Pros and cons of last minute trips - how dangerous and how…

The habit of calling packages with arrival dates already approached or even slightly overdue, "burning" was born in the Soviet Union. Often the opportunity to visit an elite, including the so-called nomenklatura, resort fell on the head of the average citizen almost as a big win in the lottery. Therefore, the general rule was to take them without thinking. As they say, while they are given. In our age of tourist diversity this vestige of developed socialism continues to exist successfully. One of its attractive features is the low price, because the tour operator seeks to return at least part of the investment, not thinking about the profit. Let's find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of hot tours, as well as whether they are worth grabbing at the same rate as fifty years ago.

Let's find out what are the plusses and minuses of hot tours.

Why-tickets are "burning?"

The main reason why package tours "burn" is that the tour operator was too active and organized too many trips (i.e. the supply exceeded the demand). Did not take into account, so to speak, the market conditions. That is why in order to lose as little money as possible he has to significantly decrease the cost of the trip before the trip itself.

<Or if in the host country to which the trip was purchased there is an emergency (military coup, street riots, outbreak of a dangerous virus, etc), the vouchers are discarded en masse and are returned to the market at underestimated prices.

<Unscrupulous tour operators, in an effort to get out of the crisis, may offer you a trip to a country where it is just physically unsafe to be. In that case they will be the only winners. Last minute trips in the low season are less extreme. In the worst case you have to spend half of your vacation in a hotel. It’s just the same vacation, but less interesting than you hoped.

So before you buy, you need to weigh the pros and cons of burning tours, and only then make a final decision.

What are the pros of burning tours?

So we know that hot tours are always the result of unplanned events. The only question is which ones. If they are subjective reasons - the refusal to travel because of illness, death or banal quarrel, then the advantages of last minute trips are undeniable. First of all they are the price. Travel agency, leaving the entire program of stay unchanged, refuses all the markups and discounts, which are his legitimate earnings. The ability to spontaneously escape from the circle of daily problems and go on vacation can also be seen as a positive thing in certain life situations.

The pros of burning tours may well be outweighed by the cons. The low cost is attractive, but it doesn't have to become a road to hell. Leaving aside the most extreme situations, the cons of last minute trips are as follows:

• Assemble for a trip will have to be very fast, sometimes within two to three hours. For couples with children it is almost impossible.
• Cancel such a tour is impossible. Tour operator will not tolerate a double force majeure.
• You have no choice, you go where possible, and get the conditions that are negotiated tour. There is no way to change the departure date, the number of days of stay, and the excursion program, even if it is based on the personal preferences of the previous acquirer.
• The best opportunity to buy a last minute tour is in the low season or in unpopular countries. It may turn out to be true and you will have to spend most of the vacation in a hotel. But at least you'll get a good night's sleep.

Which outweighs the disadvantages of hot deals or the advantages, it is up to you to decide. Find them in the specialized online resources (such as Travelata.ru), that provide information from different tour operators. There you will have more opportunities to compare the conditions and prices, and also the chances to buy (book) the proposal you like, because there are many hunters for them.

Tip! We have a useful article on our website, which details how to properly cancel the tour and get your money back. But it is true that the chances of getting a refund are minimal with last minute trips.

How-to

We've already mentioned above what the dangers of burning tours are and whether "it's worth the trouble" in general. For example, in the host country may be a natural or social cataclysm, but the tour operator does not want to lose all the money and will rely on the Russian chance. Nevertheless we take the liberty to give some practical advice on purchasing such trips.

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1. If you see that the prices on the offers of tour operators drop, do not pull until the last moment, after which the "just for nothing" comes. There is a very high probability that you will be left with nothing. In this case, the difference of $ 150-200 dollars compared to the prospect of spending a vacation near the TV instead of the beach will seem to you insignificant.
2. very low price in combination with absolutely unknown name of the tourist firm - is a reason to be suspicious and to give up the move. For sure they are trying to deceive you. Even if the tour is on fire, an honest operator will not sell it many times cheaper, it is the death of his business. As a last resort, do not purchase tours from "dark horses" online. It is better to do it in person in the office than to find out after the purchase that the address of the operator does not exist, and so does she.
3. Going on a hot tour, have something similar to an "alarming suitcase" with a minimum set of necessary things. Do not try to get everything to the maximum. The lack of a swimsuit in the right style is not a reason to be late for the plane. If you don't leave on time, the purchase will turn into a financial disaster.

In our experience we can say that traveling on a burning tour - is the lot of optimists, for whom overcoming everyday difficulties is an additional reason to feel good and improve self-esteem. If you are young at heart, then suddenly snapped into the unknown and you can at 20, and 75 years old. And for dull pedants even a planned trip can spoil the mood.