30 words about early booking:
If there is no time to read. Using a specific example. Early booking- this is when you buy September in February for 149,000 rubles, in May - 170,000, and in August - 195,000 rubles. Approximately in such proportions the price for the tour grows closer to the departure date.
And now in more detail about what early booking is, what subtleties a tourist needs to know, how to understand whether it is worth buying a tour in advance, or leaving a purchase for the last hour.
What is an early booking promotion?
Early booking promotions are seasonal offers from tour operators. This is when the same tours that can be bought in the summer, it makes sense to buy in advance, but (!) At a better price.
Who sets the prices and rules of the game? - Travel agency?
Tour operators themselves determine prices and time limits. For example, a special offer is valid from February to March, or from January to April. What the price will be for it is also decided by the tour operator.
The practice is as follows - such early booking promotions are held 2 times a year: in spring and autumn. In the spring you can buy a tour with an early booking promotion for the summer, and at the end of the summer, the winter offers begin.
Which countries are the most popular and what are the benefits of early booking promotions?
In terms of early booking promotions for the summer, the most popular are Spain, Turkey, as well as southern Europe, where tourists are accustomed to a good and comfortable annual vacation.
In our example, which we talked about at the beginning of the article, you can clearly see what the price of the Canary Islands was in the spring (according to the early booking promotion), and what it became towards the end of the summer.
This is the tangible benefit. You pay less, only in advance. Usually 20-30 percent. And 3-4 months before departure.
The same thing happens with New Year's tours.
Buy a tour for New Year in August, and you will see that in October-November (provided that they are not yet sold out by that time - yes!) it will cost at least 1.5 times more. Those. no longer 60,000, but 90,000 rubles (the numbers are given as an example). As we can see, the benefit of up to 20-30% when buying a tour on the early booking promotion is obvious!
- The favorable price of the tour on the early booking promotion is the first advantage
Let's talk about one more thing. It often happens that you are looking for a tour shortly before departure, but the necessary offers, hotels, rooms are no longer available. Happened? And what remains for the tourist? Choose from what is, what is left on this moment... And this choice is not always happy, do you agree? I wanted to 4-ku - you go to 3-ku. Dreamed of a sea view, got a view of the city. So, lo and behold! When buying a tour on the early booking promotion, you have an absolutely blank sheet in front of you - almost all hotels and dates are free. And the sooner you start booking, the wider your choices.
- A wide range of offers is the second advantage
So, on the plus side, everything is clear. Convenient, profitable, in advance, profit! Now about the cons. And they are. Welkam, now we will find out what subtleties a tourist needs to know when purchasing such a tour.
What does a tourist need to know about the features of early booking?
The most important feature early booking (!) - this is the order of payment for the tour. With some tour operators, it can be set even within 3 days after the tour is confirmed. For many offers, the payment deadline ends on the last date of the month. For example, April 30th. Those. it might look like this: a tour for September must be 100% paid by April 30th.
How to find out the payment procedure?
When you contact a travel agency, the travel agent picks up an early booking tour for you. Then he clarifies the procedure for payment for the special offer that you liked. Then he informs you of this payment procedure. And you already decide whether it is convenient for you to pay like this or not. Will you be able to deposit 50% in a couple of days, and another 50% (let's say) in two weeks, or won't you?
- Payment procedure is important
Who sets the payment procedure?
The payment procedure, as we already know, is set by the tour operator. Each offer may have its own order, and it is better for you to check this question with an employee of the travel agency at the time of purchase of the tour. In this case, you will be able to plan your payments and pay for the tour on time.
- You need to know the procedure for paying for the tour for the early booking promotion
What else is important? And this is not a plus ...
Be sure to remember and write it down in your notebook, if you don’t remember ... It is not so easy to refuse a tour purchased under the early booking promotion. And it happens! I booked it, but I can't go. But what if you bought a tour and can't go? If you cancel the tour (most likely), you will need to pay a fine that the tour operator will set for canceling the tour, or find other tourists (replacement) and change the data of tourists.
- Difficulties in canceling a tour purchased under an early booking promotion
These 2 features of buying a tour with early booking promotions that you just learned about are perhaps the most important. It is better to think about this in advance. You never know - the vacation will have to be canceled or unforeseen things will appear ...
