How to buy a last minute ticket. Search for tours from neighboring cities. How to find cheap tours

Last minute tours are a tidbit for any tourist who likes to save their money. And this is a great opportunity to arrange a spontaneous vacation for little money.

The tour becomes "burning" if it runs out of "best before". In fact, the tour operator arranges a sale on the eve of departure so as not to incur losses. The tour consists of air travel, transfer, insurance and hotel reservation. If the hotel has a lot of unsold seats or the plane is half empty, the tour operator reduces the price of hotel accommodation. The price difference between a burning and a regular tour can be 30-50%. How to catch a hot tour? Most best way- Follow them online. The tour operator is interested in selling the last-minute tour as soon as possible. The selection and purchase of a tour online is several times faster than in a travel agency - you see all the offers at once and can choose suitable option. On the Tutu.ru website, you can buy last-minute tours from all tour operators in 8 minutes, ahead of everyone who wants to go on a trip at a bargain price. The more noticeable the tour, the more profitable this offer is, the more people want to catch this “tidbit”. Therefore, if you find an offer that you like, then hurry up with the payment - it can be taken right from under your nose.

Last minute tours from Moscow

Most of the last-minute tours are offered with a departure from Moscow. Hundreds of regular and charter flights depart daily from the capital to many countries of the world. Buying last-minute tours 2019 with a departure from Moscow, you get the opportunity to save a lot - most often they are cheaper than similar ones from Russian regions.

Watch for new hot tours online, choose from a variety of offers and relax with pleasure!

I have been going on vacation on last-minute trips for several years in a row, I can say that this is my principle, I prefer to spend the money saved on vacation. I can't say anything about Europe and Schengen in particular. I saw a bunch of announcements about burning Spain, Italy, etc. But one thought about paperwork and visas keeps me at a respectful distance from these directions.
Really burning destinations for me are Crimea (I don’t consider our south in principle) and visa-free countries. Indeed, sometimes it turns out one and a half to two times cheaper (this year a two-week tour to Tunisia cost me 1.6 times cheaper than a regular tour bought in advance).

How do I act. Since I live near St. Petersburg, I have to focus on St. Petersburg travel agencies, although Moscow ones offer much more attractive options. I prefer to search for tours using a computer, although my friend usually does this by simply calling all the companies she is interested in in a row.
I carefully and regularly (several times a day) track information on the Internet, focusing on the largest operators. It seems to me that the larger the operator, the more significant the difference in price can be. The main thing is to clearly imagine when you want to leave. For example, this year I had a departure date of June 3-6, so I wanted to. The numbers of May 26 began to carefully browse the relevant sites. Here it is important not to rush, but not to miss. According to my experience, I can say that a really last-minute ticket appears 5-1 days before departure. It happens that if the offer is really tempting, these last-minute tours disappear within a day. Let's say, if on May 28 I found the offer I was looking for on the Neva website ("Neva" often gives in these cases really low prices) and rushed for a ticket (and saw a queue, like in Soviet times for sausage, if anyone else remembers this), then early in the morning of May 30, these offers were gone (not a single hotel!), I don’t know about May 29, this I haven't been on the internet for a day. This specific example this year.

Last year, she acted according to approximately the same scenario, rested in the Crimea, in Evpatoria (mainly because of the child). The tour cost twice as much as usual. I took a ticket 2.5 days before departure, I don’t remember the company (there were several options), one of the largest operators in the Crimea in St. Petersburg.

I select the relevant sites and portals in advance, go to the relevant forums, look through the price dynamics in order to know which offers are really hot, and which, sorry, are just bullshit.

For me, it's just such a summer kind of "sport", I basically don't go on vacation, ordering a tour three months in advance...

Most this summer Russian tourists will go to Turkey. 55% of pre-purchased tours are in this country. Tunisia, Greece, Cyprus and Russia are far behind.

The "early booking" promotion for most tour operators ends on March 31, and the peak of purchases falls on the last two weeks of March. It starts depending on the country at different times: summer rest in Spain you can start booking in November, Turkey starts selling in November-December, Europe - in December-January.

At the start of the promotion, tour operators lure 50% discounts. Now, of course, there are no 50% discounts, and they are not always available even at the very beginning. As the PR director of a large Russian tour operator Larisa Akhanova, among the most profitable countries for buying today: Spain - discounts are 41.5%. Greece - discounts reach 30% and apply to all destinations - Corfu, Crete, Peloponnese, Chalkidiki and Rhodes. In Turkey, you can now save about 45%.

There is another secret: the prices for countries that require a Schengen visa to enter, and these are Greece, Italy, Spain, 3-5 days before departure from tour operators fall sharply down. With such a promotion, you can leave for 4 nights in a “three-ruble note” without meals for 15 thousand to Crete for two. Tour operators see that some offer is poorly understood, and reduce prices for it. For destinations where demand is growing, prices rise a week before departure.

Compared to last year, as told CEO service for online booking of tours Dmitry Malyutin, the average prices for tours to Turkey for the summer of 2017, when purchased before February 10, cost tourists 94 thousand rubles, when purchased before mid-May for June-July this direction cost 87 thousand. With early booking, Greece cost vacationers an average of 81 thousand rubles, and a month and a half before departure - 99 thousand. A tour to Italy, bought before February 10, was sold for 92 thousand, later it cost 94 thousand

The main advantage of early booking is the ability to choose the hotel that you like or that you have already been to before it is sold out. It is possible that its price will not differ much from that offered by travel agencies 2 months before the start of the tour. Let the discount for six months be not too big, but rest in your favorite hotel is guaranteed.

