Reducing Baggage Charges – Hotel Laundry
My family and I were in Mexico last week on family vacation. We spent a total of $160.00 on baggage charges. Believe me when I tell you that I searched my mind for ways to reduce that amount.
One of the things I considered was packing less things and having things washed mid way through the trip. I had already checked to see if our resort had a washer and dryer for guest use. They did not.
While we were on the trip I pulled out the laundry list located next to the plastic bag hanging on one of the hangers in the closet. As I surveyed the list, I quickly saw that I did the right thing by going ahead and bringing enough clothes not to require laundry.
Here are a few examples of the prices:
T-Shirt: $4.00
Shorts: $5.50
Pants: $7.50
Underwear: $3.00
Dress: $8.50
I believe that these prices are pretty typical of a nice resort.
As you can see, it wouldn’t take very many pieces of clothing to pay for the cost of checking another bag. Now, if the issue isn’t just about expense but rather the convenience of either not checking a bag or lugging around less luggage, then isn’t isn’t purely a mathematical question.
As with many choices in vacation travel….it’s all up to you!
What People Complain About on Vacation
Many people we work with on vacations don’t complain about anything. The complaints we do get, however, seem to usually be one of the following.
Changing Prices: Prices change. It’s a fact of life. If your friend booked a month ago and you want to book today, you’re probably paying a different price. If you called for a quote a week ago and were just waiting to get your paycheck before you made deposit, the price you were quoted may very well have changed. How to avoid it: Book as early as possible.
Airline Schedule Changes: Sadly, schedule changes are also a fact of life. Charter flights seem subject to more dramatic schedule changes than scheduled carriers. How to avoid it: I’m not sure there is a way to avoid an airline schedule change short of buying or leasing a private jet.
Cancellation Fees: Fortunately, most people don’t cancel, so this isn’t an issue for most people. Depending on how close to your departure date you cancel, the cancellation penalties could be as high as 100%. How to avoid it: Purchase travel insurance (or don’t cancel).
Luggage Fees: Luggage fees are an unfortunate sign of our times. I don’t think they’re going anywhere either. Depending on the airlines and your luggage, fees can add a sunstantial amount to the cost of your trip. How to avoid it: Pack judiciously and be very clear on the baggage policy of the airline in question before booking your trip. One airline might appear cheaper, but once you factor in the luggage fees, it may not be the case.
Assigned Seats on the Plane: Right after you book, your reservation goes to one staff member whose job it is to look at it and figure out what needs to happen with regard to your assigned seats. If it is a land only reservation..easy enough. If the flights are on a carrier where you must go online and pay a fee for the seats, the booking agent is instructed to call and let you know. If it is a charter flight where there are not preassigned seats, that gets closed out too. If it is on a scheduled carrier, we look at the seating chart and assign the best possible seats. If no preassigned seating is available, the booking agent is instructed to let you know and we look at the flight day after day up until the day of the flight to see if we are able to improve your seat situation. Sometimes it just comes down to assigning the seat at the airport on the day of departure. We do our very best, but we don’t have the ability to throw passengers out of a seat. As much as we’d like to, the airline doesn’t give us that right. How to avoid it: Book early.
Room Requests: Frequently people have a request regarding their room assignments. Groups like their rooms to be assigned together. Some people want to be in a certain building or near a certain restaurant or pool. Sometimes people want a higher floor or a specific floor. We do make our room requests directly to the mangement of the hotel. Room requests are, however, requests. Sometimes the hotel is able to fulfill them and sometimes circumstances dictate that they cannot. How to avoid it: Be really clear on the room type you have booked. Know what is confirmed and what is just on request. How to avoid it: Understand the difference between what is confirmed, and what is on request.
Oceanview Rooms: Many resorts offer an oceanview room category as well as an oceanfront or maybe a beachfront room category. In this scenario, oceanview would be less expensive. It also offers the least view of the water. Some resorts are very liberal with how they define which rooms are oceanview. If you can see the slightest sliver of water in the distance while standing on your tippy toes on the balcony..BINGO! it’s an oceanview room. How to avoid it: Be clear what your expectations are for your view. Book accordingly.
Mattress Comfort: Just like Goldilocks, some people find their mattress too hard, some find them too soft. Others find them just right. How to avoid it: Generally speaking, at lower end resorts you’re going to find harder beds. (They last longer and need replacing less frequently.) At higher end resorts you’ll find pillow tops and high thread count sheets.
Knowing what past guests were most likely to complain about might help you know what to do to avoid being similarly unhappy.
Four Steps to Better Vacation Planning
Make Vacation Planning Easier!
