RetailMeNot.com has just released results of a poll by The Omnibus Company; “Spring Break Travel edition of its Shoppers Trend Report (STR)”, which shows almost 60% of miss out on significant flight, hotel, and car rental savings booking a la carte.
According to Trae Bodge, senior editor for The Real Deal by RetailMeNot:
“It is interesting to see that affordability is the most important consideration for consumers when selecting a vacation destination, yet when it comes to booking travel arrangements, consumers are leaving hundreds of dollars on the table by not taking advantage of the discounts on vacation packages that pair flights, lodging and car rental. Online travel sites like Priceline, Expedia and Travelocity, indicate that consumers can save an average of anywhere from $200 to $5001 by booking a customized vacation package versus individual elements like flight and hotel separately.”
Some findings of the poll include:
- In selecting a Spring vacation destination, affordability is important for more than 8 in 10 consumers, followed by security or safety (55%). Availability of activities, and whether the destination is in the U.S. (35%) and family friendliness (32%) are other considerations.
- Women are more likely than men to consider affordability important (90% of women versus 79% of men).
- Women are more likely than men to consider security or safety important (63% of women versus 48% of men), along with those who are 65 or older (65% versus 53% of 18- to 64-year-olds).
- 58% of consumers would book a Spring vacation a la carte from different sources instead of buying a package that offered a discount.
- The tendency to book flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. from different sources and at different times instead of a package deal is more common among consumers 55 years of age and older than 18-55-year-olds (66% vs. 54%) and those who make $100k or more than those who make less than $100k (70% vs. 55%).
- 20% of consumers plan ahead , and 45% wait until spring is already upon us in March or later. On average, consumers begin booking travel arrangements 45 days prior to departure.
- 42% of consumers with access to a mobile device use them to research and book vacations.
- More men than women use mobile devices to research or book a vacation (48% of men compared with 36% of women)
- Almost half of consumers arelikely to stay in a traditional chain hotel while on vacation (47%) versus an all-inclusive resorts (23%), vacation rental (13%) or bed-and-breakfasts (7%).
Even with this data though, the idea and economy of booking package deals is not always so picture perfect. This article by Gudrun Enger reveals a personal experience with Expedia telling of better vacation economy via a sort of a la carte looking and booking process. In that scenario the author saved some $1472.78 by booking items individually rather than Expedia’s all inclusive offer.
While package prices can often save vacationers huge discounts, travelers are always advised to compare. That grand you save selective booking can easily be spent on cool attractions or items for or on the trip.
Photo credits: Vacation image – courtesy © Fotowerk – Fotolia.com