“When can I get the best price for my vacation?” is one of the most asked questions of a travel agent. Many people think if they wait till the last minute they will get the best price because it will go down. Others think if they buy a year in advance they will get the best rate. And, truthfully, both could be right.

The biggest thing that effects the price of most trips is “when” you decide to go. Off season, and when that is depends on the location you are planning to go, is always a less expensive time. But you have to decide if going to the Caribbean in hurricane season or Mexico in the hottest part of summer is really what you want. If not, then you start shopping for when you should book a certain destination to get the best price for when you want to go.

Common sense tells you if you are planning for a special event, such as a honeymoon, or at the busiest travel times like Thanksgiving and Christmas, you want to make your plans and purchase as much in advance as possible. Anytime your dates are not flexible should be your clue to buy early!

Let’s say you decide on a Caribbean cruise for February and you book and deposit for your trip in July. In October your travel agent discovers that the price comes down a couple hundred dollars for the exact same date and same location cabin you have booked. (Another great reason to book with your local, friendly travel agent. You don’t really think the cruise line or your on-line booking company is going to call you up and tell you that the price has come down, do you?) The cruise line will almost always give you the lower fare, or if it’s not a great amount they may offer you a ship board credit for that $50. or $100. That’s about as good as paying the lower fare, since you know you will spend that much money on board the ship anyway.

For you last minute planners, you can sometimes get a break by waiting because hotels and sometimes cruise lines do not fill their rooms and decide to lower their rates to influence people. But remember, if they lower it much then they might have to go back and lower it for all those people that deposited and paid early. You are more likely to get those last minute discounted rates at places like Bed & Breakfasts and small inns than you are for the San Francisco Marriott because they have set rates that are less flexible.

Now, if you are planning an escorted trip almost anywhere, you need to book those as early as possible. First, they have limited numbers they can take, second, they usually allow you to make installment payments, and third, the price will not go down, but it might go up the longer you wait.

So generally speaking, it doesn’t pay to make your reservations too late. Most airline tickets can be purchased approximately 11 months in advance. There are exceptions like Southwest and some smaller airlines that serve international destinations. Students usually purchase their holiday air tickets early in September when they get their school schedules. Spring Break trips usually are decided on and purchased by December or January. So, never wait too late for those seasons because even if you find space at those busy times of the year, it will not be cheap anywhere you want to go.

Happy Traveling,

The Wine, Travel Diva

We found staying just a short way from Monterey in Marina, CA a whole lot less expensive than staying in either Monterey or Carmel. So we had a room for under $100. just next to the Marina State Beach, which is home to the California Condor.

On Friday evening we went into the town of Monterey and did a little wine tasting at Silver Mountain Winery where we had an award winning Pinot Noir and enjoyed the art gallery and silver shop displays. Baywood Cellars and Bargetto were within walking distance but we didn’t get there before they closed at 6:00 pm.

The huge, full moon was out over the bay that evening and it was so stunning that several professional photographers were set up to catch the right moment. Of course, we forgot our camera back in our room. But it will forever be in my memory as a beautiful sunset with the moon so visible and bright over the bay. Had dinner at an English pub, that was pretty average. Good English beer menu, but their wine selections were awful!

The next day we drove about 10 minutes into Carmel and had breakfast at The Village Corner. Great place for a quick meal inside or out (where you can bring your dog) and very crowded. Although our wait was less than 5 minutes. After walking around the town doing some people and dog watching (since Carmel was voted the number one dog friendly town in America) we headed out to do some wine tasting.

Our first stop going south on G17 or the River Road was at Pessagno Winery. Had never heard of them, but some nice common wines like Chardonnay, Syrah, Zinfandel and Port. The landscape driving the 15 miles there was only interesting if you like to see lots of farm fields and vineyards. We did see a cactus farm and a field of about 10 or 12 wild turkeys.

Our next stop was Hahn Estates Winery. They had a nice selection of wines to taste and a fairly large gift store. Just a mile or so we stopped at Paraiso Vineyards. Beautiful view of the countryside and great place to bring a picnic by the fountain or in the gazebo.

It was time to head back because although it is only about 35 miles the road is curvy and narrow so it takes at least 90 minutes and that’s if you’re not stopping for wine tasting. Once you head north on Carmel Valley Road it gets quite beautiful with trees covering the road and reminding you of Napa or Sonoma.

We had to stop at Bernardus because they have some of my favorite Pinot Noirs. After passing about 5 or 6 more tasting rooms we came to Chateau Julien. It was a wonderful finish to our tasting because they had 2 terrific Ports, a fire blazing in the the fireplace and a lovely setting to enjoy a glass of any of their outstanding wines.

For dinner we were looking for a place to enjoy fresh seafood and found a little out-of-the-way restaurant that was voted “best seafood place” by the locals called Fishwife in Seaside. Most of their dishes had a Caribbean flavor, and we had some fabulous fresh seafood that would match anything at any restaurant in Carmel that would charge twice the price. They even brought us a complimentary platter of calimari, which I thought I didn’t like, until I tasted theirs. It was wonderful!

The last morning there we took a short walk on the beach which was right next to our motel. The waves were huge and it was a bit overcast, but what a fabulous little get-away it had been.

Sometimes those little vacations that don’t take much planning or fighting airport crowds, or spending a fortune on are more pleasurable than the others.

As an example, if you are flying from Sacramento to Portland, the “Wanna Get Away” fares start at $49.00 each direction. Business Class is $146. and Business Select is $161. each direction. Business people will likely not mind this extra amount if it allows them the priviledge of not having to arrive 2 hours early and stand in line for 1 of those hours just to guarantee an aisle seat.

“Wanna Get Away” travelers can still go on line 24 hours before their departure and request a boarding pass that is lettered and numbered. For instance, A24 means that you get to board 24^th in the A line. They explain it on their web site http://www.southwest.com

Just expect fewer and fewer of those cheap seats and more Business and Business Select fares to be available unless you purchase months in advance. But wait, you can only purchase about 4 months in advance with Southwest, so don’t plan too early.