College students looking to book South Padre Spring Break 2014 can get a few tips as provided by Chad Hart, the President of Inertia Tours a college spring break travel company specializing in trips to South Padre Island, Texas.
- Consider transportation options
Road trip to Texas. You simply cannot get to a popular spring break destination cheaper than everyone loading up and driving to Texas. With gas prices falling, this option generally will cost you 50 to 150 per person after you split gas money and an oil change. Combining this with a 299 beachfront condo with meals equates to a quality, low cost spring break vacation.
Another way to save money is to consider jumping on a motorcoach party bus. From many midwestern US cities Inertia Tours offers students roundtrip bus from their campus with a condo, meals and parties each night included for 500 to 650 per student. The great thing about this option is you dont have to use someones vehicle putting miles on it and risking breakdown or accidents.
If flying be prepared on budget. What used to be a 350 roundtrip ticket is now likely 500 to 750 per person just for the flight. While this is fast convenient and the easiest way go travel, for many students this is just too expensive with a flight condo and meals running 1000 to 1400 per person
2. Compare a condo to a hotel room
While hotel rooms are generally cheaper in price, you also do not get a kitchen. Having a kitchen alone can save you as a student $10 to $20 per day per person as you don't have to eat out all the time. Consider that value.
Additionally, condos have a full sized living room as well as a full sized fridge to keep your party beverages cold AND give you pre game socializing space. That's worth something.
Sunchase Beachfront Condos exclusively by Inertia Tours
3. Location matters
Off the beaten path hotels and condos are cheaper for a reason. Taking cabs all the time can
add an easy $100 to $200 per person to your trip. Staying within walking distance to major nightclubs not only makes your spring break trip more enjoyable and your friends will be happier. This is especially true for South Padre Spring Break and Panama City Spring Break.
You will have to pay more for prime time location, but in the end it could actually save you more money. For South Padre Island condos look at Sunchase Beachfront Condos and the Peninsula. For Panama City condos look at Laketown Wharf or summit condos
4. Make sure the travel company can send you photos and videos
We are always amazed by students booking with some travel thing they found online only to find they have scraped photos from Inertia Tours for South Padre or our partner Traveo for Cancun claiming they have onsite programs with staff.
If they do, it's really easy - ask for their online photo album and youtube channel. For example, www.youtube.com/inertiatours with over 900 spring break videos and our Flickr spring break photos album http://www.flickr.com/photos/springbreaktrips/
5. Consider your group size to help or hurt your price
When traveling to USA spring break destinations in Texas or Florida, a big group can mean you get superb, massive 2 or 3 bedroom condos all at the same complex for a discount. However, if you have a big group and are flying particularly for cancun spring break or puerto vallarta spring break, expect massive price fluctuations.
As airlines sell seats and therefore fill planes, they use what is called yield management to raise the price and their revenue. What this means if you a price a spring break deal on expedia. for 3 people, and get a price of say $1000, and expect it to be $1000 for 20 people..."ain't gonna happen!" It'll be $1000 for the first 3, then $1049 for the next 3, then $1052 etc. The last people booking could be at $2000 per person!
This is a BIG advantage of booking with a student travel company like inertia tours. We have group air contracts with major airlines so you can all fly together. On the surface, we may quote you $1149 for the expedia trip you found for $1000. However, if you total up the tad inertia would be at $22,980 for everyone and a OTA like Expedia most often you will find at say $25,100. The savings evaporated plus..what a hassle booking 8 people at time PRAYING the seats are there on the same flights OR the price doesn't spike after you get that first 8 booked.
6. Watch for fees when comparing prices
Usually the lowest price isn't a good thing. Sorry students...it means low value too. Not always...just usually. If you find 3 prices all close to the same, and some online provider clearly 25% cheaper, that's a red flag, not the deal of a lifetime.
There are exceptions to this rule. An example of this would be Inertia Tours in South Padre Island. As Inertia brings 12x's more students to South Padre than all other travel companies COMBINED...that buying power can mean massive price differences in students favor
We hear it alot. How can you be $100 per person cheaper than this online guy at Saida? Easy, we have the most condos there. Our buying power means a lower price.
If you have questions on spring break 2014, please contact inertia tours at www.inertiatours.com or 800 821 2176 or email info@inertiatours.com
