Are you a Planner or an Opportunist??

[Tim Ingersoll]

I have become much less of a planner and much more of an opportunist. The deals are just too good to pass up. I went to Playa de Carmen for five days at an all-inclusive for $750.00 air included. Why plan when you can score deals like that?

 

[dwilli10]

We wanted to go to Bonaire, just couldn't pull the trigger due to airfares. We started looked at Coz instead. Lo and behold $390 A/F Detroit to Bon appears out of nowhere. The hubby booked it without even consulting me. So, we are headed to Bonaire! But, I'd really like more planning time to get first choice of accomodations. However, I am NOT complaining. We leave in 2 days.

 

[driftin' by]

I had the same issue. Yapta - Track Airline Flight Ticket Prices and Airfares, Find Frequent Flyer Seats, Save Money is a site that will watch your fares for you and let you know if you should pursue a travel voucher from your airline, but like you, I wasn't going to pay more money for some stinkin' voucher.

I'm a planner, and as such, I overpaid for my tickets.

Driftin' by is an opportunist and saved a ton of money on the same flight.

But... that story about the ant and the grasshopper? I don't remember how that story works out, but I think planners are somehow rewarded.

I'm thinking Driftin' by is going to get strip searched at customs, get the hotel room next to the air compressor, and get seated near the kitchen at dinner, while I'll have the most fantastic vacation imaginable.

I'll get upgraded to first class... get seated next to a supermodel on the flight..... get a free room upgrade, and see a whale shark and a mermaid on the very first dive.

And then, and only then, I'll feel good about paying twice as much as the dude sitting next to me on that stupid Continental flight eating my free bag of peanuts.

Nice one Doug, very nice. It's all good as long as I'm diving with good folks like Doug (H2ODoc) and company... and all my gear makes it in one piece. Only 2 more sleeps my friend!:cool2:

FWIW, I also tend to be more of an opportunist because I cannot stand waiting and counting the days after I book something. I like the excitement of the unexpected and the feeling of hitting the lottery when you find a good deal. Like I said above, We plan to do something every May (spring) and every September (Fall). This year spring sprung early and once fall fell late into December, but again, when opportunity knocks I answer.

 

[siikik]

It might be cheaper to pay their cancellation fee. Of course, getting the right person on the phone will also do wonders... non-drone types work the best.


Ken

 

[Cave Diver]

I am so bummed out because I just checked air fare from Fayetteville, AR to Bonaire and for the same flight that I booked back in September for $790 person is now $440 per person. $350 * 2 = $700 that I have overpaid!!!

I called Contenintal and this is what I was told. I could pay $150 change fee plus a $25 agent fee and then they would issue me a Electronic Travel Certificate for the difference.
So, if I pay THEM another $350 then they will give me a $700 coupon. This would be fine if I did a lot of traveling but I don't and have no idea when/where my next trip will be and besides Contenintal doesn't fly out of our local airport so the chances of me flying them another time soon is probably not happening.

Do you plan ahead or wait until a deal comes along that you just can't pass up? I want to visit my son in Germany (Army) this fall but now don't know whether to book now or wait. With my luck, if I wait, gas prices will skyrocket again.

What to do. . . what to do??

Something to think about for next time:

Online booking services such as ORBITZ offer a price guarantee. If you book something and the price drops and someone else books the same trip later at the lower price you get refunded the difference. Check the fine print for details.

 

[DiveMaven]

I have to be a planner, though I'm looking forward to the day when I can be an opportunist. Since I work in education as well as teach at a university, my vacation schedule can be too tight to risk not being able to have a vacation, so I suck it up and book when it seems like the price is reasonable.

Knowing someone else paid less or the price went down doesn't make me enjoy my vacation less. Last year prices went down so much that I got vouchers from Hawaiian for the price difference, which I've happily used this year for our Maui trip this winter.

 

[escapeartist]

I'm both....I plan a trip months and months in advance but there are ALWAYS sales inbetween when I first start planning and go. Travelzoo.com is a free site I LOVE that sends you weekly deals via email. They've helped me score tons of deals. You just have to research, research, research. Have fun on your trip!

 

[vanessar]

Vanesser, We're going the same dates... will be on the same flight out of Houston on Friday.

We booked about 6 weeks in advance... which is pretty much the norm or I guess you can call us opportunists. We generally plan to go places in May and September and just start looking for deals 4-6 weeks out. We always have places in mind- Bonaire, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Key Largo. In fact, every year we say were going to go to Key Largo but it usually ends up cheaper to go to Cozumel. We lucked out on this deal to Bonaire. A friend on SB mentioned that he was going and knowing I'd only find $700 PP RT tickets for his dates I was surprised to find them for $298. I always think it's best to wait especially on Tuesdays. YMMV

BTW, I'm a Razorback so it think it'd be worth it to change your plans and fly out of XNA.

See you at the airport. Would br nice to say hello. Will not know how to recognize you Razorback.

Vanessar