Perhaps you would like to know about current promotions, countries, resorts and prices. Our staff will be happy to help you in this matter. All you need to do is just call our office or leave a request.
How popular are early booking promotions with tourists?
Popular. Quite. Those who know exactly the dates of their vacation, who have planned the budget, who have calculated that it is convenient and profitable, buys in advance. The number of such people is growing. This means that favorable prices are not cheating. And people really felt and saw the real benefits from such a purchase. Unfortunately, not everyone can buy such a tour. Why is that? First of all, this applies to those whose vacation (vacation dates) is determined shortly before departure.
- If you do not know the specific dates of your vacation, then it is unlikely that you will be able to buy a tour with an early booking promotion.
What is the bottom line?
- There are such early booking promotions, it is convenient to buy a tour with them
- There are pros and cons. Pros - price and choice, cons - payment and cancellation
- In the winter we buy for the summer, in the summer for the winter
- Buy or not buy - the choice is yours
To buy or not to buy - that is the question?
Whether or not to buy an early booking tour is your decision! Weigh the pros and cons. Evaluate the benefits of the offers. You can check with our staff right now to find out which early booking promotions are currently in effect. Just leave a request for a specific country, date, time period, and we will definitely find you a gorgeous offer at a bargain price.
- Find a great deal at a bargain price?
+ Free bonus for our clients: reference materials
Tell us about it now
"Save up to 50%! Early booking!", "Up to 45% discounts for early booking!" - such calls now and then appear in travel advertisements. Is it really possible to save money by planning your vacation in advance? What are the pros and cons of early booking? The opinions of experts and seasoned travelers.
Early booking tours - what is it?
Tour operators (not to be confused with a travel agency: the first ones compose the whole tour package "tickets-transfer-hotel-insurance", and the agencies only sell the finished tourist product) call this term Special offers, which are published 2 months or more before the start of the tour. But for some not very popular and not massive destinations, booking a trip 3 weeks in advance is also considered "early".
The range of discounts on offer is huge: the most modest offer 7%, and some companies lure customers by promising 50% price reductions.
In the travel industry, as in any market, prices depend on demand - if it exceeds supply, the tour operator raises prices. If for some reason the direction is poorly sold, the tour operator, in order not to incur losses, lowers prices. Where do early booking discounts come from, if demand is not clear yet?
As a rule, after the New Year holidays, travel agencies start a "low" season (except for ski resorts). In the popular resorts of the Mediterranean, for example, some of the hotels are closed, those that are open work practically at a loss. But everyone needs working capital: you need to pay salaries to hotel employees, pay utility bills and a lot of other expense items. And hotels, in order to raise funds, "wake up" the dormant market, are announcing discounts on accommodation. Some hoteliers offer their visitors unprecedented discounts of up to 60%! It is clear that in the future they hope to "recapture" losses in the high season.
Accordingly, tour operators, buying nights from hotels at a reduced price, get the opportunity to sell a tour package with a significant discount.
But if you are determined to save money, you may be disappointed. As practice shows, the cost of the same hotel (read, tour) for the same dates when buying a "last minute" ticket on the eve of the trip may be cheaper. And this, of course, is a minus. As well as the fact that when planning and paying for our vacation, we, unfortunately, cannot foresee many reasons why this vacation can be canceled, postponed to an earlier or later date. And one more thing: no one is insured against the fact that in three or four months a tour operator, agency or air carrier will not go bankrupt. And the guarantees that the money will be returned in full are minimal.
Buy a tour in advance or wait?
If you are going on a trip with children, then, of course, you should not wait until the last moment. Nice rooms in decent family hotels are quickly sold out at reasonable prices. And picking up good hotel, you will most likely face the fact that everything is sold.
Experts advise to take advantage of special offers for early booking in the following cases:
- If your vacation is tied to a specific hotel infrastructure. For example, you are vacationing with small children and you need the hotel to meet the relevant requirements.
- If you want to have a guaranteed good rest during the moments of peak demand: during school holidays, New Years or May holidays.
