Holiday Travel Deals: Are They Really a Bargain?

As the holiday season approaches, travel deals start popping up everywhere, promising unbeatable prices. But are these holiday promotions really as good as they seem? While some may offer genuine value, others can fall short of expectations.

Holiday promotions often appear to be the best way to save on a dream vacation. But in reality, some “deals” come with extra fees, limited availability, or restrictions that make them less flexible & desirable than standard offerings. 

A perfect example was a recent promotion I received for a Las Vegas resort (valid for travel between Thanksgiving and New Years). It sounded amazing! Save 20% off the room stay plus $75 credit to spend on food, drinks etc at the resort. Since it’s one of my favorite properties, I thought let’s a take a look and see how “good” it really is. Turns out their regular promotion (exclusive to Travel Advisor’s clients), also includes 20% off the room stay and a $50 per day credit vs the one-time $75 credit.

You’ve likely heard me say many times “last minute” deals or “holiday” sales aren’t usually better than had you booked your vacation right away vs waiting for a sale. Travel companies use dynamic pricing, so it often increases with demand and bookings.

I feel we all know “sales” are used to get you excited about a product, so you start looking. (Click bait isn’t anything new.) Businesses know you’ll likely upgrade once you see how basic the entry level product is, or lack of amenities.

Still not convinced today is the best time to reserve your vacation? Here’s another example from last holiday season. I had a client ask me to check their cruise to see if the advertised Black Friday promotion would save them any money. Turns out that adding the current promotion would increase their cruise cost by 30%!

How is that possible? Dynamic pricing. This client had reserved their cruise one year prior to this sale. Prices had increased that much, since they booked, and they already had the best price. 

Now, there are true deals and savings out there, but one needs to read the fine print and understand what they are really buying.

When evaluating a holiday promotion, ask yourself

these

key questions: 

• Is the deal flexible, or am I compromising what I want? 

  For instance, did you want to travel during Spring Break but now you’re considering traveling during the summer because of the promotion.

• What’s included? Look for details on what the promotion actually covers and if there are additional charges for changes and cancellations.

• How does it compare to other times of the year? You might find that the same vacation is available at a similar or even better rate outside of holiday season promotions.

As a Travel Advisor, when I’m quoting someone’s vacation, I am looking at different travel companies (if the client has brand flexibility) to see who has the best pricing and amenities available. Many of you already know I’ve been able to get you incredible savings or fantastic added amenities that are exclusive for us Advisors to give to our clients.

Rather than rushing into a holiday deal, a well-planned vacation often offers better value with more freedom to customize your experience. A tailored itinerary and expert insight can lead to true savings and a seamless travel experience—no holiday gimmicks required.

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