1. Don't go it alone. Get unbiased opinions and a volume discount.
The arrival of the Internet age has been both a boon and a scourge to the intrepid ski vacationer trying to find the best deal on a trip. While an unprecedented amount of information is available at the click of the mouse button, the process of trying to wade through and interpret all that is out there can be a thankless and maddening task. Our suggestion is to make the Internet your friend in the process, not a foe.
Work with a reputable tour operator that will:
a) Take the time to learn about your individual needs and give you honest assessments and recommendations for multiple resorts. Do you really think the folks at Acme Ski Resort are going to tell you that you would have a much better time at Amalgamated Mountain? Didn't think so. Like a insurance broker, tour ops are not beholden to any one company, or in this case, resort. They are free to make sure you end up at resort that ensures you will have a memorable ski vacation. And, if that resort happens to be one that they don't offer, they will point you in the right direction.
b) Give you first-hand knowledge and insights from a staff that has spent time on the mountains, seen the lodging properties, and knows what is going on in the resort communities. They will know which resorts offer kids ski free programs, where the best nightlife can be found, and who has the longest intermediate cruisers. This is stuff you should not have to waste your own time finding by aimlessly surfing the web.
c) Most importantly, be able to offer discounts that you would not otherwise get by setting up each component of your trip by yourself. Tour ops normally send thousands of skiers each season to the resorts they offer, and in turn the resorts and their respective lodging communities give discounts for the volume that the operator sends their way. These savings can then get passed on, and it's a win-win situation for everyone.
2. Why fly when you can drive?
It's inescapable. When you consider any trip that involves getting on an airplane, your transportation costs, in most cases, will approach 30-40% of the total cost of your trip. Even with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon, a tank or two of gas in each direction to get your chosen ski resort will cost you way less than the $300 or higher per person airfare, plus a rental car (which also uses that $3.50 per gallon gas) or ground transfers. Now listen, we are not trying to talk you out of that dream trip to Park City or Sun Valley, but the reality is that you can stretch your vacation budget a lot further by hitting the interstate rather than the satellite parking lot at the airport. Not to mention that you should pretty much be asking for the seat next to you for your bags based on what the airlines charge for them now. Another consideration is time. Unless your destination is more than five hours from home, it will take you less time to drive.
3. Stay away from the Holidays.
This can be a difficult proposition if this is a family trip, and the kids are only off from school during the December and/or February break weeks. The cold reality however, is that those yield managers know that you and a few hundred thousand other families are in the same boat. Consequently, during the December and February school break periods rates are the highest that they get for the entire ski season. Interestingly, our friends in Canada get a bit of a break with their March break weeks as each province may have different dates off during a given year. Now we don't advocate taking your kids out of school to go skiing, but one trick we have seen lots of families use is to pick a weekend where the kids may have a Friday or Monday off for teacher planning or end or marking period, and then take one extra day, and voila, a 4 night ski trip is born. Another option is to take two or three long weekend trips, instead of one long week. In fact, that idea merits its own number! Perhaps in our next list.
4. Book widweek vs. weekend.
Lodging and lift ticket rates are not calculated all that differently than airfares. Resorts even have yield managers just like airlines. It's all about DEMAND. When do people ski and board? Weekends and Holidays mostly, and everyone knows this. To incent resort guests to add a midweek night or two to a weekend stay, resorts usually set midweek rates anywhere from 20-30% lower than weekend rates. What they really love is for you to come and stay for 3-5 nights in the middle of the week. Many lodging properties will give really nice discounts and in some cases a free night when you go this route. Of course, the other benefit of midweek travel is the utter lack of crowds. So, on the hill during non-Holiday midweeks, it's you, your little family or group of friends, the locals who have taken the day off, and the few other savvy travelers who know that midweek is where it's at!
5. The further away the bed is fomr the slopes, the cheaper the rate.
This is a truism that is valid from Chamonix to Killington to Vail to Whistler to Nagano. If you can ski up to your door, you will pay for the privilege. What is surprising is how few ski vacationers realize this fact. There are many instances where a condominium that is less than a 200 yard walk to a lift will be over $100 less a night than one located on a ski trail, and one that is a mile away on a resort shuttle stop may be over $200-250 a night less during high season. Bottom line here is to evaluate how important being ski-in/ski-out really is to you. If you have small kids and you don't want to be schlepping equipment back and forth to the hill each day, then maybe it makes sense for you. Then again, there is also this wonderful little thing called “overnight ski storage”, but I digress.
Read the next top list in the link:
Money Savers Ski Vacation Trip Tips
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