Okay, so you’ve sat down and thought about planning your next trip.
Where should you go? When should you go? Things are starting to resemble some kind of ‘normal,’ so what are you waiting for?
You tell yourself, “I want to get away NOW!” And why not? There are so many great last-minute deals online, you can’t go wrong.
But you can go wrong. It’s tempting to Google ‘last-minute vacations’ only to be met with tons of flashy travel websites advertising a once-in-a-lifetime deal. 50% off! 70%! 80%!
Pump the brakes. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
The truth is, when you see the ‘before’ price on these incredible deals, most of the time, that was never the original price at all.
This isn’t a new trick; retail stores and even grocery stores have been using this tactic for years. Your stick of butter on sale for $1.97 was previously $4.88, despite you never seeing butter for such a stark price.
Vacation packages and hotels are no different. A vacation package for $2,500 is going to sound great when you see the 80% off sticker, but if you were to check that package on a different date in the future, you’d often see that said package is closer to $4,000 or even $3,000. It’s definitely marked down, but a far cry from 80%.
Sure, there are some deals to be had out there. But you have to do your research.
A good rule of thumb is to know your travel dates and destinations. Write down a few potential package options… and stalk them! I’m serious!
Travel agents regularly do this for their clients to help them save money… and keep the client! Keep checking every day and see if the package drops.
Often packages can drop by a few hundred dollars, sometimes in just the span of a few hours.
Check different destinations if you’re flexible.
Sometimes, only a few rooms are left at certain resorts, or only a few seats are left on a flight. Airlines and resort companies are desperate to close out a flight or to max out a booking, so you can potentially save some serious cash if you can book last-minute.
There are no once-in-a-lifetime deals, but you can use the tips I just gave you to find good deals whenever they’re available.
When it comes to financial planning, you don’t want to leave that to the last minute. Give us a call at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or go online to book a 15 minute chat today; we make sure your options are the real thing and they’re set in place well ahead of time.
Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®