- Early booking is also worth using if you prefer one specific hotel.
- If you are going to relax during the high season on popular resort, where vouchers are always sold out well and there are no last-minute tours, earlier booking guarantees you a certain discount.
- And finally, the undoubted advantage of buying such tour packages is the opportunity to choose a convenient flight and an airline that is more comfortable for the flight.
Early booking tours. What should you pay attention to?
If you are attracted by the low early booking rates, here are a few things we would advise you to look out for.
Hotels, of course, can reduce prices for accommodation, but letting guests in for free is unlikely. Plane tickets are the most dear part tour package, sometimes it is 70% of the cost of the tour. And fuel prices are growing - and tickets, despite regularly appearing discount promotions of airlines, are not at all cheap. If you are offered a vacation in Cuba or in Dominican Republic for $ 600, think: an overseas tour cannot be cheaper than a flight.
Unfortunately, the experience of the last two years, when several large and medium-sized tour operators "disappeared" in the Russian tourist market, suggests that, already on the verge of collapse, the companies were selling tours at unrealistically low prices. They received the money, but did not pay for any tickets, transfers, hotels. Over the past year, 10 thousand tourists either lost money altogether and could not rest, or ended up in a foreign country on the street, without return tickets.
Search for early booking. Experienced Travelers Experience
Natasha, 35 years old, two children - 2 years old and 6 years old:“My husband and I are avid travelers. Previously, we could go to the agency, buy a“ last minute ”ticket, and fly somewhere the next day. But with the advent of children, everything changed. No, we did not stop traveling. country and hotel in which we want to relax. In addition, my husband got a more stable job, and is forced to plan his vacation in advance. At the beginning of the year we know when we can devote time to rest. While the eldest son was little, and we were not tied to school, then they preferred to have a rest in the off-season - and cheaper, and there are fewer people. But this year the son goes to the 1st grade - we decided that we need to have a good rest in the summer. Therefore, we are already looking at all offers of travel agencies for August. This is a high season, therefore we will book the hotel and the flight now. "
Sergey, 42 years old, son 13 years old:"I always plan my vacation in advance, especially since there is not much choice, I have to adapt to the child's vacation in order to have a rest together. For example, New Year's holiday on ski resort we have planned already in September. And they did well! Our friends, who wanted to join us, at the beginning of November were faced with the fact that all tours to our hotel were sold out. Summer holidays we are already thinking it over too. We have not yet decided on the country, but we already know that it will be Europe. In the near future I will go to our agent to book a tour. "
Marina, 27 years old, daughter 3 years old:"We have stopped using the services of our travel agencies altogether: we book everything perfectly via the Internet ourselves. Now there are a lot of sites where you can book a hotel with a decent discount. My daughter is an allergic person with a rather complicated diet, so we choose apart-hotels with a kitchenette, where you can cook on your own - and not all travel agencies offer such rooms. profitable proposition, we start tracking airlines and hotels websites in advance. Sometimes it is much cheaper than buying a tour from an agency. "
Some helpful tips:
- Do not be fooled by large discounts, most often this is a marketing ploy or an advertising gimmick.
- Consider value for money reasonably. Remember that even with early booking average price A 10-day tour for one person to a decent hotel hovers around 1000 € to Europe and 1000 $ to Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia and other not very distant countries.
- It is not worth buying even the most attractive tours from an unknown travel agency.
- When buying a tour, be sure to ask which tour operator provides you with this service. Do not be too lazy to go to the Rostourism website - check if such an operator exists and for what amount it is insured.
- Don't skimp on health insurance - especially if you are traveling with children.
- Be sure to read the contract that you are signing - carelessness can cost a pretty penny.
- Save the contract and all payment documents until the end of the trip. If you are checked into the wrong room or the wrong hotel (which is possible in high season), they will be very useful to you.
Even experienced travelers regularly ask the same questions. Buy a vacation voucher now or wait until it becomes "burning"? What if the tour I want is sold out for my dates? What if they don't buy it, and closer to the departure date it will be possible to buy it half the price? What if they buy up? (at this point the circle is closed). How to answer yourself to these questions - in our life hack.
