What does it mean to book a tour. Life hack: when is the best time to buy a tour abroad

Travel Tips

The most joyful in advance booked tour- this is the knowledge that you are definitely going to rest! But the advantages of advance travel planning are not limited to this. Let's find out why early booking is becoming increasingly popular with tourists - even those who were skeptical about the offers of travel agencies.

An early booking is considered to be the purchase of a tour before the start of the season, that is, 1-3 months in advance. But in practice, a truly profitable booking is 4-5 months before the vacation or even earlier. If you are lucky, you can save about 50% of the total cost of the tour. Agree, is it good?

There is no catch here, the benefits of early booking are easy to explain. Resorts, hotels and air carriers actively earn on tourists during the hot seasons, which in different countries happen in different time. But in order to prepare for the influx of travelers, in the low season, all participants in the tourism industry are trying to find resources for this. Hotels and airlines are looking for funds to repair rooms, planes and other needs - they sell tour operators at a low price, and tour operators immediately begin to sell them in order to immediately return part of the invested funds. Everyone benefits at once, including the traveler.

The ability to plan trips in advance will allow you to significantly save on travel!

Things to do before booking:

• Coordinate vacation with superiors

  Even if you do not know the specific dates of departure before booking the tour, at least agree with the management about the approximate time of your vacation. It will be incredibly frustrating if you buy a great tour for the end of August, and the boss says that in the last month of summer you have to be in the office, because it's not your turn to rest, this time is taken by another employee. Always be one step ahead of the rest and remember that in the phrase “early booking tours” to Europe, Asia and anywhere else, the key word is “early”.

• Decide how you want to relax

  Literally everything depends on how you want to spend your time on vacation: where it is better for you to go, to which region of the country, in what months and even in which hotel to stay. Decide what is more pleasant for you - noisy streets in the city center or relaxing holiday on the coast far from civilization, the all-inclusive system or only breakfast and a large package of off-site excursions. If you are going on a trip in a warm family circle, choose simply the maximum comfortable apartments, and if you want to make contact with the locals, chat and make new friends, think about the fact that people from other countries also go on vacation. For example, in Madrid, as in many other European cities, at the end of summer it is much more difficult to meet a local than a tourist.

• Solve all problems with documents

  If you dare to book tours to Europe, the USA and other countries where you need a visa, check all your documents. The passport must be valid for at least three months after the end of your trip. If you neglect this condition, you can get a visa refusal. In addition, any tour is issued according to your valid documents. And if you bought a trip, planned everything, and then suddenly lost your passport or nevertheless decided to get married and change your last name, and then all the documents, then problems cannot be avoided. For making any changes to the information about the persons who booked the tour, hotels and airlines will ask for a substantial surcharge.

• Collect enough money

  Most often, early booking of tours for holidays and not only involves 100% payment within a fairly short period, up to three days. When planning to go on a trip and applying to a tour operator for offers, you should at least roughly estimate before that how much the trip will cost in the end, whether you have such an amount or whether you can quickly collect it.

How to book a tour in advance

There are two key points in travel planning: travel time and destination. It is worth starting from them when it comes to early booking of tours for 2018.

If you have decided on the timing of the vacation or direction, it's time to act! The rules are simple: it is best to plan a summer vacation in winter or early spring, and a winter vacation in summer and early autumn.

The travel agency will select options for you according to the requested criteria. In the summer they will offer to book a ticket to, in, to, and to ski resorts for the coming winter season. And in winter, you can think of a vacation in, on and in other popular places for summer holidays countries. The best thing is that it will cost you several times cheaper than a few weeks before departure, and besides, you can choose exactly the tour package that suits you perfectly. Early booking guarantees a wide range of offers: all scarce hotels that are crammed into high season, will be available, and you will not have to sacrifice your comfort and be content with what is left.

All travel agencies actively practice early booking of tours, so do not hesitate to contact even six months in advance

Cancellation of the tour and travel insurance

When buying a ticket in advance, you will most likely have to pay the entire amount for it in a fairly short time. And the only disadvantage of early booking tours for the holidays and the vacation period is that if you cancel the trip, you will lose a substantial part of the money, if not the entire amount. For canceling a tour or replacing one traveler with another, you will be fined from 40% to 90% of the total cost of the tour. And in some cases, according to the rules of the concluded agreement, the tour operator may not return anything to you at all, so always carefully read the conditions specified in the text.