So, it’s the beginning of the year and it’s time to start thinking about Spring Break, Summer Vacation and so forth. Where will you spend your vacation dollars this year and when will everyone’s schedules align so that you can be together and have a magical time?
Every year it seems like vacation planning gets more complicated. Money certainly isn’t getting easier to come by. Time isn’t more plentiful either. Then when you take into account trying to make schedules intersect between everyone involved, vacation planning can be a real nightmare.
How can you make vacation planning easier?
Plan Early: The first step is easy vacation planning is to plan early. The earlier you plan, the better the availability (and usually the pricing) will be. You’ll have the best choice of hotels, of room types, of flights and of seat assignments.
Look Carefully at Schedules: It will be easier to plan your vacation when you’re really sure about the dates during which you and your fellow vacationers are available. Pull out the sports schedules, get a range of dates pre-approved by all bosses involved. Let your agent know the full range of dates you’re available. For instance you can let him or her know “We’d like to go 5 nights somewhere between the 1st and the 15th of June.” This will give your agent the best tool to help you find the best vacation and the best deal.
Clarify Expectations: The other people you’re traveling with may have different expectations for the trip than you do. You may want to sleep your vacation away, and they may want to party into the wee hours. It is important that you talk with the other people coming along (both adults and children) so that you can find out what they want and what they expect. Now, only you can decide how far you’ll go to meet the expectations of your children on vacation..but it is important to at least know.
Be Realistic About Your Budget: Give some clear thought to how much you can actually afford to spend on your vacation. Rely on your agent to let you know the most you can get for that amount of money. Your agent plans vacation all day every day and they are very aware of what things run and what you can expect to get for your money. Don’t be taken in my deals that look too good to be true. Remember what your mother told you about those. Also, don’t be afraid to tell your agent your budget. It really helps in the planning process.
What do you find helps with vacation planning? Tell us in the comments.
How a Groupon Could Improve Your Next Vacation
Use a Groupon on Your Next Vacation
You do know what a Groupon is…right? From their website: “Groupon negotiates huge discounts on popular local goods, services and cultural events. Then we offer the deals to thousands of subscribers in a free daily email. The deals are activated only when a minimum number of people agree to buy. So our subscribers get a great deal and the business gets a ton of new customers. Win-win.”
I just counted 166 cities across the US and Canada where they offer Groupons every single day. Many of those cities might be ones where you might be taking a vacation or weekend getaway. Some cities are popular vacation spots like New York City, Miami or San Francisco. Others might be ones where you’ll plan to visit while visiting friends or relatives.
In any case, when you know you’re going to be visiting a certain city in the coming months, I recommend checking in daily for the Groupon offered in that city. I’ve been keeping my eye on several cities for a while now and I’ve seen all sorts of things.
For instance, restaurants are offered frequently. You’d need to be careful and only buy a Groupon for a restaurant that you would actually go to. For instance, if you’re visiting New York City you wouldn’t want to invest in a Groupon where the restaurant is located way out in Brooklyn. The time it would take to get to the restaurant would cancel out any savings you might have had.
I’ve also seen lots of sightseeing opportunities as well. I’ve seen bike tours, spa days, wine tastings…all sorts of things.
So, next time you’re planning a trip to a city in the US or Canada, check out Groupon!
Have you used a Groupon in a city in which you don’t live? How did it work out?
A Cheap Trip at Christmas?
What's the deal with getting a deal at Christmas?
At your office I’m sure there are things that are predictable. If you’re a Starbucks barista you’ve probably discovered patterns of what types of people are apt to order what type of drink. In the summer people order more iced tea and in the winter you probably fix more of my favorite, Caramel Apple Cider.
At Legacy Travel we can tell that Old Saint Nick is about to make his annual appearance when we start getting phone calls like this:
“Good Morning, Legacy Travel!”
“Hello, I’m thinking about going on a vacation between Christmas and New Years.”
So we get more details and price the trip.
“Why is it so much? Last summer we went for $X.XX!”
The fact is that the holiday time is a very popular time to travel. Its very popular AND its a relatively short period of time. This means lots of people competing for very few airline seats and very few hotel nights.
Compare the holiday season to summer vacation. Many people travel in the summer too, but that demand is diffused across three whole months. During the holiday season there are at most two good weeks of opportunity.
Its purely a matter of elementary economics. Supply and demand, pure and simple.
If you want to save some big bucks and you don’t have to worry about kids in school, consider going during the first couple of weeks in January. You’ll save a great deal of money. Other than that, your best bet during the hot travel time between Christmas and New Years is to BOOK EARLY!
Have you ever traveled at Christmas? What are the pros and cons?
