Sometimes leisure holidays, whether to visit friends or relatives, or for another type of vacation, have a specific date.
This can happen when you can only travel on a specific date. Travel during a week off work/school, or for a particular event, pay attention. Then, if it turns out to be during a specific date, pricing options are limited. Ask anyone in the travel industry about the week between Christmas and New Year’s, for example.
Other times, a destination may be expensive because of a local event that someone from outside the area might not have known was happening. Sometimes when a client asks to travel, we can point out the issue.
A client who wanted to travel to New York City in September originally chose UN Climate Week.
This not only had some of the highest hotel rates of the year but also closed streets and maintained incredibly tight security throughout Manhattan. (Many world leaders attend.) By suggesting they travel a week earlier, I secured their preferred hotel at half the UN Week rate.
On the other hand, I had another client who had already locked in airfare for the same week, and was stunned how pricey the hotels were. So while I was able to find a room that was a better value than anything she had found, it was still much more expensive than normal.
Ask any travel advisor.
We often get emails from travelers who have booked airfare, or even a cruise, on a date that was random to them. Hotel prices are through the roof because they picked a random week or a few days out to travel. It turns out they chose a time that includes a big event at their destination.
Just a few examples: Ready to Wear Fashion Week in Paris (usually late September-early October), Wimbledon in London (early July), Ironman triathlon on the Big Island of Hawaii (October), or JPMC Healthcare Conference in San Francisco (January).
Other times, there are simply huge conferences.
These take up most of the hotel rooms in a city or even a region. About five years ago, COP, a climate change conference, not only filled Glasgow for two weeks in October but also filled Edinburgh.
Again, sometimes your travel dates are set and not really in your control. It happens. Or you find a great tour or cruise and book it before you think about the dates before or after. It happens to everyone. Several years ago, we booked a river cruise with friends in France, planning to stop in Paris for a couple of days in advance… and yes, that’s how I learned about Paris Fashion Week.
The point of this post is that if you’ve decided to visit a destination and are that flexible.
If “you want a cruise that has regular sailings for similar prices” and you don’t REALLY care which one you take. Either do a little research, or consult a travel agent and ask: are there any big price fluctuations within our possible windows?
In some cases, yes, a local event might be attractive enough that higher prices are worth it. (The silver lining to our two expensive nights in Paris was some great Fashion Week people watching.) But in other cases, that little bit of research can save you a lot of money.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
