Book early or very late?
Discussion
Best to book early if you are specific about where you want to go, last year we were quite flexible about where we wanted to go but wanted to not spend to much. Managed to get 2 weeks in Spain 5* all inclusive for £400 a person. Upon speaking to another couple at the resort they had paid £1200 for the same thing.We didn't tell them obviously. I think we booked about a month on the net.
Mark. said:
We've never seen any difference to be honest.
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Neither have we, (the Mrs is also a teacher)..
I used to believe the hype that seems to come every year on the news that says that loads of holidays are unsold and deals can be had, but this never seems to turn into what I would consider a bargain (at least not for the school holidays).....and we have spent several summers phoning, emailing & interneting trying to find a late break in a nice place for a nice price.
We now tend to suck it up and book in advance and choose what we want knowing that school holidays means paying through the nose......
We now see having a holiday booked in advance as part of the holiday experience, you get to look forward to it far more when you know where you are going...
Bob
sneijder said:
If out have the balls for it, turn up at the airport with your suitcase and pay £40 to a tour operator desperate to fill up space.
Doesn't work like that any more (except perhaps for the penny-ante operations). Tour operators worked out some years ago that there was something called a "point of indifference" about 2 - 3 weeks before departure. Pricing systems now work much more intelligently than they did when you could get £40 holidays, and they know that a £40 holiday loses more money than an empty seat. People at the airport with packed bags - and they still do it - are much less flexible, and thus pay much more, than those who book very early on (fluid pricing - that's what I built for one large tour operator way back in the late 90s) and 3 weeks out.Flexibility is the key to the cheapest price - go at a "bad" time (wednesday midnight flights, cheaper than Saturday morning, for example), be prepared to change destination to get the lowest cost, find where is out of fashion. For late summer bargains, drive to Glasgow and fly from there after schools have gone back.
As above, there's been a couple of threads on this the last year or two, and common thinking nowadays is that you can book early for some good deals, but then the package prices drop their lowest point a few weeks before departure that they then start increasing again. The last minute package deal is a bit of a myth now. (Edit - Aclivity, I think it was your advice that made me book a week's package in Pollenca with First Choice 3 weeks to go - and the price went up afterwards. I owe you a beer! 
)
Saying that, I would definitely contact individual agents or companies (not over the web) as late as you can bare and talk through options. We got a cracking ski chalet deal last minute via a small company last year (we've used this company before) who had a family drop out at the last minute, this was about a week to go.
And also - given the uncertaintly around Greece, I'd hang fire for a bit just to see what happens - for various reasons! (Greece leaves Euro and hugely devalues, civil unrest threatens tourists and closes airspace, Germany invades etc etc)
)Saying that, I would definitely contact individual agents or companies (not over the web) as late as you can bare and talk through options. We got a cracking ski chalet deal last minute via a small company last year (we've used this company before) who had a family drop out at the last minute, this was about a week to go.
And also - given the uncertaintly around Greece, I'd hang fire for a bit just to see what happens - for various reasons! (Greece leaves Euro and hugely devalues, civil unrest threatens tourists and closes airspace, Germany invades etc etc)
Edited by prand on Tuesday 10th January 11:19
Turkey over Greece.
No great deals about 'yet' this year so I'd wait for a last minute.
We got a week in Olu Deniz last May, HB, from Bournemouth, inc transfers and a/c for £250 head. Perfectly decent and comfortable hotel too. I haven't however seen the same hotel this year in May for less than £400 yet.
No great deals about 'yet' this year so I'd wait for a last minute.
We got a week in Olu Deniz last May, HB, from Bournemouth, inc transfers and a/c for £250 head. Perfectly decent and comfortable hotel too. I haven't however seen the same hotel this year in May for less than £400 yet.
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