Imaginative travellor

Sherise

Does any one know of a travel agent that does the above package holidays? I am looking to book it early, like 6 months in advance and was wondering if any place offer early bird or student discounts.

I know of sta who sells this, but apparently they don't do discounts?

Thanks to anyone who answers this!

alanrowell

you can book direct with them but as far as I know they don't give discounts

stratford_2

I think it’s unlikely you will get a discount – there’s not much profit in selling these trips, especially as they are now split between up-front booking costs and a significant local payment. The only time discounts tend to apply with these companies are when new routes/trips are introduced and when they are trying to fill up the odd space at the last minute.

One thing worth bearing in mind is to get the brochures from a number of companies and compare prices (including the local costs) and itinerary and you might be able to save some money there. It’s also worth looking at the group size as these can vary between type of trip and company (e.g. Max 12 with intrepid travel) compared with up to 18 with Imaginative Traveller on some of their trips. IMHO the smaller the group size the better – more flexibility and much more likely to be able to see places and meet locals on a smaller scale. Always check the companies’ responsible tourism credentials – do they use local people, independent hotels, vary who they give business to and get involved in charitable work in the countries that they send clients to?

Slightly off-topic, these group travels are good if you’re on your own, have limited time and want to go somewhere where there is a significant cultural and language barrier. I’ve been on a group holiday through China with Intrepid and it was brilliant, quite like independent travelling but without the hassle of trying to book hotels and trains etc. On the down side, they are more expensive than independent travel (especially if there are 2 of you to share hotel costs), less flexible (you may want to spend more time in a particular place) and you may be a bit too ‘remote’ from meeting the locals etc. , and you might be unlucky to be with people you don’t like for several weeks.

I’m not trying to put you off, You may be really surprised at how easy a lot of countries are to travel independently – I know I found Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and others all had the infrastructure for independent backpackers and was glad that, in the end, we decided to go independently. Everyone is different though!

alison74

Depends when you want to go, but if you are not going till next year, hold off till Nov / Dec when IT take off 15% of their trips because no-one books holidays in these months normally.

I got 15% off my Thailand trip - did the whole booking online, but you can also use the flight centre for them

Have fun wherever you go