello! We are planning a vacation at sea for the 2nd half of November with an 8-month-old child. Tell me, when is it worth buying a tour and which destinations are at affordable prices (up to 70 tr)?
2019-09-17T08:20:15+00:00
Cuba doesn't usually burn on its own as the tours are assembled and prepared by hand. This is not exactly a package destination. Therefore, if the vacation dates are flexible, it is better to catch good price on the dates of interest. Best dates: December, January after new year holidays end of April and beginning of May. During these periods, it is most common to see abnormal prices. And you can find them on the level.travel website, where there is a very convenient minimum price calendar. But it’s always worth digging for suitable dates on your own. Perhaps the automatic system has not yet managed to catch the minimum price, since it has not yet been found on the site.
2019-09-16T17:38:24+00:00
I want to go to Cuba. Is it worth booking in advance? Or just buy weeks for 1.5 -2 at the beginning of the season or the end of the season? Vacation dates are flexible. I'll probably go alone.
2019-08-28T14:30:27+00:00
Larisa, you can safely pull until the beginning of October. In the second half of October, the end of the season, prices fall and vouchers are given away almost for free) For 70 thousand, you can choose an excellent five and a rating of 9 and above. You will not regret it. You can see hotels and prices at this link: http://tinyurl.com/yxlx35jl
2019-08-27T10:36:05+00:00
Hello! We want to visit Turkey in the second half of October, how is it more profitable to buy a tour? The budget is 70 thousand for two from St. Petersburg. 8-9 days. What hotel can you recommend in Alanya? Thank you!
2019-07-04T15:18:39+00:00
Good afternoon, I advise you to monitor offers closer to departure (after July 29). There will definitely be something for two people.
2019-07-03T10:47:32+00:00
2019-06-28T14:38:06+00:00
The beginning of the season is only in Thailand. There might be some great hot deals. But with children, we always recommend not to delay too much, as the number of large family rooms is always limited in number. If you are satisfied with the option of three in one standard room, then you can wait for burning ones. If you want a nice big number - use RB.
2019-06-27T15:19:39+00:00
Good afternoon! We want to fly to Thailand-Phuket beginning - mid-November 2 adults + 1 child.
2019-06-16T08:50:36+00:00
2019-06-14T14:54:20+00:00
2019-06-12T10:44:22+00:00
The first half of October is the perfect time to visit Tenerife. The ocean will still be warm, the sun will be warm, but not burning .. and there are many fewer tourists than in summer. Prices for tours are also significantly reduced. So, in principle, it makes sense to wait, prices will not rise significantly (unless, of course, nothing happens to the ruble during this time). I think that in principle it is possible to find something now. Having played only with the dates from October 2 to 3, the savings of 8,000 rubles have already come out. Plus, add here our discount of 500 rubles. + 1% of the price of the tour in Online Tours.From personal experience We recommend Malibu Park in Costa Adeje. The beaches are 10-15 minutes on foot, there is a Mercadona supermarket nearby (this is an important factor in order not to overpay for groceries) and, in general, a good area. Budget, but without claims for a four and any kind of service. According to reviews, good options are: Hovima Santa Maria HotelBungalows Atlantida (location is slightly worse) Laguna Park Il is the most budget option, but the quality suffers a little (How lucky with the number). Suitable if you are completely unassuming in comfort and price is more important than quality. But you can take food.
2019-06-12T10:12:45+00:00
Hello! Please advise whether it is worth buying a tour in Tenerife for October? Or wait until autumn? October in Tenerife is considered the peak of the season or not? If you can advise a 3.4 star hotel, funds are limited. I will be very grateful to you !!!
2019-06-06T09:52:24+00:00
Judging by the fact that the departure date is known, I believe the plane tickets have already been bought. In this case, you can safely take an apartment in Becici on Airbnb + order a transfer from the airport to the hotel here: https://website/transfer/#/country/Montenegro/from/TIV If you are afraid or don’t want to, then you can rely on tours. Montenegro is a difficult destination in the sense that tour operators are trying to work with hotels, which are not so many. Mostly in Montenegro, resettlement is in the private sector, so it is difficult to count on an abundance of last-minute tours during the peak season. At the end of June, the season goes up actively, so I'm not sure what I can find good options at the last moment. Now I see in the system for June 20 there are a couple of departures. Try to look for tours not in Budva, but in Becici (next to it). There, the price is usually cheaper, the beach is better, the infrastructure is worse, but a 15-minute walk and you are in the center of Budva.
