Best time to travel might be during a bad economy

Everyone knows that the economy is hurting and everyone is in charge of damage control. No one knows for sure what the future will hold, so why not take a vacation??? Sounds crazy right? Maybe not...

The travel industry, like all industries right now is going through a hard time. Some travel agents reports that cruise bookings have fallen by more then half. This is actually a good thing for the vacation traveler. In this type of environment, uncertainty is your ace-in-the-hole, because travel companies start to discount, discount, discount. Which is exactly what we want to hear when planning for an expensive vacation. Why pay more for the same thing?

Cruises

Many cruise lines are scrambling to get people on the ship, there are fares as low as $25 per night for Bahamas cruises. Mediterranean cruises as low as $599, plus airfare for seven nights (newer cruise lines still command top dollar though). "We are focusing more on deals than we ever have in five years," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruisecritic.com, a consumer information Website.

The point is there are deals to be found right now and this is a very good time to go on a cruise, just keep in mind some of the big name cruises will still be expensive. The travel dude's forecast for cruises is very hot! If you have even thought about going on a cruise in the last five years you need to take advantage of the great opportunities out there right now.

Hotels

Room rates are falling. Each year hotels will make agreements with large booking companies and set up rates for blocks or unused rooms. You will see this with expedia.com, hotels.com, travelocity.com and others, since it is a new year, new deals have been struck. These companies buy hotels rooms in bulk at a night rate you and I could not get, and then pass the savings on to the consumer, it helps the hotels keep there rooms booked all year long even in non-peak seasons. So they may say, ok we know you need to have a 90% occupancy rate in order to be profitable. We will buy 1,000 rooms from this hotel for this year at $69 per night (which normally goes for the rack rate of $150-$180 per night) and they pay in advance. The hotel is happy because the rooms are prepaid. Then these sites will turn and resell the hotel room for $89-$120 depending on if it is a weekday or weekend. The consumer is still saving, so it is best to use these type websites to get the best rate. You can always check out the lowest prices on Hotels by going to LastMinuteDealsonHotels.com
My point is that last years rates were set in stone and had to be sold at what ever rate was negotiated at the beginning of the year, this year’s rate will be much lower due to the current economy and will just now be going into effect.

Hotels are also giving extras to get people to book, like credits to there in-house store or casinos. You should check out the hotel's website directly for those sorts of deals. Another way to save on hotel rooms is to book your hotel through hotwire.com or priceline. They do the same thing as mentioned above but, they don’t really tell you what hotel you’re going to. It will be a four star hotel, but you don’t have any say as to which hotel. You pay and then find out what you get. I think it is a great way to go if you’re flexible like that, but for most people that have an agenda and need to be near certain areas of attractions, it may not work for you. Booking directly with the hotel is usually the most expensive way to go, unless your booking a large group or have a deal with the hotel directly for the “Turkey hunters” Special.

Flights

Airfares, although dropping for some dates, remain pretty high. Hawaii has been very expensive lately, but I do have good news. You can still have your Hawaiian dream vacation, just try and make sure you got before May and peak season. Check out GoHawaii.com, which has a lot of great information about Hawaiian travel.

This is the best time to travel and do it big for little cash. Just keep in mind of things like spring break coming up; you don’t want to pay triple just because you didn’t realize the kids were on vacation too.