Why it’s time to start thinking about travel in 2025
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As a Canberran, I can never decide if I’m glad to see the back of winter or if I’ll miss the tailored jackets and cute beanies.
Either way, as a 20-year travel industry veteran, there’s one thing I know for sure: when the end of winter rolls around, it’s time to start thinking about your travel plans for the following year.
“Wait….what?” I hear you say. “I can’t possibly think that far ahead!”
If you can get your head around planning for a 2025 holiday, I can guarantee you’ll reap the benefits.
Lock down those airfares and save
Booking your travel in advance has always been a sound tactic for securing a well-priced airfare. But since COVID that has never been so true. If you’ve booked a flight since the pandemic, you’ll have noticed that airfares have remained inflated.
Airfare pricing is governed by a mysterious faction of the dully named airline employees called the Yield Control Department. These guys practice a dark art that ensures an airline maximises profitability on every flight. It makes understanding airfare pricing tantamount to watching the stock market…confusing and frustrating at the same time.
Whilst the Yield Control Department will move prices up and down as a flight sells or doesn’t sell, the general trend is that prices go up. So when should you book? Seat availability and fares are released 11 months in advance. I recommend looking at the prices then and if you are comfortable with that figure, go ahead and book. If you want to get a better feel for prices, set a Google flight alert for your chosen date and watch it for a couple of months until you feel informed about your options. Just don’t make the mistake of waiting too long for a sale, it may never come.
Early Bird Cruise and Tour Sales
Just as the saying suggests…the early bird catches the worm. Or in this case, the early bird catches the travel deals.
Almost all tour and cruise companies offer discounts for booking well in advance. They want to secure your commitment to travel and are willing to discount to do so. When those sales come out will vary depending on the company. Traditionally, early bird deals for European tours come out in October and November but there are already discounts in the market for 2025 right now. If you fancy a jaunt around Europe with Trafalgar Tours, you can currently save up to 10 percent if you deposit now for 2025.
Insight Vacations has the same parent company and the same offer for 2025 tours. If you want to keep on top of when the deals are coming, have a chat with your local travel agent or sign up for the email newsletters of your favourite travel companies. Far from spam, it’s a great way to know when a deal is coming and how to nab it.
Where should you go in 2025?
As you’ll see in my top five tips below… be flexible and go where the deals are. But if the thought of leaving your holiday decision-making to the whims of the all-powerful Yield Control Department freaks you out, then I’ve got a few tips.
Japan is super on trend and will be again in 2025. You can’t go wrong with a destination that offers such a deep cultural experience as Japan but if you’re worried about the masses of crowds then may try somewhere new. Taiwan is a great alternative, and I hear the Stinky Tofu is quite the culinary experience.
Italy is a perennial fave for Australians, and you’ll never regret an Italian food coma but if you’ve been there, done that then try something new. Malta is packed full of gorgeous architecture and history or maybe check out Montenegro in the Balkans – it’s got UNESCO heritage towns, gorgeous mountains and a stunning coastline (all 293 kilometres of it).
Phuket Thailand has beautiful beaches and is wall-to-wall with resorts that will take care of your every need but if you’re looking for an alternative to crowded Thailand, then look no further than El Nido in the Philippines. It’s a little more low-key in terms of resorts but the limestone cliffs and bathtub warm turquoise waters will imprint themselves in your memory.
Feeling a bit strapped for cash?
You can still book a holiday without access to all the funds. Generally, airfares will be payable upfront but cruises, tours, and many hotels will allow you to deposit and pay later. Always read the booking and cancellation conditions before you commit to anything and ensure that as soon as you commit to anything with money, that you take out your travel insurance at the same time. Most travel insurance claims are based around unforeseen cancellations and are made before people even leave the country.
Top five quick tips for securing a deal
- Be flexible. If you are open to travelling when a deal is on offer or going to a destination based on a killer deal, you stand to save thousands.
- Read your emails. Don’t be afraid of the spam, most marketing emails are there to inform you and quite often, stand to save you a fortune. So, sign on up!
- Call the hotel. When selling online, hotels and their resellers are governed by a system that ensures rate parity, which means rates don’t vary wildly. But offline, these rules don’t count which means, you may pick up a better deal if you call or email the hotel direct.
- Consider low season travel. Once I broke the seal on travelling during winters in Europe, I never looked back. It’s considerably cheaper and less crowded. And as Canberrans, we are already primed for the weather!
- Look at the packages. It can be easy to get excited \ when you start booking your trip. But slow down and have a look at all the offers out there. Travel wholesalers like Viva Holidays, Luxury Escapes or Webjet often package up flights, tours and hotels which can discount the costs of the individual components.
