Prior Planning Prevents Poor Pricing When Traveling

Spring break season is here, in fact some schools have already had theirs, and Summer is just around the corner. You start to think, this is the perfect time for a vacation and then you see the prices. Whether it is a cruise, a plane ticket, or a hotel room, if you think you can book something at the last minute for a decent price, you might want to rethink it. 

Airfare

There’s actually a scientific answer to that magic number of days before a flight when tickets are at their cheapest.

The answer? Fifty-four days before takeoff is, on average, when domestic airline tickets are at their absolute lowest price. And if you don’t hit 54 days on the head, you should usually book between 112 to 21 days before your trip for the lowest possible prices. In this window, ticket prices typically hover near the lowest price they’ll ever reach.

The researchers found that, on average, a ticket cost about $200 more when booked within 7 days of departure, compared to tickets booked in the “prime window.” Those who bought tickets between 7 and 13 days before departure paid about $75 more.

Keep in mind we talking on average and domestic flights. Your flight’s “best price” window depends a lot on the specific trip you’re taking.

If you’re going somewhere incredibly popular at an incredibly popular time — like spring break in Florida, for example — you should book well before the “prime booking window” even begins. When there’s constant, strong demand for a flight, airlines have no incentive to lower ticket prices as time goes on. The same principle holds true for flights to hard-to-reach airports in small cities: There’s little airline competition there, so ticket prices don’t drop nearly as much over their lifespan.

Cruises
If you book your cruise 6 to 12 months or more in advance, which is a good idea for popular regions like Alas­ka in summer, early-bird rates are what you're likely to pay. Cruise lines reward those who plan ahead with their best prices up ­front. Fares gen­er­al­ly rise as a sailing date draws near­er, though rates may decline again based on last-minute avail­abil­ity. Booking early of­ten rep­re­sent savings in the range of 25% to 50%. You get first dibs on itineraries, dates, and cabins You can also book your air and hotel early to as­sure 
avail­abil­ity (and po­ten­tial­ly low­er air­fares).

Waiting For Last-Minute Deals
It's im­por­tant to keep in mind that in a healthy economy there are fewer last-minute deals. Cruise lines know if they reduce ev­ery­thing at the last minute no one will pay higher early-bird prices so they limit their re­duc­tions, even if it means sailing with a few empty cabins. You sac­ri­fice a lot of choice in terms of ship, itinerary, and cabin types. Getting a decent last-minute air­fare may be tough if you have to fly to your port. Last-minute cruise fares are com­plete­ly non­re­fund­able, and the full fare is due im­me­di­ate­ly up­on booking.

Call Rawhide Travel and Tours and start planning that special vacation or event today. 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com

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Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Road # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
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