Which comes first the airfare or the lodging?
May 29th, 2014, 06:37 AM
#1
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Which comes first the airfare or the lodging?
I am eleven months from the desired dates of my first trip to Italy! Naturally, I realize that it is way too early to be booking anything. You can't even look at flights on Kayak.com past April 2015. However, I can't help but wonder when the time comes, which should I focus on first? I do not have exact dates that I have to take my vacation. I know that it will be 19-21 days in May of 2015. I know some people like to just go with the flow and book their rooms wherever they end up that night. That is not my plan for this trip. Since this is our first international trip I'd like to have those details worked out to save time later.
For those of you that have not already been following my plans and helping me so much, below is a rough draft of my itinerary to give you an idea of my plans
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ional-trip.cfm
When planning past trips (domestic only though) I've always booked flights first to make dates concrete. I figured that would be best with this trip so I can adjust my plans around which days of the week I need to be in certain cities incase of closures etc.
I have seen on other threads, sites, and forums where a lot of people recommend booking lodgings first, which confuses me. I tried to find answers as to why on my own, but haven't. So here I am asking for your help and thoughts again. Which is better? Does it really matter? If so I'm curious why?
For those of you that have not already been following my plans and helping me so much, below is a rough draft of my itinerary to give you an idea of my plans
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ional-trip.cfm
When planning past trips (domestic only though) I've always booked flights first to make dates concrete. I figured that would be best with this trip so I can adjust my plans around which days of the week I need to be in certain cities incase of closures etc.
I have seen on other threads, sites, and forums where a lot of people recommend booking lodgings first, which confuses me. I tried to find answers as to why on my own, but haven't. So here I am asking for your help and thoughts again. Which is better? Does it really matter? If so I'm curious why?
May 29th, 2014, 06:58 AM
#2
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I think there is no 'right' way, just what works best for you. When using FF miles, we book the flights first, then lodging, and plan the other details from there. This past trip when we wanted to stay at a particular place, which only does week to week rentals, we booked that and then worked the flights in, knowing we might have to fly in a few days earlier. So it depends.
May 29th, 2014, 06:59 AM
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First plan out what you want to see, because you might fly into Rome and leave from some where else. You also must know the number of days for obvious reasons.
The airline always comes first, because you might tinker with dates to get the best rate. That is when you buy your trip insurance since many will cover pre-existing conditions without a suppplement, if you sign up within 14 days of your first booking. So look into that also before choosing a flight.
Then you can play with accommodations and you might chose cancellation free until you fill in the blanks. Once all your hotels are chosen, you can see if you can get the same room for a smaller price, if you choose a cancellation penalty. But if your trip insurance covers this, then it is less of a concern.
Also remember that is very common for airlines to change the times of the flights, especially when booking so far in advance. We were once going to fly in Stansted instead of LHR, and American Airlines cancelled the entire route from JFK to Stansted.
The airline always comes first, because you might tinker with dates to get the best rate. That is when you buy your trip insurance since many will cover pre-existing conditions without a suppplement, if you sign up within 14 days of your first booking. So look into that also before choosing a flight.
Then you can play with accommodations and you might chose cancellation free until you fill in the blanks. Once all your hotels are chosen, you can see if you can get the same room for a smaller price, if you choose a cancellation penalty. But if your trip insurance covers this, then it is less of a concern.
Also remember that is very common for airlines to change the times of the flights, especially when booking so far in advance. We were once going to fly in Stansted instead of LHR, and American Airlines cancelled the entire route from JFK to Stansted.
May 29th, 2014, 07:03 AM
#4
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Airfare 1st as IMD said, then trip insurance 2nd. There are times when I prefer to book my first couple of nights and last night hotels and leave the others to chance. This makes my husband extremely nervous if we are not traveling off-off season.
May 29th, 2014, 07:07 AM
#6
In terms of insurance, and even you even buy any, be very aware of what the conditions are.
Cancelling a prepaid hotel room because you found something better elsewhere is probably not going to be covered nor should it be IMO. Also there are some pre-existing conditions which may not be covered regardless of when you buy a policy.
The airfare: some people wait and wait to buy hoping prices will go down or that there is going to be a sale.
The hotels: if you find a hotel now that you absolutely want to stay in and you try booking and you get the "no rooms available" response it is probably because the room rates for the time period have not been loaded. I find writing to the hotel via e-mail directly can help solve that problem unless the place is closed when you send it.
Cancelling a prepaid hotel room because you found something better elsewhere is probably not going to be covered nor should it be IMO. Also there are some pre-existing conditions which may not be covered regardless of when you buy a policy.
The airfare: some people wait and wait to buy hoping prices will go down or that there is going to be a sale.
The hotels: if you find a hotel now that you absolutely want to stay in and you try booking and you get the "no rooms available" response it is probably because the room rates for the time period have not been loaded. I find writing to the hotel via e-mail directly can help solve that problem unless the place is closed when you send it.