Unfortunately, the risk of trip cancellation always exists. In the 4-6 months that separate you from your trip, anything can happen: you change jobs, move to another city, decide to have a baby, or, in the end, you just change your mind.

Cancel ticket from minimal losses incredibly difficult, so some decide to take out travel insurance.

The list of insured events for which you can be compensated for damage will include:

• illness of close relatives or yours, requiring only inpatient treatment;

• refusal of a visa;

• military fees;

• the death of a relative requiring your return;

• subpoena;

• contraindications to vaccination, mandatory for entry into the country.

But if you attempted suicide, ended up in the hospital due to alcohol intoxication, can’t go because of work, pregnancy or quarantine, became a victim of fraudulent tour operators or got into the epicenter of a terrorist attack, travel insurance will not help you, unfortunately.

Early booking of tours at sea

Rest on the sea - early booking. This is almost always the case, even if you are going to. By the way, what is stopping you from planning a trip to Russian resorts, to the Crimea or Krasnodar region? If you think that booking a trip is logical and makes sense only abroad, and on the banks of the Loo you will somehow find a haven for yourself, then you are very mistaken. Even the most pessimistic travelers, sure that they are always being cheated, cannot deny that package tours and vouchers are not evil, but a guarantee that you will get what you wanted, because tour operators would not be able to sell so many unprofitable offers every year.

Most people prefer it in summer beach holiday, so it is very important to take care of buying a tour at sea in advance

If you are going to the sea in the summer, like most tourists, then the latest deadline for early booking is usually April. And if your plan is to hide from the New Year's snow somewhere on the beaches, then you can plan at all for a year, but certainly not later than November.

Early booking tours for holidays

When the question arises of early booking tours for the holidays, it is important to understand whether these are global holidays or only Russian ones. For example, with the same New Year, everything is quite clear - one way or another, it is celebrated almost everywhere in Europe and even in some Asian countries. Therefore, flights not only from Russia, but also, in principle, around the world in late December - early January are always expensive. Accordingly, the cost of tours also increases.

And if it's about May holidays or Orthodox Easter, then everything is not so simple, and you will surely be able to pick up a ticket without much cheating due to calendar dates.

Booking tours to Europe

Early booking of tours to Europe also has its own nuances. When planning a trip to the country, be sure to check the schedule national festivals, religious holidays and other events that can enrich or darken your stay there. Having obtained such information in advance, you can catch the events that interest you and avoid what you would not want to face. For example, in some European countries in autumn, spring and even summer there are massive floods and storms that repeat year after year. And all the capitals most years are flooded with tourists, and if you want to walk freely through museums and narrow streets, and not push your elbows, choose the least popular months for tourists - February or November.

The practice of booking tours early today is very common, and if you manage to plan your vacation competently and clearly, then feel free to use this wonderful opportunity to save money and foresee everything. For many Europeans who like to plan everything in advance, for example, the Germans, this has long become commonplace and familiar.

In order to save money, many resort to early booking of tours, while others rely on "last minute" tours. All travel companies now they offer both options for savings, but last-minute tours are in great demand, since for various reasons it is difficult for most vacationers to look far into the future in order to buy tours for more favorable prices six months before the trip.

Booking early is more beneficial for both sides of the deal, especially when you're planning a peak vacation. tourist season.

When is early booking beneficial?

Hotels want to know in advance how many people they will have a rest in the high season, so already at the end of autumn, tour operators are provided with solid discounts on bulk bookings.

Advantages

• savings from 20 to 40% of the cost;
• the possibility of installment;
• wide choice of hotels;
• wide range of dates;

Flaws

• Prepayment (from 20 to 50% of the package cost);
• The impossibility to refuse the transaction without financial losses (but you can buy insurance against not leaving due to illness);

Agencies are less willing to advertise pre-bookings, because they earn 8-15% of the cost of the entire tour. Accordingly, the less you pay, the less commission they will earn. In addition, the more such tours they sell ahead of time, the less they will be able to sell during the high season, when demand is higher and the client is psychologically ready to pay more.

If you have the ability to adjust your work schedule to any departure date during the summer, then early booking is the best option for you.

