Benefits of first-minute boat bookings
Boat booking - how many months ahead should I book a boat? Ideally three to four months. Planning to go during tourist rush season? July and August are very popular among boaters. So perhaps give it five to six months. Early planning is especially important if you have school kids. In this case, you depend on school holidays and exams. So do many other boaters, meaning you will all choose the same timeframe.
So should You book in advance? Here are some of the main benefits of early boat booking. Hope this will help you make a decision.
Choice of boats
When you book early on, you'll have a wider span of boats to choose from. Deciding on a perfect boat for your boating holiday is no easy task. They really come in different sizes, layouts, shapes, and budgets. Sailboat? Yacht? Catamaran? With the season coming closer, your first choice might be taken. If you want to book a newer, better equipped, and more stylish boat, it's better to think ahead.
Money saver
First-minute discount! Many boat charter companies offer early bird discounts and special offers. Discounts can be up to 20 %, decreasing significantly the cost of the charter. You can grab an offer for some extra days and expand your holiday time. Sometimes you can get some upgrades like free paddleboard included or some water toys. So why do charter companies offer freebies? They want you to be happy. A satisfied customer is the best money spent on advertisement ever!
Fly for less
Keep in mind that if you are traveling by plane to the desired charter destination the same money-saving benefit will apply to the plane ticket costs. In any way, first-minute bookings give some real value. You can pick the airline, preferred seat, and so on. You can grab upgrades like priority boarding, extra miles, and much more. This is the main reason first-minute flying is so popular.
Payment options
Last-minute booking means you need to pay as soon as possible. Have in mind that for most bookings you need to pay 30 days before boarding. If you book months before you can pay gradually. Deposit is just enough to reserve the desired boat. The deposit amount is usually 20-30% of the total price. If you have booked 4 months in advance, you'll have enough time to save up for the vacation. This is a huge benefit.
Cancellation insurance
This can come in handy when you have months to go before your holiday time. Insurance for last-minute bookings is either non-existing or too expensive. Adding cancellation insurance to your booking will ensure you don't stress about changing the dates.
Destination research
Time to plan ahead. When you choose the boat early, stress will not be a part of your holiday planning. With more than enough time for online research. You can check out the restaurant reviews, diving hot spots, bars, best beaches... You can sail away confident that nothing will go wrong. Have in mind that also popular mooring places and the best marinas get sometimes booked months in advance.
Time to get organized
Decide what to pack. Make a list and check it twice. Swimwear, sunscreen, inflatable toys, board games. Everything you can think you might need. Something to entertain the kids, a book you planned to read, but it ended up laying on a shelf, for a whole year now. Underwater camera for some amazing photos. Endless ideas. Keep in mind the most important thing to pack is your passport!
Something to look forward to.
When you have months to prepare, you can take time to explore and dream about the destination. Focusing on something way down the line can distress you. So taking a break every single day to imagine the summer breeze, sounds amazing! You can even enroll in a language course and learn basic Greek for example?
Conclusion
To sum up, first-minute bookings have a lot of benefits. But, last-minute booking is more spontaneous and offers the best prices. But other than the price, the last-minute booking value is not as big as in early-bird bookings. Sometimes you can take advantage of the cancellations and get a perfect boat, half the price. But most of the time, you'll get what is left. Is that the way to go? Awaiting holiday the whole year round just go get disappointed? Holiday time is too expensive to dwell about it later.
First-minute boat bookings
Check out our fleet and book your holiday in advance! Every day in another bay! No better way to spend your boating holiday!
GetBoat uses a smart system to monitor the best deals in yacht charters and boat rentals around the world. We scan the marinas and negotiate with charter companies on your behalf to get the best prices. You just need to tell us which experience you’d like, and we’ll do the rest providing you with several suitable options to choose from. Leave a request now, and we’ll get the perfect boat for your next vacation at sea.
Check out our early bird offers for summer 2021!
