Cheap Trip - Bad Time; Only Ourselves To Blame?!

[DandyDon]

I hear it every day: "Whatdaya got on sale. I need something cheap." It's pretty rare that anyone asks me first for something good...

I'll try to sidetrack that approach, though - and talk about what will work for them. I think that's the way to do business, the way to build repeat business, and - the way to avoid all the *****ing & griping I'll hear if they buy poorly! My company does a lot of business by phone, though - and I know that they love to bypass me and my commissions, yet - the phone agents just sale what sales!!

So, how do we shop for a dive trip, or ask for suggestions on SB? Do we ask for:
First: Good, Safe Diving;
Second: Good Food & Lodging; and
Third: A Competitive Price...?

Or do we price shop? "Whatdaya got on sale. I need something cheap." If we're booking by phone or net, don't you think the salesman is going to sale what sales...?

 

[CA Diver]

Don:
This is a great point, and not only for dive trips but for any piurchase. There are exceptions to the old adage "You only get what you pay for" but in most cases it is true. The best dive vacations are to determine what & Where you want & then figure how to afford it.

You can always do what a coworker of mine did. He got a great deal on a vacation to St. Barts. In September. Beautiful Island with great beaches and hotels. Fantastic weather with a slight chance of Hurricane. Well guess what? He got the slight chance part of the weather - Hurricane. The cheap rates and great beaches were not a great deal with the 85 mph winds.

The best way to have a great vacation is to know what you want and start from there, not what is cheap and start from there.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Well, when I am shopping for a dive trip, the first thing I do is find a place to go. Then, I look for a place to stay and a dive operator. I have not done ANY dive trips on the cheap. I always look for a good value (different from looking for a CHEAP trip), and someplace that I will have a good time. I usually ask people how they liked a particular hotel or resort. I always look for a good dive operator. I usually go on a trip because someone had recommended it to me (which location, which hotel/resort, which dive operator).

 

[dedhed]

I am one of those folks, due to finacial restraints, that looks for the "cheap trip". I look where a combinaton of inexpensive accomadations,quality diving and small local dive operators can be found.. Usually where ever there is good diviing you can find the intimate shop that doesn't cater to the loud americans (i'm one of them myself, why hang out with your own while on holiday. I get enough of yanks the 11 months a year I don't travel!). I don't mind B&B's. upscale hostels and the like, so if I pay more than $20 a night, the diving must be spectacular.

The last four dive trips I've taken have been to Bonaire, Sulawesi, Utila and The Great Barrier Reef. Other than Australia, the other three are easy to afford, relative to other locations near by. Airfares can be expensive but if food, lodging and diving costs less than $60 a day, one can afford to spend more on airfares to get where you want.

Equipment is something to be wary of bargains. I also choose what I feel is the item I desire and then find the bargain price for it (for this reason the internet has been a G-d send) as opposed to buying something just because it is cheap, yet not EXACTLY what you want.

Diving can be an expensive hobby, but if one has the time to carefully plan purchases it can be afforded, even by the average joe.

 

[Damselfish]

An awful lot has to do with expectations. There's nothing wrong with a cheap trip if someone knows what to expect and it works for them, problems come when someone goes on the cheap (for a given destination) expecting the Ritz.

I think value is a more important consideration and that goes for cheap or not.

 

[Kat]

Cheap does not always equal bad. Nor does expensive insure you'll be problem free.

You could have a great trip, sleeping in a tent and an awful trip & be staying at the best hotel in the world.

Do your homework. And be honest with yourself about what you want out of your trip. That is the key.

 

[JMD123]

What about the divers who want expensive?

 

[415Gem]

I am one of those folks, due to finacial restraints, that looks for the "cheap trip". I look where a combinaton of inexpensive accomadations,quality diving and small local dive operators can be found.. Usually where ever there is good diviing you can find the intimate shop that doesn't cater to the loud americans (i'm one of them myself, why hang out with your own while on holiday. I get enough of yanks the 11 months a year I don't travel!). I don't mind B&B's. upscale hostels and the like, so if I pay more than $20 a night, the diving must be spectacular.

The last four dive trips I've taken have been to Bonaire, Sulawesi, Utila and The Great Barrier Reef. Other than Australia, the other three are easy to afford, relative to other locations near by. Airfares can be expensive but if food, lodging and diving costs less than $60 a day, one can afford to spend more on airfares to get where you want.

Equipment is something to be wary of bargains. I also choose what I feel is the item I desire and then find the bargain price for it (for this reason the internet has been a G-d send) as opposed to buying something just because it is cheap, yet not EXACTLY what you want.

Diving can be an expensive hobby, but if one has the time to carefully plan purchases it can be afforded, even by the average joe.

Thinking about going to Cebu,Manado and Borneo . Looking for info on Great diving, nice folks and good food kevin

 

[JMD123]

This is a test

 

[JRO]

I'm with you Don, I think we are in similar lines of work. Like you the majority of my customers want the cheapest thing I've got. I consider it my job to train my teams to ensure that our customers get what they need and understand why the cheapest may not be the best. If they need the cheapest thing, then that is what we provide...If we see that they need something else we ensure we educate our customer as to why.

Unfortunately there do seem to be tons of sites where you can get things on the cheap, but very few that provide you with more qualitative (not quite as cheap options). Cheaptickets.com, priceline.com, orbitz.com, etc. There are no sites called Greattrips.com, Luxuryboats.com, etc. This explains why I have yet to book a trip online.