It’s time to plan the vacation. What do we begin with ? Book the flight? The hotel ? Are we waiting a bit in the hope of taking advantage of the sales or are we happy to book now? In short, what strategy should be adopted to save a little?
Chantal Lapointe, Director of Growth Strategy and Travel Partner Relations at CAA-Quebec Voyages, suggests doing a bit of introspection and starting by asking yourself what the purpose of the planned trip is. Strangely, many people forget this first step.
“What is my need? What will make me vibrate? M asksme The point. Do I want to go rest? Do I want to discover a culture? Do I want to take a themed trip? Do I want to travel with family? In a relationship with ? »
The second step is obviously to determine your travel dates.
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Chantal Lapointe, Director of Growth Strategy and Travel Partner Relations, CAA-Quebec Voyages
If I’m a retired baby boomer, I have almost unlimited choice. But if I’m a young parent with children in school or if I have a job with three or four weeks of vacation per year, the choices are not the same.
Chantal Lapointe, Director of Growth Strategy and Travel Partner Relations, CAA-Quebec Voyages
Be flexible with the schedule
A little flexibility can save big, if only when it comes to departure time. Thus, most travelers to the United States prefer to leave in the morning to reach their destination earlier.
Isabelle St-Amand, owner of the Espace Voyages agency in Richelieu, gives the example of a family that saved $500 per person by agreeing to leave Montreal in the afternoon rather than the morning. “Yes, they will arrive later at their destination, but still, it’s a big saving. They saved $2,000! »
It may also be advantageous to compare weekday departures and weekend departures. Previously, there could be good fare differences due to high demand from business travelers on weekdays. This is now a little less true. “Today, with teleworking and the budgetary restrictions that many companies have imposed, the volume of business travelers has been declining for a while, says Chantal Lapointe We know that it will pick up, but it will be a little bit longer. »
A good idea, the “last minute”?
Chantal Lapointe points out that waiting until the last minute to book a trip during school break, for example, in the hope of getting your hands on a good deal may not be conclusive.
Moreover, as a general rule, you should not rely too much on these famous last-minute sales, argues Isabelle St-Amand. “We’re going to tell people: is the price right for you? If so, take it because we have no control over it, ”she says.
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Isabelle St-Amand, owner of the Espace Voyages agency in Richelieu
The demand is so high that during the same conversation with customers, prices go up. Some suppliers allow us to put options, so we block prices while people think about their business. That gives us a little time, but that’s not always the case.
Isabelle St-Amand, owner of the Espace Voyages agency in Richelieu
Mme St-Amand says that last June, she bought a block of seats for a group heading to Rome in May 2023. She found tickets for $1,050. However, the same plane ticket now costs $1,550.
Obviously, the more complex the trip, the more you have to plan ahead. And it makes sense to look at the flight side first in your booking strategy. Even when the goal is to cruise.
Mme St-Amand explains that it is important to check if the departure port of the cruise is serviced. “We try to go there with cities where there are international flights,” she says. It makes things easier. »
There may be surprises, like for those people who wanted to go on a cruise from the Dominican Republic. “So far so good, found a great price for the $1000 cruise. But normally a flight to the Dominican Republic was $600, or $700 if you were unlucky. Right now it’s $1400! »
Mme St-Amand also advises considering accommodations, and even car rental, before booking flights. “One should do some global research before ‘weighing Enter’ because reserving components without knowing the price of others is not a good idea. »
Hotels are often more expensive on weekends and the availability of rental cars can be an issue in some places.
“We reserve when we have a global idea”, underlines Mme St-Amand.