Book now or book later

The Christmas holiday season is fast approaching, but this post is more for 2017 trips and beyond. It’s just a little secret to let out so most of you can decide and plan your next year trip now. Chances are for those who are yet to book their Christmas holiday trip you are now worried about the cost of tickets, hotels and all but trust me you can still get something good between now and early December. So don’t wait for last minute deals take advantage of the early bird fee and get to save a lot for your shopping.

I get asked a lot if booking early saves a lot or if there are better deals at the last minute? Well booking early not only saves you a lot but gets you the best deals giving you so much time to prepare for a great holiday trip.

Here I’ll be pointing out why, this will get you to decide the best option for you.

1.  Visa situation- This is one of the most important to have when planning a trip especially if it’s not a visa free or visa on arrival country. Do note that I am writing this as the holder of a Nigerian Passport. So if you don’t get a visa, you cannot legally visit a country you wish to and every other plans might as well be on hold. So what early planning does for you is, it gives you enough time to apply for a visa and if you get rejected you can always appeal or reapply.
2. Flight flexibility- If your goal is to book the cheapest flight possible, book early. Look for a ticket at least three weeks in advance for the best price. Prices go up once you're 14 days or less away from the flight date. It’s recommended you look for online deals on a Tuesday or Wednesday as many airlines run sales or make pricing change mid-week. If you are flying to a very popular destination on a specific holiday I’ll advice you book a couple of months in advance to get a cheap flight.  If you're flying for a particular event or during a holiday, book well in advance. For example, flights on the days before Thanksgiving or Christmas sell out quickly. The same is true if you're flying into a city that is hosting a special event.  If you want to be in a specific destination during a holiday, either book well in advance or be ready to pay inflated prices for a last-minute ticket.                                                                If you want to get about 30% off your ticket, its best you travel with a group of friends,10 and above this way the group rate you all get saves a lot.                            Note too that any holiday involving a low-cost or scheduled is highly unlikely to ever get cheaper except on an off-peak date to a destination that is not currently popular. Prices for these trips only ever go upwards in our experience.
3. Hotel deals- If you have to travel at a certain time or have a specific room or hotel requirement, booking now will mean you won’t have to compromise on your day of departure, or any other element of your break – as being one of the first bookers of the year means you’ll get the best choice of hotel or hotel room type, destinations and holiday length.If, on the other hand, you are truly flexible in terms of where and when you can travel then leaving it late and playing ‘holiday roulette’ can pay off with some excellent late deals. You won’t find many last-minute bargains in peak dates, though, so be aware that choice will be limited and last-minute prices can actually rise, not fall – even for package holidays.
4.  Pay now or Pay later-   It can be tempting to put off booking a holiday until the last minute to avoid paying anything now. But, remember that early bookers can benefit from special schemes to encourage early booking – low payment plan, pay in bits and complete payment at least two weeks to departure. This gives you room to spread your payment. You deserve every second of paradise and being able to pay in bits can make any destination come to life, you work hard and deserve a good vacation.Also early planning gives you room to shop around for good deals. Besides late deals require full payment at the time of booking.

The best offers are always available when you book early as you get to take advantage of early booking discounts such as meal deals, free or highly discounted child places, free night deals, room upgrade deals and single traveler discounts – all of which can slash the total cost of your holiday.

Some tour operators already have their 2017 holidays on sale now. Sign up for alerts for this and be one of the first in the know. To always be in the know of when prices change you can drop your email address in the comment section and get informed.

If you can afford to put away a couple thousands of naira a month for a vacation please do it as planning your trip at least 6 months to a year in advance gives the best price for a payment plan.

Currently working on some 2017 itineraries if interested send a mail to info@trilztravels.com

Remember “A trip, A year” is what the doctor ordered