Ellin Tolstov, co-founder and technical director of the online tour company Level.Travel, talks about the specifics of pricing.
Prices for tours by the beginning of the trip can either increase or decrease. It all depends on the availability of places on charter flight and the demand for a particular resort. “If the operator sees that the plane is filling up quickly and there are few seats left, the price may rise,” says Ellin Tolstov. ". They are often sold below cost, just to ensure that the tour operator does not lose money spent on buying airplane and hotel seats."
Risk factor
The decision at what point to buy a tour is influenced by many factors: the composition of tourists, and the country, and the time of year in which tourists plan to go on vacation. It is quite obvious that those who travel with children or a large company should not delay with the choice of a tour, with the intention of staying in a room for several people. Such tours rarely get cheaper closer to the date of the trip. On the contrary, there is a risk of not finding a decent offer at all. It makes sense to purchase tours in advance for those people who cannot shift the days of their vacation at the last moment.
"Employees of large companies, as a rule, have very strict vacation dates, and it is impossible to change them," says Ellin Tolstov. "In such cases, it is better not to take risks and book a trip in advance - and the sooner the better. enough time to confirm seats and tickets, and tourists won't have any unwanted surprises. "
But couples who are ready to postpone their vacation for a few days at the very last moment have the opportunity to save a lot. Double rooms tend to drop in price the most. And there is a chance to redeem very cheap offers with departure literally every other day.
Comfort discount
Expensive hotels, oddly enough, do not lack guests. They are loaded even in the off-season. And this is understandable - otherwise they would have to reduce prices, and so - tourists are ready to pay for comfort and attentive service at any time of the year. Therefore, it is not worth hoping that an expensive hotel will cut prices at the last moment and will be able to relax in the "five stars" at the price of "three rubles". However, the discount can be obtained on the room superior comfort in a mid-range hotel. Luxury offers in such hotels can wait for guests until the last moment, and then their price can drop, if not to the level of a double standard, then at least close to its cost.
Seasonal fluctuations
There are practically no last minute deals in high season. Therefore, tours to summer months it is better to buy all the same in advance. Prices may rise by the date of travel. "The cost of" package "offers changes in real time, - says Ellin Tolstov. - Someone bought a tour - and the price increased. European cities... There is no seasonality, hotel prices are highly regulated, and they hardly change throughout the year. But on beach destinations, price fluctuations can be significant. Coastal hotels tend to have fixed dates and price schedules for low season, high season and super high season. Therefore, the cost of tours on the same beach resorts will always differ depending on the dates. "
At the same time, on such routes, prices are always reduced after long holidays or children's vacations. Egypt is a classic example in this sense. The resorts of this country receive tourists all year round. Charters fly there constantly, and thanks to this it is possible to track that the cost of tours in low season it sags there guaranteed.
Force Majeure
The misconception that you can buy a tour at a bargain price to a resort where a natural disaster or a tragic event has just happened, such as the flood in Sochi or the terrorist attack in Tunisia. The cost of the tour, even if it will decrease, is quite insignificant. At the same time, demand in competitive areas will grow - and, accordingly, prices. For example, now the interest of tourists in Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey and Egypt has increased, but Sochi and Tunisia are showing a decline. The exchange rate also affects the cost of the trip. For example, as soon as the ruble stabilized against the euro, tours to Europe began to be sold more actively. And their prices went up.
Longer rest - more economical
A significant part of the cost of any tour is the flight. For a tour operator, the cost of a seat in the charter is the same - the trip takes three days or two weeks. Therefore, the longer a tourist spends at a resort, the cheaper it costs him every day of stay. Thus, a three-day vacation at a resort based on the cost of one day will always be more expensive. week vacation... Sometimes the total price of three and seven days is comparable. At the same time, on some days the plane may be slightly full, and just on these dates, tour operators form last-minute offers to justify the cost of the flight. They usually appear at the very last moment.
Tourist preferences
According to statistics from Level.Travel, most tours are sold exactly one month before the expected travel date. A little less of them are booked two weeks before departure and the same number - 11 days. At the same time, Russians continue to actively book trips almost until the day of departure.
In June, a significant part of decisions on vacation arrangements were made on the second and penultimate days of the working week - on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Least of all, tours were purchased on weekends.
