Buy tours online
It is cheaper to search and buy tours via the Internet than in travel agencies on the street. In travel agencies, the price can be higher by 10-20%.
Why is it more expensive in a travel agency?
Firstly, agencies add their markup to the price of the tour operator. They need to rent an office, pay salaries to employees, and bear other overhead costs. For companies operating via the Internet, these costs are much less.
Secondly, the managers in the agency are not interested in selling you the cheapest tour – the lower the price of the tour, the lower their commission. Therefore, you will be unobtrusively offered more expensive options, focusing on their merits and belittling the disadvantages. When buying a ticket online, you yourself find a suitable option and decide for yourself whether the price and conditions suit you.
Where to look for cheap tours?
There are three reliable services – Travelata, Level.travel and Onlinetours. All three have proven themselves well and have sent more than tens of thousands of tourists on vacation. See which one suits you best.
These search engines compare prices for tours among 130 tour operators, allowing you to find the best deals.
Our experience. At the end of May, we went to Turkey on a tour. The tour was bought on Travelat, this service liked the most:
- liked the design
- the cost of the tour is displayed taking into account the fuel surcharge
- there are recent hotel reviews
- Is there a discount code
I described the process of buying a tour in an article on the Yandex Zen channel – read it if you are interested.
How is the purchase
The process of self-purchasing tours online looks like this:
- You choose the right tour on the site.
- If the price and conditions suit you, book; If you have any questions, you can call the manager for free and consult.
- Fill in contact information and information about tourists.
- You pay for the tour either online (with a bank card) or in cash at the company’s office. You can buy a ticket in installments directly on the site.
- Immediately after payment, all the necessary documents (vouchers, tickets, insurance, etc.) are sent to your email. They have the same legal force as if they were issued at the office.
- Tour search sites for all tour operators make it easy to find cheap tours thanks to thoughtful filters. You can set the number of stars for the hotel, the rating according to the reviews of tourists, the type of food, the price range, the tour operator and other parameters – the service will show only the results that meet the specified criteria.
An alternative option is to use the ready-made filters “holidays with children”, “close to the beach”, “suitable for couples”.
Why you should buy tours online
Cheapness. Through the Internet you can buy an inexpensive ticket at the price of a tour operator. In travel agencies, such prices are much less common.
Safety and reliability. Search engines cooperate only with large tour operators – they all work according to the laws of the Russian Federation and have the necessary licenses. The same tours are sold online as on the streets of the city.
Convenience. There is no need to go to the office of the travel agency. You can buy a ticket anytime and anywhere – from your phone, tablet or home computer.
Speed. The process of buying a tour will take 10-15 minutes. This is especially important if you are looking for last minute tours and every minute counts.
Wide selection. When you search for a ticket on your own via the Internet, you will find much more cheap options than the agency will show you. Before buying, you can study the hotel in detail: read reviews of tourists, see photos of the room, etc. – All information is available on the website.
Help. Your questions about the country, resort, specific tour or tour operator will be answered by the manager free of charge. Travelata support, for example, is available around the clock, you can call them even at night.
Benefit. Search engines have loyalty programs – bonuses are awarded for the purchase, thanks to which the next time it will be even cheaper. Sometimes promotions are held, there are promotional codes for a discount.
Use promo codes and promotions
A great way to save money on buying trips abroad is to use promotional codes and promotions.
Promo codes allow you to get a discount up to 1500-3000 rubles. Enter them in a special field on the tour payment page – and it will fall in price by the declared value.
How to find promo codes?
Travelata – current promo codes can be viewed here
Level.travel – sometimes they give promotional codes for certain destinations (see here)
How to get a discount? We regularly collect all the current offers on the Promo codes for tours page – before buying a ticket, be sure to check what discounts are active now.
Sometimes companies arrange special promotions – for example, increased miles, discounts on tours, bonuses for installing an application or sending links to friends, contests with a paid tour as a prize.