2019-06-05T17:01:04+00:00
Good afternoon We did not have time to buy a tour to Montenegro in advance. We know the exact date of departure and the number of days -21.06, 5 days. Now we are thinking whether to buy the more expensive tours that are available today or wait for last-minute offers. What is the probability that we will not wait for price reductions? In the choice of housing, we are quite unassuming
2019-05-26T11:56:41+00:00
In November, due to the influence of the rainy season, the level of demand is low, so it makes sense to wait for last-minute options. For two adults, you can always find a good option.
2019-05-25T14:23:33+00:00
Hello! We are planning a trip to Thailand in November. 2 adults. Advise how it will be more profitable to buy a tour in advance or wait for last-minute ones?
2019-05-21T09:13:08+00:00
In August, it will be hard with last-minute tours. They will definitely be, but the price / quality may suffer. The best time to travel is the junction of August-September. At the end of August, all schoolchildren fly home, but lovers of the velvet season have not yet arrived. Therefore, there is a slight dip in the season and tours do not sell very well at this time. At this time, you can find good last minute deals.
2019-05-19T09:44:47+00:00
good day, we decided to relax in August or the first days of September at the sea, most likely Turkey, but the main thing is the warm sea, and the price is up to 100 for two adults and a child of 2 years old, what should we do now, go to a travel agency now or wait for August and last-minute flights ? The time in August for the departure will be about 35 days.thank you
2019-03-03T10:18:46+00:00
With children, we always recommend RB, as within it there is an opportunity to choose a hotel and location, which is usually very important for a family vacation. But August is the low season in Vietnam, so I don't think the hotels will be crowded. So you can count on burning ones. General recommendation: take RB if you see a good option for price / quality. If there is no such option, then wait for last-minute tours.
2019-03-02T16:04:10+00:00
Hello! We are planning a trip to Vietnam in August. 2 adults and 2 children (10 and 5 years old), please tell us better RB or last minute? And how much will the tour cost approximately (one room for all, 3-4+) thanks!
2019-01-10T12:11:07+00:00
Vienna is always popular. There are a lot of tourists in August, but not so much. In such cities, it is better to visit on weekdays, when there are no "weekend" tourists. Flight prices are quite stable and even if you buy a ticket a month before departure, its price will not change much compared to today. The general recommendation is to wait for confirmation of vacation dates and book.
2019-01-09T21:43:36+00:00
Hello! I want to fly to Vienna in August, but it's still difficult with the schedule. I'm afraid to buy a ticket in advance. What can you advise? .. In August everything is “crammed” with tourists there or is there a chance to buy a ticket profitably?
2018-12-29T15:27:32+00:00
In February, all warm countries are quite far from us. You need a long flight, which affects the cost of the tour. Nevertheless, you can consider: 1. , but from 65,000 .. And I'm not sure that it's worth flying to Tai (almost a day on the plane) for 6-8 days. But here it is very warm, sunny and will be for real. beach holiday+ nature as ordered:)2. .. here you can meet the specified budget. There will be a quiet beach holiday, but you will have to get used to the service.3. . In February, you can bask in Egypt, but swim in the main pool. But here is a good hotel service compared to Goa. And cheaper compared to Tai :)
2018-12-21T18:07:05+00:00
Good afternoon. Please help me choose good options for February for 6-8 days. Budget up to 60 thousand. 2 people are going. Need a relaxing beach holiday beautiful nature country is not important.
2018-10-29T13:32:24+00:00
2018-10-27T21:17:23+00:00
Hello, I am planning a trip to Thailand from November 17, one, when is the best time to buy a tour? Now the prices are not cheap for one, but there is no company to reduce the price
2018-10-22T13:02:40+00:00
After the New Year, there is a slight decline in prices and tourist flow, so you can count on some kind of offers. Especially if the departure date is after the New Year holidays in Russia. You can also book in advance, but look now if you see good offers at a price that suits you. Closer to the deadline, you will have to choose from what is left. As for hotels, we recommend that you focus on OnlineTours ratings. Try to choose those with a score of 8.0 or higher. You can see hotels, prices for them and the possibility of obtaining discounts from us at this link: https://goo.gl/rHZf86
2018-10-21T16:34:27+00:00
Good evening. We are going to a company in Thailand Pattaya, mid-January. When is the best time to buy tickets, are there any profitable offer closer to this date, or do you need to book in advance? thank you in advance. what hotels would you recommend (we are mainly going to sleep in the hotel)!?