Many are afraid of getting sick or changing plans, so they cannot decide to pay for a vacation six months before departure. In this case, you can buy trips due to:

• sudden illness of the insured or a close relative with hospitalization
• injuries that occurred no earlier than 21 days before the start of the trip
• an infectious disease of the insured or a child that occurred no earlier than 15 days before the start of the trip
• significant damage or destruction of property, such as houses, summer cottages, etc.

"Hot Tickets"

Last minute deals are the sale of the remaining free seats on the plane with a choice of hotels on a residual basis. Real specials are offered in the last week. Everything that “burns” a month or more before departure is pure marketing.

Advantages

• saving up to 20% despite peak season

Flaws

• there is no possibility of a wide choice of resorts and hotels;
• possible problems with obtaining a visa;
• the likelihood of inconsistencies (there are no places in the specified hotel, the food is wrong, the rooms are bad, etc.);
• urgency of fees and minimum time for preparation;

It is profitable for travel agencies to sell last-minute tours. If you carefully read the terms of the contract, you will notice that in case of cancellation in less than 21 days, you lose from 30 to 90% of the entire tour price. No one will return this money, but the tour operator can and will certainly resell your tour.

• Early booking is only beneficial for peak season departure dates;
• Advance booking provides advantages in the form of comfortable conditions and guarantees timely departure, but saving money (up to 30% of the regular package) directly depends on the timeliness of the application - the earlier the booking, the higher the discount (it is advisable to redeem the first part before March 1). In addition, when buying a tour six months or more before departure (subject to timely payment), it includes the cost of the entire package and there is no need to pay extra and recalculate the price.

• Last-minute trips during the peak season are less profitable, because. high-quality and comfortable conditions are offered only out of season and at a lower price.

Summary

If you are planning a vacation at the height of the tourist season and you know the vacation dates for six months or more, then it is better to book a tour in advance. In this case, you get a large selection of hotels and maximum low prices. We also usually recommend using the early redemption options for family tourists, because family rooms and places in good children's hotels run out very quickly.

Otherwise, for the sake of savings, it makes sense to wait for offers until the last week. But be prepared for the fact that the choice of hotels will be very limited.

“Travel agents no longer trust early booking promotions”: the news with this headline, published on July 23 on TourDom.ru, received 40,000 views in two days and caused a great resonance in social networks. There are many readers among those who continue to buy tours at the prices of the Republic of Belarus, and those who prefer to wait. The editors publish a review of the opinions "for" and "against" and invites readers to take part in the survey.

So, judging by the comments on social networks and on the TourDom.ru page with the published news, many readers insist that early booking remains in a good way reduce the cost of vacation. Especially if it is planned in a sought-after hotel.

“I took Gural in February for 230 thousand, now it costs 460,” the travel agent wrote in the comments Inna Kozlyak from Rostov-on-Don.

Her colleague from Taganrog Irina Pashchenko lists the directions in which it was profitable to buy tours within the framework of early booking: “From Rostov, Turkey, Spain, Greece win. This is what I can compare, and significantly. We booked in January, February, when the exchange rate is normal.”

Similar remarks were made by travel agents from other cities, in particular from Chita, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg.

Retail representatives note another advantage of early booking - places in right hotel may subsequently be sold out. “If people don’t care when and where to fly, as long as it’s cheap, then, of course, early booking is not for them. If a person needs a specific hotel, and even if it is a popular one, then in August it will simply be at the stop and at a price higher than early booking, ”said Elena Troshkina from Yekaterinburg.

Judging by the comments, many tourists were also in favor of early booking. “I booked Turkey in September for May - for 23,000 rubles. for 10 days. Ridiculous price. Everyone who stayed in this hotel with me paid a minimum of 33,000, ”wrote Elena Titova from Moscow.

There were also many supporters of a different point of view. This year, the prices on the eve of departure are indeed lower than for the shares of the Republic of Belarus.

Moscow travel agent Olga Startseva led specific example. “We booked Turkey in Coral for early booking in April, in June the tour became 800 € cheaper with them. How can this be? The booking department replied: "Error in the system" - and increased the cost of the tour a few hours later. But for other operators, the cost was at the level we noticed. The result - the tourist canceled the tour, even with a fine. Now I am suspicious of early booking promotions.”

Experts say that in some cases, tour operators eliminate injustice. According to our readers, some companies, in particular, recalculate the cost of sold tours and return the difference to tourists if the price has decreased on the eve of departure.

