In This Life CUSTOM GETAWAYS

By Bob Kocher

December 9, 2019

Are November and December good months to find good travel deals?  The answer can be yes or no.  

As a general rule, the lowest fare availability in all phases of travel is between Halloween and Thanksgiving then after Thanksgiving to before blackout dates for Christmas, and between January fifth and Presidents Day.  Just about every travel destination, air cruises and land have their lowest rates during these times.  In these months, good weather can be found in most southern areas such as Mexico, Caribbean and South America.  In October and even November, Transatlantic and re-positioning cruises are great deals too!    

On the downside, spontaneous marketing pushes the idea of, "Get it now before you lose out."  This type of sales pitch is becoming more pervasive all the time.  Some travel suppliers are using this to encourage travelers to buy RIGHT NOW with the threat of missing out on great deals.  

For example, this season, some cruise lines initiated "Black Friday and Cyber Monday" sales deals.  In reality the deals were not deals at all.  Prices were raised at a higher level than the discount offered (very naughty) on the "sale."  It is often better to wait until a week after Cyber Monday to buy the travel you are interested in.  You may be surprised when you see prices drop. 

In our culture, people like to do their own thing.  In travel, this is not always the best idea.  Find someone to work with, tell them what you want/need and see what happens.  Travel providers will not give you price protection, value added extras or full disclosure options.  Good travel professionals will give you full information without forcing you to read dozens of pages of fine print. 

Look for our newsletter for great deals and new trips later this week.