2018-09-26T14:08:25+00:00
Hello) Tell me what to do, burning or rb? We are planning a vacation beginning / mid-March, two adults, Thailand. And for prices, please orient hotels 3-4 *
2018-09-24T13:24:32+00:00
Good afternoon, Now it’s generally quite difficult to plan something with such a floating ruble exchange rate and a new wave of sanctions. Therefore, I will not dare to recommend when it is better to take a tour. The general recommendation in such cases is to take when you see good offer for price/quality right now. Such tours are usually not packaged and massive, so it’s hardly worth counting on a whole plane of tourists flying and leaving a couple of free seats. As for the peak season, then best time to visit Tanzania from June to October. In December-February, the hot and dry season begins, which is great for swimming, but less comfortable for excursions. In general, mid-January is where 4 points out of a possible 5 for comfort. We went through Tripadvisor for hotels to see reviews from real tourists. Here a lot depends on your budget, so they send out selections of 3-4 * hotels of different price categories1. DoubleTree by Hilton2. Mnarani Beach Cottages3. Flame Tree Cottages4. Z Hotel Zanzibar5. Smiles Beach Hotel6. Warere Beach Hotel7. The Zanzibari8. Amaan Bungalows9. Tanzanite Beach Resort10. Kigwedeni Villas You can buy tours here:
2018-09-19T20:37:04+00:00
Good afternoon! We are going to Zanzibar with my husband in the second half of January 2019 ... Since this direction is quite new, it is difficult to decide when it is better to book ..... I would like to understand if January is the peak of the tour. season and should I book now or should I wait? I know that tours to Zanzibar are offered by Pegasus and Anex recently opened a sale just for January ... We are considering the resort of Nungwi. What worthy 3* and 4* hotels would you recommend?
2018-09-10T12:44:57+00:00
Now it is difficult to say what is more profitable last-minute tours or RB. The course jumps back and forth, and from it the price of air travel, which makes up the lion's share of the cost of winter tours. Good hotel: NAITHONBURI BEACH RESORT - https://goo.gl/KcySp4 - from 166,000 rubles (with our discount) convenient filters for selecting family hotels. You can specify the specific parameters of the hotel to spend time proofreading descriptions.
2018-09-10T08:02:16+00:00
Good afternoon. We plan to rest in Thailand (preferably Phuket) in February 2019. 1 adult and 2 children (14 and 7 years old), maybe my husband will fly with us. Please advise how it is more profitable to take a ticket - through early booking or catch last-minute tours. What type of room is better to take. Can you advise specific hotels or a resource where you can look. Thank you in advance for your answer.
The whole truth about early booking! Early booking vs last minute tours - what to choose?
The websites of almost all tour operators are full of offers for early booking of tours, but at the same time, reviews posted on the Internet about early booking promotions are contradictory and ambiguous. Someone believes that he overpaid, because he was resting in a hotel with tourists who bought the same thing at half the price on last-minute trips; others buy only by early booking, save up to 40% and are satisfied. Who to believe?
Let's talk with Nadezhda Mikhailovna Burmak, director of PROtravel, about who needs an earlier booking, and who is suitable for last-minute tours.
Question: Is it true that you can save up to 50-70% with the early booking promotion?
Answer: No it is not true. Moreover, if in the past few years there have been quite often offers of 30-40% discounts on hotels under early booking promotions, then the trend of this season is to reduce discounts. Now mostly discounts up to 30% are offered. Moreover, hotels provide the highest discounts for early booking in December-January for the next summer season - up to 30%. In February - March, discounts are reduced to 20-25%, in April - to 10-15%. That is, the closer to the season, the less discount.
Question: Is it true that early booking is such an installment payment for the tour without interest?
Answer: Not certainly in that way. It all depends on the tour operator from which you buy the tour. It happens that according to the early booking promotion, the tourist is obliged to redeem the tour by 100% within 3 days after the confirmation of the hotel. There are other conditions under which you can pay for the tour in installments according to a certain scheme before the end of the promotion, for example, until April 30. You need to carefully read the contract with the tour operator.
Question: It turns out that it is better to wait for last-minute trips?
Answer: Last-minute deals go on sale when tour operators can't sell their seats on the plane and significantly reduce the cost in order to earn at least some and reduce losses. In the 2013-2014 season there was an overabundance of charter flights that did not pay off, which led to the bankruptcy and exit from the market of many tour operators. In 2015, the situation is completely different. There are very few charter flights - rather, there is even a shortage, seats on the plane are sold out very quickly. For example, in December 2014, everyone said “oh, dear, we will wait for the burning ones.” As a result, there were no seats left for the planes, and there were simply no last-minute trips for flights from December 25 to January 6. Now the cost of tours a couple of days before departure is almost the same as a month. All this suggests that both this season and the next one can hardly expect the release of many last-minute trips to the market.
Question: What are the pros and cons of early booking?
Answer: The main advantages are the opportunity to save money and a fairly wide selection of hotels, which then will not be on sale closer to the season. For example, hotels such as Sani Asteria Suite in Halkidiki, Apollo Beach in Rhodes, Tsilivi Beach in Zakynthos, the Greek chain Grecotel, Utopia in Alanya, etc. are sold out by early booking. The main disadvantages of early booking are the inability to cancel the tour or change the names of tourists. Penalties sometimes reach 100%. At the same time, insurance against non-departure will not save the situation, since it is valid only in strictly defined and rather severe cases.