May 29th, 2014, 07:18 AM
#7
There is no one size fits all rule.
If your dates are firm/inflexible then booking flights might need to come first.
If you are traveling during a large festival or mega event - then accommodations might need to come first. (Edinburgh in August or Rome at Easter come to mind - VERY important to nail down hotels far in advance)
I've taken many trips each way - some built around specific accommodations and some built around a terrific air fare.
If your dates are firm/inflexible then booking flights might need to come first.
If you are traveling during a large festival or mega event - then accommodations might need to come first. (Edinburgh in August or Rome at Easter come to mind - VERY important to nail down hotels far in advance)
I've taken many trips each way - some built around specific accommodations and some built around a terrific air fare.
May 29th, 2014, 07:34 AM
#9
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Dukey
Sorry I wasn't clear. If you have travel insurance in place and later cancel for a covered event, then you should be able to get back the hotel fee. I did not mean that insurance would cover playing with hotel rates.
Sorry I wasn't clear. If you have travel insurance in place and later cancel for a covered event, then you should be able to get back the hotel fee. I did not mean that insurance would cover playing with hotel rates.
May 29th, 2014, 10:20 AM
#11
You can search flights on ITA by month and date range. Just select May and 19-21 days and it will return a calendar of fares for the month. You can also search multiple departure cities (if you have several nearby airports you could use) and various arrival/departure cities from Italy.
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
May 29th, 2014, 12:23 PM
#13
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As others have mentioned, it does seem to be a chicken or egg type dilemma. On my upcoming trip, I've already booked accommodations, due to the high demand (Edinburgh in early August, for example). Now, I'm watching airfare like a hawk, but I've given up some flexibility in that regard.
watch closely for hotel or rental cancelation policies. Some discount hotel rates can't be changed or cancelled without a heavy penalty, so keep that in mind when booking.
watch closely for hotel or rental cancelation policies. Some discount hotel rates can't be changed or cancelled without a heavy penalty, so keep that in mind when booking.
May 29th, 2014, 12:44 PM
#14
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We frequently book lodging first as we usually stay in apartments. We want certain amenities (like AC in the summer) and many of the best book up quite early.
We've never been unable to find flights but have, occasionally, been unable to book an apartment we wanted.
We've never been unable to find flights but have, occasionally, been unable to book an apartment we wanted.
May 29th, 2014, 12:47 PM
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Talking about "better" requires determining metrics. There is no one universal metric for booking a trip. You have to look at all key components before making non cancelable arrangements - whatever that might be. It is not always the flight.
You do not want to make non changeable financial commitments assuming other items would work out to your satisfaction. Sometime yes, sometimes a big no.
Some typical gotchas with making a commitment before checking to make sure the other items are indeed available at acceptable cost:
Flight first because you found a bargain. If after more considerations, you realize that your real destinations are elsewhere. You end up consuming time and money getting to and returning to you airports. Your seemingly good airfare shortened your trip and increased the overall cost.
You booked a route that seems to make sense ... except that you must spend nights in a city holding big events and you the accommodations are tight and what are still available are priced several times higher than the normal rate.
You realize that hotels are offering considrably lower rates or more desirable rooms on weekends vs weekdays or vice versa. But you no longer have flexibility to change the sequence of visit.
Look at all key items relevant to YOUR trip. Put together different scenarios. Do they really mesh together? You might not have as much flexibilities as you might have thought.
You do not want to make non changeable financial commitments assuming other items would work out to your satisfaction. Sometime yes, sometimes a big no.
Some typical gotchas with making a commitment before checking to make sure the other items are indeed available at acceptable cost:
Flight first because you found a bargain. If after more considerations, you realize that your real destinations are elsewhere. You end up consuming time and money getting to and returning to you airports. Your seemingly good airfare shortened your trip and increased the overall cost.
You booked a route that seems to make sense ... except that you must spend nights in a city holding big events and you the accommodations are tight and what are still available are priced several times higher than the normal rate.
You realize that hotels are offering considrably lower rates or more desirable rooms on weekends vs weekdays or vice versa. But you no longer have flexibility to change the sequence of visit.
Look at all key items relevant to YOUR trip. Put together different scenarios. Do they really mesh together? You might not have as much flexibilities as you might have thought.
May 29th, 2014, 01:50 PM
#17
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Talking about "better" requires determining metrics.
It is comments like this that made me retire pre-maturely. You did not a calculator to tell you which co-workers that made you want to blow your brains out.
It is comments like this that made me retire pre-maturely. You did not a calculator to tell you which co-workers that made you want to blow your brains out.
May 29th, 2014, 04:20 PM
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If I'm in the mood for a fabulous apartment or a favorite hotel room, I'll check those schedules first and reserve something that will work with my preferred days of travel. If I get notice that a favorite airline just put Business Class fares on sale for specific dates, I'll book the dates that work for me and figure out the roof over my head soon after. I love staying at a variety of different places, but there are certain airlines I will not fly.
