How to avoid the rising cost of holidays
I wanted to share my thoughts on how the current cost of living crisis will impact travel and to share my advice on how to lessen the blow with a bit of prior planning and savvy decision making.
We’ve already seen quite sharp increases in holiday prices this year, not least due to soaring demand, but things like rising fuel surcharges also saw average holiday prices jump by around 17% this Summer. It’s not just the holiday costs which are in the rise but the extras too – car hire, travel insurance, food. It all adds up and it’s all going up.
Just as consumers need to tighten their belts, businesses do too and it’s not just the UK that’s suffering right now.
When it comes to providing a 5* hotel service with gourmet dining, it isn’t really an option to switch out the triple cooked hand cut chips for a bag of frozen fries or to refill the Molten Brown bottle with soap from the pound shop to minimise costs. Not if you’re paying for luxury. So what happens is, the costs go up to allow the resorts to cover their bills and still provide the same level of service which you will ultimately pay more for. Now, and the next month, and the next month, and the next month. It won’t get less, it’ll get more.
My top tip on how to avoid a huge price tag on your next holiday is to BOOK EARLY! Pay a low deposit NOW, and in 8,9,10 months time whenever you’re travelling you will be so glad you did. There’s going to be a lot of people who leave it too late and their dream holiday becomes unaffordable. I previously wrote a blog with lots more reasons why it pays to book early so check that out on my webpage too for more inspiration.
There are going to be resorts that employ cost reduction tactics – cheaper food, less staff, no refurbs. Things that will compromise their service levels and the customer experience in the process and whilst the price tag might seem more attractive, guests will be desperately disappointed and there’s even more cost involved when that happens.
So, there could be twos scenarios...
1. Book early with a low deposit, secure a great rate and pay the same or only a tiny bit more for the level of service and experience you know and expect which will represent good value.
2. Wait until you’re priced out of your dream holiday and end up booking whatever is left on the shelf for much more money and a potentially substandard service that in the long run costs you even more to deal with and does not represent good value. If that happens to you, you’ll find it very hard to justify your decision on the basis that it was cheap because it wont be.
My second piece of advice is - make sure you book your holiday with a trusted travel agent. A reputable company with great reviews who will financially protect you and have your back when you need them. I have heard so many stories this Summer from people who booked their own holiday or were brainwashed by a bright and colourful website that provided terrible service. They ended up on the phone on hold for hours on end, wracking up huge phone bills and waiting months for refunds. These things are not ok at the best of times but when money is tight, you don’t want to be left out of pocket, spending hours of your time trying to resolve things and paying for the pleasure when you could have your own travel agent to save you the job.
I hope this has inspired you to think about when you book and how you book your next holiday to avoid spending a fortune before, during or after you travel.