The Europeans, known for their pragmatism, have long appreciated all the advantages of organizing the upcoming holiday in advance. Is early booking of tours profitable in domestic realities?
V modern world time to organize the upcoming summer vacation can start anytime. Someone is already on new year holidays armed with a map, goes through the names of hotels and reads reviews about them. This approach allows you to carefully plan your trip and minimize the risk of a bad choice of vacation destination. If your life is measured and stable, if you know exactly the date of your upcoming vacation in six months, then you can also use the early booking service, which really has some advantages. In fact, early booking is the exact opposite of the so-called, when a ticket is bought a few days before departure. Here, on the other hand, the tour is sold long before it starts. Moreover, from year to year, the beginning of the action is shifted to earlier dates. Many hotels now open early bookings in January, and some even earlier. It usually ends in April.
First of all, it is, of course, savings on the cost of the tour. With an advance purchase, the tour operator usually provides a discount of ten to forty percent from full price tour. As you get closer tourist season, the cost of vouchers to popular hotels is inexorably creeping up, and the cost of plane tickets is also growing. And you have already fixed your price, and now you, as the happy owner of a ticket bought back in February, can only count the savings and catch the glances of not so distant colleagues ...
The next plus of early booking is the ability to choose a hotel that suits you or your family in all respects. Indeed, in February, for example, almost any hotel offered by operators is still available for reservation. When buying vouchers closer to the departure date, in most cases you have to "take what you have", and it would be very naive to expect to get a suitable hotel room with positive reviews.
After all, to stomp in the heat one and a half kilometers to a dirty city beach, and, leaving the hotel, immediately find yourself on clean sand - these are two big differences, as they say in Odessa. Family hotels that are going to visit are especially picky. It is important for them that the food is all-inclusive, so that the entrance to the sea is convenient, the hotel is clean, so that cultural and entertainment events are held ...
If you want to travel during the "high season", i.e. in July, August or the first half, or you are interested in one of the special popular destinations like Turkey, Greece, Spain or Cyprus, you will be able to experience the benefits of early booking like no other.
What's the catch?
He's gone. In fact, everything is explained quite simply. In the "low season", when hotels are half-empty, it is most convenient for their owners to carry out infrastructure modernization, renovation work, expand, etc. And for this all we need working capital, which hotels receive by lowering prices. Thus, they also benefit from opening early bookings.
To be honest?
Well, okay, there is one drawback, and a rather significant one. It lies in the risk of losing the invested funds if it is impossible to make the planned trip. In this case, you may be refunded only a part of the cost of the trip (usually from 50% to 90%), and sometimes nothing at all. Therefore, if you are often pursued by force majeure, then you are unlikely to feel the advantages of early booking. If you really want to, then it is better to arrange the so-called "". In any case, you need to very thoroughly ask the travel agent about the possibility of changing the departure date, surnames in the vouchers and the duration of the rest.
Actual last-minute tours
In general, it is a convenient method of buying a package that has more advantages than disadvantages. You get a discount, choose best hotel, think over all the details of the vacation in advance ... And whether early booking of tours is profitable for you personally depends only on the circumstances. Risky, you say? Of course, there is a certain amount of adventurism in this, but those who do not take risks do not drink cocktails on sea sand ...
Today I want to touch upon a topic that many are interested in - early booking of tours. Many tourists often ask the question: which is better - to redeem the tour in advance or wait until the last moment and get a “hot ticket”?
In my experience, in many cases it is more profitable to buy tours in advance than to wait until the last minute. And I can name at least 5 reasons why you should take advantage of the early booking promotion.
When is it better to think about vacation in advance?
So, let's figure out in which cases it makes sense to buy tours with an early booking promotion.
When vacation is strictly by the clock
Firstly, it is definitely suitable for those tourists who can only travel on certain dates. For example, you know for sure that you will have vacation on certain dates of June - for example, from the 15th to the 30th. And the chances of catching a burning tour on these dates, to be honest, are not great - it is in the summer that most people with school-age children go to rest. So you should definitely look for the packages in advance.
