PRICE IS IMPORTANT, BUT QUALITY AND VALUE ARE KEY TO GOOD VACATIONS

How cheap does a bad vacation need to be to be good? Most of us have repeatedly heard the old adages “You get what you pay for” and “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!”  Yet when it comes to planning a vacation, many people become consumed with finding the cheapest possible price. They often ignore the value of their own time by spending hours bouncing from website to website in pursuit of the lowest price. In many cases they experience significant stress and frustration in finding what they thought was a good deal only to try to purchase it and find that it’s not available on the dates they want to travel or the advertised price doesn’t include everything. Many times the search leads them to a vacation nightmare instead of a dream vacation. Upon arrival, you are stunned that the place that looked so great in the pictures on the website doesn’t look quite like that. The room that was so cheap is next to the freeway. The clerk at the desk can’t find your reservation and when you try to call the online agency that you booked through, you can’t get through or they can’t help you. Worse yet you get stuck in an automated system bouncing from department to department listening to the message “Your business is important to us” and having international call charges racking up just waiting to talk to a real human.

Think about it. You work hard all year long. You save your hard earned money so that you can escape the daily rigors of work. The whole idea is to go have fun, relax and enjoy yourself. Being stressed, angry or disappointed defeats the purpose of going on vacation.

Here are a few recommendations that may help you have that dream vacation instead of the vacation nightmare:

1.    Don’t be price driven. Be quality and value driven. You can get a good and fair price dealing with reputable companies who have a vested interest in your vacation experience. After all, if you are highly pleased, it increases the likelihood you will be a valued repeat customer and will refer others to that agency.

2.    Value your time.  Many people believe that they know as much or more about travel than a trained, experienced travel professional. In rare cases some may, but most don’t. Remember another old adage, “Education, training and experience is a lot like sophistication. You don’t miss what you never knew you didn’t have.”  On leisure travel vacation packages, travel agents typically don’t charge you for their services. The vendor pays them. Most of the time, any legitimate vendor price available on the web is available to large travel agencies. In fact, there are many specials available that may not be offered on the internet at all. A skilled travel agent can save you time, money and a lot of headaches.

3.    Focus on fun. That’s the point of your vacation. Be flexible, patient, knowledgeable and well prepared. Great vacations are more than a week or two away. They can be a lifetime of special memories.

Bon Voyage!