Question: Who benefits from early booking?
Answer: If you are planning a vacation with children, and you have rather strict requirements for the hotel, for example, a non-standard room, or two rooms next to each other, you need to book in advance, as such options are sold out immediately. If you want a specific hotel, then you also need to take care of the reservation in advance. In cases where your vacation falls during peak demand seasons - i.e. May holidays, August, school holidays, new year holidays It is also better to book places several months in advance. If you don't want to fly charter flights, then early booking - the best choice, since tickets for regular flights, the earlier they are bought, the cheaper they are, and the discount from the hotel will increase. You need to book Croatia and Montenegro in advance, because the hotel base of these countries is rather poor compared to Turkey, so in order to have plenty to choose from, you need to think about your vacation in advance. We should also not forget about European tourists who are used to booking hotels not only four months in advance, but two years in advance!
Question: Is it true that early booking is valid mainly for European destinations?
Answer: No. By early booking, you can get a discount of up to 30% on accommodation in hotels in the Dominican Republic, up to 15% - in Cuba, up to 50% - in Mauritius. Generally, on expensive destinations You can save a lot if you combine early booking with various special offers. For example, if you can adjust the dates of your vacation under the action of various promotions, then by buying a tour in February for the May holidays in the UAE, you can get a room upgrade, for example, to a suite at a standard price, and a food upgrade - breakfast + dinner at a price breakfast and other very profitable options.
The action "Early booking" of tours for the coming summer is regularly held by hoteliers of leading hotels in Russia, Greece, Spain and other beach countries. This summer season 2019 was no exception. Advantages and features of booking in advance.
The action "Early booking" of tours for the coming summer is regularly held by hoteliers of leading hotels in Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and other beach countries. This summer season 2019 was no exception.
What does early booking of tours give?
Firstly, You really you can save on vacation! The more expensive the hotel, the greater the share of the cost of the tour is the price of living in it. Usually hoteliers (hotel owners) make several "waves" of early bookings. First, a 30-40% discount is given, which is usually valid until January 31 or February 28 (in each hotel in its own way), then there is a second wave until mid-March, but here the discount is already 5-10 percent less. And the action usually ends before the May holidays. The last discounts are usually 10-15% of the cost of the tour in summer. Some hotels (usually on the Aegean coast of Turkey, where the season starts later) extend earlier bookings until the end of May. But there are not many of them.
Secondly, with early booking (English name of the promotion) you can book a scarce hotel or room type which may or may not be available during the season. For good demanded hotels, this is a big advantage. These are lovers of burning let the day before departure go to three-star "garbage hotels" that no one needs, but we all know a lot about a good rest ;-)
Third, you advance you can choose a convenient time of departure and return. Of course, you can wait for last-minute trips, but your departure will most likely be in the evening, and the return will be in the morning. 7 nights-6 days, and with early booking the same 7 nights, but 8 days. Operators, however, sometimes change flights, but those who bought a ticket in advance are usually transplanted last - after all, an early booking client is the most valuable for a tour operator.
Fourth, and this is especially important in the 2019 season. Buying a tour now, you fix the amount of your tour in rubles, which is important with the unstable ruble exchange rate against foreign currencies.
Features of early booking
Hoteliers, when they came up with an early booking campaign, did not proceed from altruistic considerations, they also earn on discounts. Therefore, various restrictions are imposed on the buyer.
Pay for the tour, Unfortunately, also needed in advance. Usually the tour operator wants everything at once - payment within 3 days after booking confirmation. In the last two years, most tour operators have made concessions: 30..50% immediately after confirmation, and the rest you must pay by the end of April. For some partners, the last payment may even be 3 weeks before departure. However, this is rather an exception to the rule and such payment by installments is not valid for all countries.
Changing the names of tourists is not allowed. This is done to cut off sly agents who try to book scarce rooms in the spring at a discount with fictitious names, and then sell them at a high price in the season. But if you have 3 Petrovs in your application (mother, father, daughter), and closer to the flight one of them fell ill and you decide to change one of them for Sidorov, there will be no disaster. The maximum that threatens in a fine for rebooking an air ticket is $ 25-30.
For the same reasons it is not allowed to change departure dates. If you need to extend your stay, then you need to create a separate reservation for the missing dates, which will already be paid at the current prices. Otherwise, the rebooking will be recalculated without discounts. Of course, it’s better not to change anything, because. often negligent employees of tour operators try to take an extra fine from us agents, and there is no way to deal with hotels through the operator’s head.
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