Caribbean Vacation: Why Cheapskates Pay Less Than You

Everybody loves cheap vacations. But how many take advantage of the many deals and discounts available to the savvy traveler. If you answered “not many”, you are right.

When you compare prices different travelers pay, you know that prices are not equal. On the one hand, there is the smart traveler who tells everyone aboard his cruise that his is a low-cost vacation. He got a much better deal than one of Donald Trump’s apprentices could muster in his bid to stay on the show.

Then there is the couple who had difficulty meeting their travel budget because they paid way too much for the same vacation. Who do you think will have a better time on their vacation? Right again, the more money you save on the non-discretionary costs (airfare, hotel, etc.) of your vacation, the more you have to spend on excursions, car rentals, deep-sea diving and so on.

Like everything else in life, what you don’t know about travel pricing, will eventually hurt you. You will always pay more because most travel agents or operators are unlikely to tell you the truth about major discounts unless you ask. It doesn’t mean the agents are unethical, it’s just human nature to serve yourself first.

Of course, not everyone has the time to haggle or research the market. For example, I remember the time when my father died and I had to travel on short notice. I paid top fare, a fare that I hadn’t paid before (being a cheapskate). You can imagine how much I agonized over the greenbacks that flew out of my wallet.

But, seriously, if you are buying a Caribbean trip you are paying a significant amount for airfare and accommodation. Multiple this by the number of people traveling in your party. Let’s assume you save $200 on each package.

You can quickly see how much money you can spend on a dinner at the Coconut Grove Restaurant (Antigua), a boat ride to a secluded cove in St. Lucia, or on “I Luv Jamaica” T-shirts for your close ones.

Promise me you will do everything possible to avoid paying those “unfair” prices for your holiday. Research the market and book a lower-than-market vacations.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 21st, 2007 at 2:30 pm and is filed under caribbean vacation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.