When we go to rest on holidays
The same is the case with holiday dates. D do you know, you alone do not want to spend these 4 weekends in May (November) days in your native, but a little tired you city? Therefore, if your trip has already been planned and tied to certain holidays, it makes sense to book a tour and make an advance payment.
When we book something specific
Buying a tour by early booking is also convenient for those who are used to to a certain level (conditions) of rest... If you are aiming for relaxation in any particular hotel , then it will be more profitable and practical to take a tour on it with an early booking promotion, which offers prices 25-35% lower than the price in the high season. And sometimes (and quite often!) Those who come to buy a tour 2-3 weeks before the start of the trip are surprised to find that they liked so much according to the descriptions on the Internet or from last year's vacation the hotel is already on "stop" for the required dates ... That is, the hotel is in the "stop-list" - this means that there are no vacant rooms for the selected dates.
The same can happen if you intend to rest. in a very popular hotel ... And some hotels, especially popular among tourists, get into the “stop-list” a month or a half or two before the start of the season! This popularity of the hotel is based primarily on a reasonable ratio of price and quality, as well as on such important "little things" as the location of this hotel relative to the sea / slope / attractions, the attentiveness of the staff, the quality and quantity of dishes in the restaurant, the level of animation programs ...
That's why the probability of purchasing a tour to a decent hotel at a good price shortly before departure is practically zero(not counting the random burning offers that arise in the event of someone's refusal, etc.). That's why experienced tourists those who know a lot about travel use early booking services.
When currency rates rise
The early booking service is also beneficial because, using it, you can do not worry about currency fluctuations. As a rule, the course grows throughout the high season). After you have fully paid for the tour, any changes in the foreign exchange market do not affect the cost of the tour. No additional payments will be required in the event of an increase in prices for hotels and air travel.
In my experience, only due to an increase in the exchange rate, hotels in 1.5-2 months can rise in price by 5-10%. And I always find it very unpleasant to see how the hotel that I selected for tourists last week with a budget of up to 100 thousand rubles began to cost 108-110 thousand this week.
Track by yourself prices online from different tour operators most conveniently on aggregator sites.
For example, here: Selection of tours on-line
So, if you find an acceptable option - go for it!
When we are traveling in a big company
Well important information for those tourists who have 2-3 children and those who are used to traveling on vacation in large companies. Indeed, in hotels, the number of spacious family rooms is usually limited. And the rooms themselves in some hotels, especially in Europe, are not so many. And if your company does not want to be in different hotels, then buying a tour also needs to be taken care of in advance. In addition to guaranteed accommodation in the selected room stock, in this case you will also receive bonuses in the form of a discount for early booking.
Why early booking prices are better
Probably, many people had a question: why, in general, in the travel industry, prices are so tied to the time of booking? How can the price for the same hotel with and without an early booking promotion differ by 30-50%?
Business specifics dictate their own rules. The fact is that it is much more convenient for hoteliers (owners and managers of hotels) to plan the loading of the room fund in a timely manner and receive the money in advance, which is necessary for the normal operation of the hotel.
Therefore, it is more profitable for them to make a significant discount to tour operators with early booking and distribute between them most rooms than in the peak season to solve the problem of overbooking, or to allow "overbooking" (when by mistake, in a hurry or through the manager's carelessness, the same rooms are sold to different tour operators).
When booking early, it is also easier for the hotel to analyze which countries the bulk of tourists will come from, which means which menu to choose, which animators to invite for the summer season.
The cost of the flight is another important factor affecting the amount of discount that the tour operator makes for the tour. It is very important for tour operators to calculate the required number of charter flights for the season, which is why they encourage early bookings more low prices on air tickets.
An additional, albeit small, discount for tourists is sometimes added by the end sellers of the tours - the travel agents themselves, who are interested in attracting tourists and increasing sales before the season begins. Because I, as a travel agent, also like it when tourists come with their wishes in advance, and I have time to calmly find them a good option tour, and not frantically poking around on the websites of tour operators, catching last places on flights and choosing something not so awful from those hotels that are not yet in the "stop".
So, as you can see, there are more than enough reasons to buy an early booking tour.
Enjoy your stay and see you on the blog, friends!
