Travellers often think that waiting until just before their getaway to make their bookings will line them up to catch last-minute deals and great prices.
While this may be true in some instances, there are far greater benefits to booking in advance.
Get your ideal…
Booking ahead of time means that there will be more options of flights, accommodation, and even the destination itself available to you.
“During special holidays, such as Easter, rooms at our hotel fill up at least three months in advance, which makes booking a last-minute Easter or big holiday getaway a little more difficult,” Anton Gillis, CEO of Kruger Gate Hotel, shares.
“Enjoying a game drive in the Kruger National Park tops the lists of most travelling to the area. To make the most out of this experience, we encourage our guests to plan ahead. This will allow you and your family to create a must-see animal checklist, purchase your safari essentials and build up anticipation for an unmatched African bush escape”
Whether you celebrate Easter or you’re just looking forward to a much-deserved quick, quarterly getaway, planning your trip in advance has a number of benefits.
More time to save up
By booking in advance, you give yourself more time to save up between your booking date and your actual time of travel. “This also allows you more time to browse through things that you may want to do while on your journey, and then save up for them,” says Gillis.
“The Kruger National Park offers a smorgasbord of things to do – from night, walking, and horseback safaris, to ziplining, dining under the stars with authentic African food, cultural tours, fun and educational activities for the kids, and much more.
“Over the busy Easter period with higher demand, the costs of these activities can sometimes be higher than anticipated. With enough time and planning, you will be able to easily tick off some of those bucket-list items”.
Capitalising on leave
With the Easter holidays being one of the bigger holidays in the South African year, many travellers take the opportunity to travel with family or friends, taking a week or even two weeks’ consecutive time off.
This is great in terms of having an extended break in which to unwind – but it can be tricky when trying to coordinate with other people.
“When kids go on school holidays, the family needs to plan in advance to coordinate time off from work, and ensure that leave days taken align,” says Gillis.
“It’s imperative to plan ahead in this regard not only to land the best accommodation options and activities for the whole group, but to ensure that no one loses out on a much-needed Easter long weekend with your kids”.
The same applies if you’re travelling with friends or extended family. “Everyone has responsibilities and commitments, so you need to plan well in advance so the necessary arrangements can be made amongst all parties travelling.
There are also often great travel value adds for groups travelling, from accommodation to wildlife excursion packages,” adds Gillis.
Let the fun start with the planning
The fun needn’t start only when you get to your destination. Planning in advance gives you the opportunity to take your time planning your best Easter vacation and it gets you excited well ahead of time.
If you’re a parent, get the kids involved so they feel part of the whole event and can enjoy the build-up to the actual holiday with you.
“It’s a great additional way to spend quality time with your youngsters that’s not on a mobile device or other screens,” suggests Gillis.
“Get some brochures, look through books of African wildlife and show them the Big 5 that they could see while on a game drive. This way they will be more engaged in the whole trip, and it will be that much more exciting when they do spot the rhino, elephant, or even the elusive leopard,” he concludes.