Planning a holiday within a set budget means you’ll explore every option to secure the lowest cost. Consider these trip-planning misconceptions to ignore:
Misconception: Booking flights on Tuesdays will get you the lowest fares.
Once grounded in reality, this shibboleth dates back to when plane reservations relied on manual intervention. “Airline managers would check on a Monday to see how routes had performed the previous week,” said Hayley Berg, lead economist at fare-tracking travel site
Hopper
In underperforming markets, they would “input” inexpensive fares into the system, making them appear on Tuesday morning. Travelers caught onto this tactic.
Berg lamented, “That era has passed.” Today, airlines use sophisticated algorithms to constantly modify prices based on demand. While you can enroll in fare-tracking services such as Hopper or Google Flights to monitor these changes, be sure not to delay your purchase past the optimal time frame. According to Berg, most individuals procrastinate when purchasing their flight tickets. When traveling internationally, aim to make reservations between three to five months before departure, whereas for domestic trips, booking should occur about six to eight weeks prior.
Misconception: Visiting during the shoulder season costs less compared to peak season travel.
Shifting travel patterns see more tourists visiting popular summer spots in fall or spring, sending prices up. In Europe, new throngs are not just arriving in September or October—some people are going in January and February too. While those travelers might score cheaper air tickets, hotel rates remain stubbornly high year-round in many places, said Berg. And in the Caribbean, more people are bucking tradition and going in the summer, though decent deals can be found.
Misconception: Using a travel agent for bookings tends to be pricier compared to planning everything yourself.
Quality advisors possess “personal connections with numerous hotels and tour operators globally,” which allows them to secure special deals and discounts not accessible to the average consumer, according to Diana Hechler, who serves as the president of D. Tours Travel based in Larchmont, New York. While you may incur a service charge for using such an advisor, doing so could result in significant savings along with more efficient planning.
This holds particularly true for journeys more complex than a direct trip to a seaside getaway. Travel agencies that belong to consortiums with aggregated purchasing influence—such as
Virtuoso
,
Travel Leaders
or
Ensemble
—you can take advantage of discounted prices and share the savings with others. Additionally, should anything go awry, a representative will be able to support you in obtaining the compensation you rightfully deserve.
Misconception: You do not require travel insurance if your credit card offers protection.
Although premium credit cards may offer some form of trip protection, “these benefits tend to be less comprehensive when contrasted with those provided by conventional insurance providers,” according to Stan Sandberg, who is one of the founders of TravelInsurance.com—a platform that compares various travel insurance options.
The insurance provided through a credit card usually covers trips entirely purchased using that card but often lacks medical coverage when traveling overseas. An alternative could be enhancing your standard credit-card insurance with an additional medical-focused travel policy.
Misconception: Now that pandemic-related limitations have ended, pre-booking isn’t necessary anymore.
Throughout the pandemic, cultural sites and museums progressively turned to scheduled entry times as part of their social distancing measures, with several such practices continuing today mainly for managing crowds. These venues and tourism spots continue to mandate pre-booked tickets and often reach capacity—a frustrating oversight and financial misstep should you neglect to reserve beforehand, potentially forcing you into an expensive exclusive visit at the Louvre instead.
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