December 1, 2000

Good news for the planning-impaired

Vacationers who still haven't made their Christmas vacation plans: A lot of travel companies still have flights and rooms available in popular sun and ski destinations, at prices that are lower than they might be if you tried to make the arrangements yourself.

Ed Perkins, a consumer advocate for the American Society of Travel Agencies, says that vacationers who are being told by airlines and hotels that everything for the holidays is "sold out," shouldn't give up just yet. "Often, the reason a hotel or an airline is sold out is that a chunk of its inventory was sold 'in bulk' to travel package companies months earlier. Even at this late date, your travel agent can probably find the travel package you want at a reasonable price," he says.

Todd Jerred, Vice President of Marketing for Mark Travel Corp., says that a common misunderstanding among vacationers is that the term "travel package" is synonymous with "escorted tour."

"There's a big difference between escorted tours and travel packages," he says. "What we and our competitors do is to create travel packages that include airfare and hotel rooms, possibly with a rental car and options on visitor attractions. On these types of trips, you're not traveling with a group -- you set your own itinerary. People who buy travel packages do so because they want flexibility and savings. Because we buy in bulk, we can often sell those packages to travelers for a price lower than it would be if the traveler made all of his or her own arrangements."

But, Perkins says, there's a flip side. "Travel packagers require payment up front, and they usually levy heavy cancellation fees against customers who cancel their trip within 30 - 60 days of departure. When you buy your own ticket and make your own hotel reservations, you stand to lose less money when you cancel your trip at the last minute. On a nonrefundable ticket, you'll pay $75 to reschedule your flight. And unless the hotel asks for payment up front, you probably won't lose a dime if you cancel your hotel reservation even the day before you're scheduled to arrive."

Previous columns:

• Bellingham diner has gone to the dogs, 11-17-2000
• Dahlia Lounge hosts 'A Chef and his Cookbook', 11-17-2000
• Cruise to Seattle on the St. Nicholas, 11-17-2000
• Titanic exhibit to dock in Seattle, 11-17-2000
• Ice hotel scheduled to open in 2002, 11-17-2000
• Sydney, San Francisco ranked best in survey, 11-17-2000
• 'New Patagonia' premieres at the Rep, 11-03-2000
• Thanksgiving in Wine Country, 11-03-2000