However, in addition to prices, there are other risks: the tour operator can change the departure schedule, including the airport of departure or arrival. “This is especially bad if you are from the region, and the flight is from Moscow. And the tickets back to their city were bought out 3-4 months before departure, ”our readers write.

Skeptical tourists note that the tour operator itself may not fulfill its obligations. “I don’t trust early bookings, not because of a possible discrepancy in prices (after all, tours to the same Mediterranean Sea usually get more expensive by the summer), but because I don’t want to be among the deceived customers, as in the situation with. Booking no earlier than 2 weeks before departure. Of course, the risks still remain, but much less, IMHO. It's like investing in housing construction - the later you buy an apartment at a later stage of construction, the more expensive it is. But those more chances that the house will be handed over,” wrote Elena Bazanova.

A peculiar result of the correspondence discussion summed up (): early booking remains a profitable tool, especially when it comes to booking popular hotels. However, there are indeed exceptions in the 2018 season. “There are more flights in 2018 than demand, so it turns out that there are tours cheaper than in Belarus. Supply is now higher than demand. I also sometimes buy a thing, and then on sale it may be cheaper, or maybe not. We do not run to the store with claims. At least the thing can be put aside and then sold, but the “burnt” chair, alas, is not,” he wrote in the comments in the TourDom.ru group on Facebook.

Since tour operators have already opened the sale of tours for the fall and winter of 2018/2019 in June-July, the question of whether to use early booking does not lose its relevance. The editors invite readers to take part in the survey.

Early booking is bargain tour with discounts from 10 to 50 percent. As well as the opportunity to plan your budget and vacation in advance.

Why should the tour be booked in advance? 5 reasons.

1. Opportunity to save money and get mutual benefit.

If you book a tour using the early booking system, this means that the tour must be purchased before the start of the tourist season, for example, a few months before your trip. All tour operators and hotels are very interested in selling as many tours as possible by the beginning of the season, thereby supplying themselves with customers and warning themselves against economic worries and various situations. Hotels want to have a large number of tourists, so they do good discounts. Similarly, tour operators have their own interest in making tours in advance. Providing discounts on ready-made tours, tour operators thereby reduce the risks of non-sale of tours. As a result, the discount for the early booking system is obtained from the discount of the hotel and a specific tour operator. The discount strongly depends on the hotel and destination. It usually ranges from 10 to 50 percent. Early booking - it means to buy a tour profitable!

2. Large selection of tours.

If you are thinking about summer holiday winter or summer winter holidays, then you have an amazing opportunity to choose any hotel that is presented by the tour operator from which you are going to go on vacation. Before the beginning summer season almost all hotels are free and quickly confirm the booking. As everyone knows - best deals sold out first. Don't miss the chance to be among those lucky ones who have a rest in the best hotels in the peak of the season, paying a low price for the tour!

3. Tour planning.

Early booking gives you a great opportunity to plan your trip! You can choose a hotel and an airline in advance, buy the necessary things and pack your suitcase, make an excursion and entertainment program, get acquainted with the information on the country to which you are going to go. In general, you will have a lot of time to plan your vacation in such a way as you see it as ideal.

4. Flight.

If you book a tour in advance, then you have the right to choose a flight from your favorite airline, as well as on the dates and convenient time of departure. For example, it may be an early departure (morning) to the planned country, and a late departure (evening or night) back. Convenient isn't it? Thus, during the early booking campaign, you can choose any flights that will be available and convenient for you and your family!

5. When is the early booking promotion?

Tour operators usually hold an early booking promotion 2 times a year - before the start of the summer and winter seasons. Thus, you can buy tours with discounts all year round! For example, book a vacation in Turkey in February for June, and in July book a trip to Thailand for January or Austria for New Year's dates. So plan your vacation in advance, save money and warm yourself with pleasant thoughts that in a few months you will go on a long-awaited journey that will bring a lot of emotions and pleasure!

Where to buy a tour with an early booking promotion?

It is best to buy a tour with an early booking promotion from a reliable and trusted tour search engine. For example, from the site tour-poisk.com - where you can choose a tour of best price and compare prices a large number reliable tour operators in Russia.

Which hotel to choose?

Of course you want to choose only the best hotel to spend unforgettable vacation. On the page: the best hotels - a selection of hotels that you will want to return to again and again! Why guess, read a bunch of reviews, and so on, when there is already a formed base the best hotels selected by professionals!