silvergoldmagazine.ca
TRAVEL
MAKE THAT TRIP HAPPEN
– By Marianne Vogel
You cannot stay home forever, and there is so much to see
and do, so here are a few tips on how to save for that vacation
trip and make it happen!
First, make sure you call on a reputable travel agent that
has your best interests in mind and is not worried so much
about what pays them the most to sell. If they’re immediately
offering discounts run the other way as they’re just looking for
a quick sale. Pressure sales are never a good thing. If they are
offering the best bang for your buck while asking what you
want, they’re keepers!
Here are some handy travel tips:
1. Travel off season or a different day of the week. November
to mid-December, early January after New Year’s Day up
to about January 25th or so. Another good time to travel is
end February to the first week in March. A week is usually
more cost-effective than just a few days, as most package
vacations are set up for that week-long stay.
2. Book early and take advantage of the early booking
discounts, but be prepared to pay early as well in order to
take advantage of the savings. “Last minutes” are usually
those left overs nobody wants and can end up costing you
more in the long run. Most are now up-charging for the
last minutes, yep, they are! Buyer beware.
3. When planning on going on a cruise: Get one that
includes extras such as beverage package, on-board credit,
free flights (yes, some cruise lines like Oceania offer free
flights) and try to get a buddy to travel with, as single
travel is crazy in pricing – usually double – so find a travel
buddy whenever possible. You can also check with your
travel agent with regards to hotels that offer single rates at
certain times of the year (still 1-1/2 times, but at least not
double). Norwegian Cruise also offers single cabins, but be
prepared to pay extra (and availability is seriously limited).
There is also an outfit called Singles Cruises that advertises
best pricing, however, they still up-charge for being single.
They can often offer a “share a cabin” program where you
will get a discount for sharing with a same sex person/same
age range person, so that’s worthwhile to look into. Globus
Tours offers this as well, if you want to experience a motor
coach trip abroad: They will offer you a double price but
you have to share a cabin with someone also looking to
share… something to consider.
4. Pricing: For instance, a January to April cruise with
Celebrity Cruises, based on double occupancy, is about
$1999 pp (CAD) on an interior cabin. This includes air from
Hamilton, transfers to the ship, all meals, and usually some
other perks – possibly a classic beverage package, gratuities,
etc. Packages vary, and although their 2017 packages have
not been announced yet, many cruises are already booking
into 2018 with many people putting deposits down to
hold their space. Final payments are due in October (120
days before sailing) so we actually have only 22 weeks to
save up for a trip like this. On a weekly basis, we’d need to
put aw