Do You Want To Learn How To Find Cheap Vacation Packages.

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Tips and tricks on how to find cheap vacation packages.

Learn how we were able to find cheap vacation packages at top notch resorts. Our first trip ever to an all-inclusive was not as extravagant as we hoped. We paid outrageous prices for a poorly run resort. The country wasn’t the problem, nor was the company we flew with. The issue was we didn’t have total control over the choice we had to make. We made the best-educated choice with a travel agent to find cheap vacation packages.

He asked us how much we want to spend and what options we wanted and gave us 20 choices to pick from. With very little time and no chance to research any of the resorts, we settled on the one that “sounded” the best.

We thought this was how you find cheap vacation packages.

Extremely excited about our new adventure. We could imagine all the wonderful memory’s we would bring home judging from the pictures we seen. Sadly, reality would hit us at arrival and we realized that it would have been better to stay at home.

Beautiful ocean view from Now Jade resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. find cheap vacation packages

This was not the problem when booking our last trip. The 3 things we did differently to find cheap vacation packages, for the better, completely were…

Pool side and ocean view at Now Jade resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. find cheap vacation packages.

1) Don’t completely rely on a travel agent to find cheap vacation packages.

Like I stated before, you get a massive list to choose from on the spot. There are many great looking resorts that look so similar. This will be completely confusing as you try to imagine all the wonderful experiences you could have at these resorts. I am not bashing agents but I found it was easier and more informative to do the research myself.

You can do it in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. There’s no pressure from someone waiting for you to choose. When spending thousands of dollars on your trip, it is not something to rush. We did have CIBC travel agents assist us with a few things like; looking into safe sizing details, or other questions we were not able to find ourselves.

The only person that knows what you want best is yourself. Taking the time to plan your vacation precisely will allow you to find cheap vacation packages with less disappointments. This will allow you to fine tune your research and pick the best possible option you have.

Iguana at Now Jade resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. There were running around by the ocean water.

(Tips)

Currently we use CIBC travel, along with a CIBC Aventura Visa. Using the visa allows us to collect points to use for vacations. You collect points simply by using it for everyday purchases. We have used booking websites like Flight Network (the experience was great), but we prefer CIBC travel because of our visa situation.

The visa is good to use if you make sure to pay off your monthly balance at the end of the month. Collecting points for flights and vacations allows us to pay for part of the vacation (more explained later on).

Ocean view at the golf course where we went golfing. The view was stunning. Varadero, Cuba

2) Before booking, read both the hotel star rating and Trip Advisor Reviews.

We found the ratings that are posted on the hotel details were not in par with what people honestly thought about the resort or hotel. This is where Trip Advisor helped. It allowed us to read customer reviews and judge their star rating compared to the resorts star rating. We use the resorts star rating, but not to make our final decision. You may also read something in the reviews that would be a total deal breaker.

They say the ratings in the hotel details are updated, but they are not updated soon enough. Trip Advisor allows for up-to-date reviews from other people like yourself returning from that trip. Why not learn from someones mistake or success? They are leaving the review for you to make a better decision for yourself.

When searching to find cheap vacation packages, you have to be careful that their not cheap because of a known issue with the resort. What you want to look for is companies trying to fill their resort in a slow peak. This forces them to drop prices to attract people to come. You want to find the best resort for the lowest price, not just any resort for the lowest price. This is why reading reviews is important!

Lifeguard at Now Jade resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. He had the best view of the ocean up there.

3) We recommend booking last minute to find cheap vacation packages.

You would think that booking tickets ahead of time would save you money. But we found if you book ahead of time it would cost you more. From what we experienced, they have to fill those planes and resorts ahead of time for scheduling. When it comes close to departure and arrival at the Caribbean resort, they need to fill the empty spots. Booking late is where we caught amazing deals.

Start your trip planning earlier. Find out where you want to go, or when to book time off work. But leave the actual booking until 3-4 weeks prior and you’ll find that it is the best approach to find cheap vacation packages. I also found that the prices normally went up after the planes and resorts got booked up. So it is possible to also book too late if you leave it right to the end.

It was wonderful to see old school cars driving around in Varadero, Cuba.

This was the awesome infinity pool we got to experience at Now Jade in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Side view.

How to find cheap vacation packages under your budget?

Booking is easier then you think. First make sure to have an account with any preferred travel agency online. You can filter search results in example, what amount to spend, resort star ratings, accommodations, where to go, and when to go, etc. Sort it in which ever way you would like and take a look at all the top choices. From there research those resorts on Trip Advisor to see what the public had to say about them. Take the best results and book the trip through your online account. It is more work then having a travel agent pick for you, but going down this route resulted in a much better vacation experience for us.

Note: You can also have a travel agency book the trip for you in person vs online. Just do your research online!

For Example:

Now Jade was our last booking, which was a five star hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

It was normally priced around $4000.00 per two people at 7 days, but we paid $2800.00 and used $1100.00 we had in Aventura points. This gave us a total of $1700.00 per two people out of our pocket. Now Jade was a top notch resort where we ate, drank, and relaxed like royalty. Everything was of the highest quality. It was a steal at 850$ per person after all taxes and fees. Our first trip we mentioned was around $2500.00 per two people and it was nothing more then a dirty cesspool.

*We purchased many tickets this way lately, and we know it’s a good thing when we meet people at the resort that paid much more then us for the same package.

Mexico was a lovely experience in general. Enjoy our post? read more about our experience at Now Jade Resort in Riviera Maya.

Also to view more of our trips, visit the photography page or blog page for more!