 Poster: A snowHead
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I have been looking at some late deals compared to a DIY that I sorted out earlier in the year. I booked flights with jet2 to Chambery on the day they were released and they cost me 35quid each way.
Anyway I am looking at a late deal on ifyouski.com and it comes in around 100 quid cheaper!!
Which do you find is usually cheapest??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My experience is that you have to shop around and be happy with the package you choose. Early or late can be beneficial, DIY or package can be beneficial. You pay your money you takes your choice.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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ajbaldwin, or, to put it another way, it depends.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ajbaldwin - it's not a great season to compare DIY with last minute as the season has put people off going - so there are a lot of last minute deals to be had.
I've usually found DIY cheaper when planned ahead / for "awkward" numbers (i.e. odd numbers for hotels or less than four for self-catering ) / Canada / weekends / where you have date inflexibility / "strange" requirements (people arriving on different days)
Late deals tend to be better if you have a "convenient" number of people (multiples of two for hotels, over four for self-catering) / where you date flexibility / if you don't care what the accommodation is like or don't mind the risk / when booked, err, late.
Perm your options.
Swings and roundabouts.
No correct answer.
So, if I want to go to Whistler and see a package at £1,200 each that I can put together myself for £700 each and book it 7 months ahead - did I do the "wrong" thing if I then see it a week before I go for £350? Of course not - I paid for the certainty of being able to go where I wanted when I wanted.
Go to any ski resort and you'll always find someone who's had a better deal than you.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've always found deals at approx £260 - it's hard to beat that on a DIY. One time we got diverted and it caused potential problems with the transfer, with a package at least you can sit back and let the reps take care of it. Saying that... all my climbing trips are DIY, best way is to keep plans to a min.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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DIY seems to work well for long w/ends, or if you are going in high season. If you just want the standard week Sat-Sat package thing and there aren't too many of you then late deals can be extremely cheap. But you have to be flexible in terms of where you go and when.
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As someone mentioned earlier, I think it depends on how particular about destinationyou are, & how many you are. As one who takes my ski holidays alone, it is very seldom that I can find a package cheaper than booking flights in advance & hotels directly. As an example, I decided last night to go skiing next week & managed to privately arrange flights, transfers & a week in a catered chalet in La Plagne for well under £400 whereas the very cheapest package to anywhere half decent was well over £400 as most companies still insist on single supplements. That said If I'd been going with another, there were some really good deals around ( indeed, the package I referred to was me pretending to be two people - it was cheaper than the same deal with the single supplement - work that out !!
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Tut, if I had the time and money to spend a season throwing myself on the mercy of property owners in the French & Swiss Alps it's the kind of thing I'd love to get my teeth into (coming from a tour operating background, as I do)...
It seems like none of the "weekend ski" operators can actually offer what a lot of people want. Which means not necessarily flying to Geneva and not necessarily going to Chamonix. I'm only managing my weekend next weekend because I'm taking a bed in my sister's (not that sister  ) apartment, which she has got booked out for the whole week. But I can't use the altibus or similar because it will cost me EUR 400+ to have a bus to myself on a Thursday and Monday. Now, I surely can't be the ONLY person flying into Chambery next Thursday, going to BSM?? So taxi, train and funicular it is...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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clara_jo, you probably are...(the only person, etc.)
But seriously, you raise a fair point. Personally I don't see how the likes of "Ski Weekend" make money any more, but then I don't see how travel agents make money. Actually, I know a travel agent who doesn't know how, etc. But clearly they do. I suspect that either there isn't enough reliable non-saturday trade to allow an alpybus analogue to operate out of Chambery into the Tarentaise - or someone just hasn't got round to doing it. What's the Chambery BSM transfer time? The big draw (obviously!) of Chamonix/PDS/Flaine/etc is the circa 1 hour transfer. If you're doing a weekend (or a day?) ((or commuting)) then 1 hour is a big advantage over 3 hours.
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Now, I surely can't be the ONLY person flying into Chambery next Thursday, going to BSM??
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No, except everyone else had already got their transfers sorted out.
The essence of "last minute" deal is there's a shortage of clients! So, transfer difficulty is not unexpected. You may find the saving more than worth it after all.
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If you're doing a weekend (or a day?) ((or commuting)) then 1 hour is a big advantage over 3 hours.
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Only if you can arrange your own transfer in that same time frame. A route that take the tour bus an hour may end up taking 2 if you have to use regular postal bus and transfer 3 times.
DIY + last minute is not for the faint of heart. Unless you know the resort from previous visits and can sort those things out from prior experience, you may find you're stuck with impossible transfer, long delays or getting lost driving in the dark, etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What's the Chambery BSM transfer time
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Couple of hours. As a comparison, I will drive 4 hours across the UK on a Friday and the same back on a Sunday for a weekend away, so 2 hours sitting on a train, where at least I can read a book, doesn't bother me overly. But I take your point about commuting.
Ditto into Zurich and then on a train to any number of Swiss resorts (+ bus which will of course run on time!).
If I went back to PDS I probably would hire a car, as I have done in the past (PDS, Les Carroz, Flaine, Megeve, Chamonix were on my 'patch'), but I'm trying to keep the cost down, and the train works out cheaper on this occasion. Plus, my sister didn't want to go to any of those places, so that was my decision made for me!
Sometimes I realise I could get a week-long package for a similar price but I have one major issue: I am self-employed, so a week out of the office actually costs me more than just the money I spend. That, and the fact that my ex will only have the children for one week-long stint a year (miserable sod) and I've already used that up.
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