"Early booking- most often these are not cheap tours - for a large family or company, - says Alexey Zaretsky, CEO of another large online service for finding and booking tours. - Tourists choose a specific hotel according to certain criteria, good number with sea views. By the summer the most popular and comfortable hotels either filled to capacity, or raise the cost. Therefore, in this situation, early booking, of course, is very beneficial - otherwise you can simply not get to your favorite hotel. However, if we talk about the cheapest tours to inexpensive hotels, then in the summer there are more of them. Such an option is suitable if tourists do not care where to go, as long as it is cheap. " Summer Thailand will cost the cheapest now - an average of 33 thousand rubles per person. But in Thailand, the summer is the rainy and low tide season.

Cheaply you can relax in late May and early June (prices are reduced immediately after the May holidays). If you are not afraid of the cool sea, then you can look at Cyprus and Southern Greece.

When buying a tour for six months, tour operators do not require you to pay the entire cost of the tour at once: 25-50% of the cost must be paid within 5 days after the contract is signed, and the remaining amount can be paid 2 weeks - or for some tour operators a month - before departure. One major disadvantage of early booking is the inability to make changes to travel dates and tourist data. That is, plans cannot be changed in any way. Or buy travel insurance, which significantly increases the cost of the trip.

But, if for some reason the cost of the purchased tour has fallen in price while you were waiting for your vacation, tour operators can return the difference. But only if it is written in the terms of the contract.

Personal experience

Travel agency or independent travel?

If you want to get into a good five-star hotel at a not too space price, then take a closer look at the offers of tour operators. Very often, the price is very different from that offered by booking sites. For example, a good five-star hotel in Rhodes with breakfast and dinner cost three years ago for 8 nights about 40 thousand rubles per person. The same hotel on a popular booking site was offered at three times the price with the same terms and conditions. Still, the discounts that tour operators are entitled to work. And if you book a vacation on your own, take a closer look at the apartments: their price on booking sites is low, and travel agencies hardly sell them. But the rest will be more secluded, breakfast at the time you wish, and less noise from the neighbors. You can save on air tickets if you buy them 5-6 months in advance. At this time, there is still a chance to buy tickets at a promo price - the lowest from which sales start. The number of such tickets is limited, and keep in mind that they cannot be returned without losing the full price. If the departure date is close, then there are usually no promotional tickets, but there are flights for 30,000 for a seat in economy class and 70,000 for a seat in business class.

Back in August, Muscovites began to "prepare sledges": book hotels on ski resorts and buy tours exotic islands. We talked with experts and found out when it is most profitable to buy a ticket, what is cheaper: last-minute tours or early booking, and whether it is worth rushing to buy air tickets to hot countries.

When to buy tours for the New Year and winter

According to experts, about paradise vacation in 30-degree frost it is worth considering until the end of October. “The decision must be made during September-October, and the tour should be bought at the end of November. Then there will be few offers, and the most popular hotels will be sold out,” emphasizes Anna Podgornaya, general director of the Pegas Touristik tour operator.

Other experts believe that with a tour for the winter and New Year must be decided by the end of October.

Last minute trips or early booking

According to Podgornaya, early booking promotions are cheaper than last-minute deals. The fact is that the price of air tickets for charter flights in the composition of tour packages is unchanged. But the hotel can save a lot of money. "When you buy a tour with an early booking promotion, you can save up to 50% on a hotel. This is significant, since the cost of living is sometimes 60-70% of the price of the tour," she explained.

Last-minute tours with a price below the average are not so often and there are few of them, the expert added. In addition, even during early booking promotions, tourists try to book the best hotels.

Travelata CEO Alexei Zaretsky warns that New Year or May holidays there are practically no burning tours. "At these peak dates, early booking is advisable because the most good options in terms of price and quality, they are sold out in advance. If you buy a tour at the last moment, you will have to take for a lot of money or what is left," he explained.

Last-minute tours in winter will still be: from about January 10 to 15. These days everyone returns home and the tour operators are underloaded. In January, after the holidays, Russians rarely take vacations, as this is unprofitable due to the small number of working days.

"After the holidays, it is very profitable to rest - at this time, prices fall by 30-40%," advises Zaretsky.

Where to go

According to the transport adviser, head federal agency on tourism Dmitry Gorin, the new leader in the winter season will be the United Arab Emirates. The increase in the number of flights and the abolition of visas play into the hands of tour operators.

Next in priority for Russian tourists is the traditional trio - "Thailand, Vietnam and Goa". Israel, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are also popular. Last of all countries Latin America is now in the greatest demand when buying winter tours. In the Dominican Republic, a lot of hotels operate on an all-inclusive basis, and more charters have begun to fly there, Gorin noted.

According to him, a hurricane in the United States on vacation in the Dominican Republic will not be affected in any way, because he actually passed by. Cuba has suffered more, and the infrastructure will be restored there for some time.

A ticket to Thailand for the winter now costs about 100 thousand rubles for two, India is in second place (about 70 thousand for a ticket). Next come United Arab Emirates with an average cost of a tour for two 80 thousand rubles.

On New Year's Eve, some Russians fly to Turkey, even though it's cold there. In the cold season, our compatriots are invariably attracted by all inclusive and even lower prices - three times lower than in summer. For early booking promotions, prices for winter holidays Turkey is 20-30% lower.

According to experts, countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile are also in demand, but mainly among individual tourists.

When to buy tickets

As the flight is loaded, the price of air tickets increases and can change significantly. It is unlikely that seats will become available closer to departure, but it also happens that the flight is not loaded and the airlines arrange sales.

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 high season, therefore, 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 the lowest possible 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.

If you are unsure which option is best for you, let me know in the comments:

desired direction
planned travel date
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