If you haven’t booked a vacation trip yet, you’re already late | To travel

Christmas is less than 100 days away. And while 2021 hasn’t quite been the year most people were hoping for, with no end to the pandemic in sight, it looks like Americans are ready to bet on a big consolation prize: a vacation vacation. epic.

“All day we book the Caribbean and Mexico, the Caribbean and Mexico,” says Barkley Hickox, partner of luxury travel consultancy Local Foreigner, of the current flood of year-end inquiries. . “The demand is huge,” echoes Paul Tumpowsky, founder of digital travel agency Skylark.

It’s also full of anomalies.

This year, Americans feel pressured into fewer options than usual. Skiing in Europe – or visiting the holiday markets there – seems too risky, Tumpowsky says, adding that customers are fed up with having their trips canceled and rescheduled. Even though domestic travel is the only sure-fire bet, there’s no guarantee of snowfall in December at ski resorts or warm enough to swim anywhere in North Florida.

“One of my board members – who in the past made a holiday tradition of, say, spending $ 250,000 on a trip to Vietnam – this year his plan is Miami,” Tumpowsky said.

“When people ask us for a safe bet for vacation travel,” Hickox says, “they don’t ask about COVID-19 policies. Instead, she says, a “safe bet” translates into reliability: knowing that the weather will be good and that border policies are unlikely to change. Hence Mexico and the Caribbean, whose economies depend heavily on the winter tourist season.

Beaches across the region are asking astronomical prices for what is left of their limited inventory. At the Mandarin Oriental Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, rooms for Christmas through New Years cost $ 4,050 a night and more, more than four times the price listed in November. An entry-level garden view room at the Four Seasons Ocean Club in Nassau, Bahamas, which typically costs around $ 1,000 per night, costs $ 2,500 during the holiday season. (The cost doubles if you want a water view). A relative bargain, the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, on the island’s Seven Mile Beach, charges $ 1,719 for its slightly old-school rooms. If you were to stay a week earlier, you would save $ 700 per night.

With few rooms remaining, it is clear that people are willing to pay, even if it is for lack of better options.

“Costa Rica is as far south as it gets,” Tumpowsky said, citing a mix of weather and border restrictions. “If you can convince yourself to go to a domestic place, like Sea Island [in Georgia] or Palmetto Bluff [in South Carolina], it’s gonna be stupid expensive and cold.

Leigh Rowan, whose consultancy firm Savanti Travel serves high net worth travelers to the Bay Area, adds another limitation: “Hawaii is already full,” he says. “I mean full, full, full, full, full.”

For travelers determined to give their due during the holiday season, that means a lot of considerations that wouldn’t apply in a “normal” year. Here’s how to navigate planning a vacation trip if, like so many others, you still don’t know what the trip will look like three months from now.

Cast a large net

The reality is that this year, booking vacation trips in September is already too late. “Labor Day is usually the turning point for a lot of people, when they look at the remaining options and pull the trigger,” Rowan explains. “But villas and private homes in popular destinations were all gone by May or June of this year. Anything with four to eight bedrooms – it’s all gone.

The consensus is that travelers looking now need to be flexible, whether it’s about what type of accommodation they book or where they go. Or both.

“The people who pushed deposits from 2020 to 2021 were stuck for a year, and others planned early because they didn’t want to end up with nothing,” says Tumpowsky. “For everyone, that means you have to look beyond what you’re used to. You can’t just insist on going to Barbados or getting a particular room category.

Don’t plan on going from island to island, either, Hickox says. Many hotels have longer minimum stay commitments during the holidays – typically seven nights. Additionally, crossing various borders puts routes at increased risk of nationwide closures, testing complications and additional inconvenience.

If you’re ready to think about an exotic destination like French Polynesia, many hotels have stricter cancellation policies while on vacation, so a reservation can only be rescheduled – not refunded – if it’s lost. within 60 days of expected arrival. (Deposits can be taken as early as 90 days.) It’s a big window during which things can change. An alternative is to look for exceptions such as the St. Regis Bora Bora, which offers 14-day free cancellations even during the holiday season, when a week-long overwater bungalow reservation costs around $ 20,000. .

And consider both classic destinations and the next big ones, agents say. “St. Barth is going to be overkill – it’s just going to be a zoo, as crazy as it has ever been,” Tumpowsky predicts, based on early demand. Rowan says his customers, who “are fed up with Cabo at this point in the pandemic (they have been so many times)” are turning to less conventional destinations in Mexico, including Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Todos Santos and La Paz. . Those who have been excluded from the best hotels in Costa Rica, he adds, are considering Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua. The problem, he says, is that with some less developed destinations, “there may be less inventory. Sometimes it’s just three big hotels, and guess what, they’re probably all full too.

Knowledge is power

Before making any deposits, familiarize yourself with the terms of the reservation. If you have to pay 60% of the cost of your accommodation in advance, are you comfortable parking that amount of money with the hotel of your choice? The answer may depend on whether you’re going there to join a crew for a New Years party or whether it’s a destination you’ll be happy to return to.

Also try to investigate the emergency plans of the destination. At this point in the pandemic, Hickox says, there are historical precedents for how destinations have handled outbreaks: Anguilla quickly toughened the rules, for example, while places like the Dominican Republic have been reluctant to do so. . “The biggest concern we have is: are these places going to be ready? Tumpowsky said. “What will the rules be? “

You can also turn to the airlines for good clues. “St. Kitts has connectivity issues with the northeast because the island can’t come up with a plan to deal with the outbreaks,” Tumpowsky said. “Airlines want to figure out what it would take to shut down – what demand will look like – so more fuzzy forecasts make airlines less willing to abandon a daily flight out of New York rather than require a connection to Miami . “

Get insurance

Prepare for a medical evacuation, if you need to, especially if you’re heading to an island with a limited number of hospital beds. There is still a raging pandemic, after all. Companies like Covac Global sell policies that cost around $ 800 for a two-week trip, ensuring you’ll be repatriated without questions asked if you register positive for a COVID-19 test while on vacation.

You will also need a separate travel insurance policy to protect your investment. “Cancellation policies for any reason usually ensure that you get 75% of your deposit back,” Rowan advises. “We recommend it to everyone. (This tool from SquareMouth makes it easy to compare fonts.)

Or wait until the very last minute

Don’t expect last minute deals this year; there won’t be enough open inventory for a luxury resort to justify lowering its prices. But you can find increased flexibility if you’re willing to wait and see, especially when it comes to those minimum stay requirements. It is a beneficial approach for both the rich and the time poor.

Position yourself to take advantage of last minute cancellations. “People will always feel uncomfortable at the last minute, someone will get sick, and hotels won’t tell the person who tests positive for COVID to come down, anyway,” Tumpowsky explains. “But to be on the front line for cancellations,” he adds, “you need an advisor.”

The best way to take advantage of this advantage is to know exactly what you want. A family of five who have compromised their Christmas vacation by booking a two-bedroom suite instead of the three-bedroom villa can ask their advisor to monitor their preferred accommodation for cancellations. “We’re good at being on the front lines if there’s something very specific you’re looking for,” says Tumpowsky.

“My best advice for someone who is just starting to plan is that flexibility is key,” Hickox adds. “Take everything as it goes. You will have a good experience if you can just play around with the shots.

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