Why the Off Season Should Be Your On Season
On Season = Off Season
It is a great idea to travel when others aren’t traveling. It’s also a great idea to plan your trip while others aren’t planning.
Most people are familiar with high seasons and low seasons in various destinations. For instance, for a ski resort, clearly the winter is high season, summer is low season. For a beach destination, winter is high season, summer is low season. (There are more specific dates that are higher and lower than others even within those broad parameters, but I’m just trying to make a point here.)
Vacation booking has a distinct season as well. For instance, during the first half months of the year it is everything we can do to keep up with the flow of people wanting to book vacations. It’s a great time of year for us. After July or so, activity starts to drop off.
We do a very good job of keeping up with the pace during the first half of the year, but if you call our office in the fall, you’ll find the agents have plenty of extra time to talk and plan your trip.
To tip, or not To tip? That is the question.
Should I tip at an all inclusive resort?
With apologies to Mr. Shakespeare, this is a question that we get quite a bit as people are making final preparations for their all inclusive vacation.
Technically speaking, tipping is included at all inclusive resorts. That said, there are several schools of thought on the subject.
Some people you’ll talk to say that you’ve saved all year for this all inclusive vacation and its ridiculous to think that you would give additional tips that are supposed to be included.
Then there are other people who say that you tip at home for good service and there isn’t any reason to think you shouldn’t do the same when you’re abroad at a resort.
As with many things, I think there are a range of right answers and you should decide what you are comfortable with.
If you’re asking my opinion (and I guess you are, since you’re still reading) I do think its both nice and useful to tip while you’re in a resort.
First, lets look at the useful aspects of tipping. When you’re spending the day by the pool or the beach, and there is waiter service going by periodically, think about who is going to get better more consistent attention? Would it be the person who is not tipping and all, or the person who tips a dollar or so every couple of drinks? Who is going to get the towel animals on their bed, or a couple of extra towels, or just more helpful enthusiastic service? Tippers, or non tippers? I’m not talking about a great deal of money here, just a dollar or two at a time.
Next, let’s look at the nice reasons to tip. The people who work at these resorts make very little money. One source I saw said that the minimum wage in Cancun is 51 pesos per day. These workers work very long days six days a week At today’s exchange rate that is just over $4.00 (not per hour…per day). While the cost of living in the resort areas is maybe slightly less than in major US metropolitan areas, you can see that $4.00 per day doesn’t go far no matter how you slice it. Tipping even a little helps these people make ends meet. What is a small amount for you can go a long way for the people who make your vacation special.
The mechanics of tipping: If you decide that you do want to tip, make sure you’re prepared. Before you leave, get a supply of small bills. The workers in Mexico seem especially amused by $2.00 bills. I try to get as many as I can from the bank before I leave. Regardless of what denomination you choose, make sure that the bills aren’t damaged or written on. If they are, they cannot be exchanged for pesos and will be worthless to the hard working recipient of your tip.
Either way you go, certainly don’t tip in situations where you don’t feel you’ve received good service. Tipping at all inclusive is truly optional and you should not feel obligated. Your tip should be a gift for great service, something you’re happy to give.
Room Upgrades on Vacation
During the course of booking your vacation, you must decide which type of room to book. Do you want just a garden view room? Do you want an oceanview? Oceanfront? Do you want a suite? Do you want a Grand Luxe Concierge Premium Honeymoon suite? (…and what does that even mean?)
The thought has occurred to some vacationers to book the minimum room and try to talk themselves into a no cost or low cost upgrade at check in. Perhaps slip the clerk a large tip and get a deal on an upgrade. Sounds good, right?
Like many other aspects of booking and taking vacations..it pays to be informed.
With most resorts, onsite room upgrades are a big profit center. They have a captive audience for selling the upgrades. You’re in the destination. You’re at their resort. When you’re standing at the resort check in counter your options are limited because it is much harder to change resorts. The hotel knows that once you’re there, and you ask about an upgrade, and you’ve got that glass of rum punch in your hand, you’re much more likely to part with your hard earned money.
Granted, when you’re talking to us on the phone or sitting at our desk it’s hard to imagine what you’re getting for your extra money. But, when you’re still at our desk, you can even still opt for another resort altogether perhaps with a better deal on that oceanfront room. Also, you can be sure that that upgraded room is actually available. Who knows what will be available at check in?
The fact is that usually the upgrades are less expensive purchased in advance than they are at the hotel.
Rather than making a rum flavored decision, why not review the room options ahead of time and make a fully informed decision? We can even upgrade your room after you initially book your vacation, but before you travel.
Just the other day we had a wedding couple come in just a few days before their trip. They had been given some unexpected money and decided to upgrade to a much nicer room at the last minute (but still before departure). Very smart.
