 Poster: A snowHead
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My gf is starting a PGCE in September so we'll be restricted to school holidays, and she'll have not a lot of money to spend. Normally I book direct and drive, or sometimes use cheap flights, but with only 2 of us driving will be expensive, and cheap flights may not be cheap during school holiday times.
So I'm left with the option of booking through a tour operator a couple of days before departure. Has anyone done this for New Year, Half Term or Easter, if so, any reccommendations? Who did you use and what did it cost?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I normally book early for half-term, but most years I check to see if there are any discounts for last minutes bookings. I have almost never found any discounted prices - either no availability or no discounts is the most common situation. I'm not sure about Easter or New Year, but I wouldn't chance it for half-term because demand considerably outstrips supply.
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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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Plake, you'll be lucky to get 1/2 term or New Year, Xmas week is usually OK, you can often get last minute deals but you'll have to pay a high price for the flights. We still have 2 roome available fro Xmas week and by booking early you can get a low cost flight. Easter is late this year so I'm certain a lot of people will wait to see what the snow conditions are like before booking.
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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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Years ago we did half term on an allocation on arrival basis with Crystal....booked 2 days in advance - £99 each half-board. We ended up in Kitzbuhel, so were quite happy 
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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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Elizabeth B, wow, nice! Guess half term is the one to go for, if we went allocation on arrival New Year or Easter then the chance of ending up in Bulgaria with no snow starts to rear it's ugly head. The missus would not be happy...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Allocation on arrival is only the accommodation and sometimes also the resort. You know where the plane is going so you could avoid Bulgaria (ducks before the defenders of Eastern Blok resorts arrive bearing cudgels)
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Late bookings obviously can be cheap, but my experience is that the most reliable way to get a cheap ski hol in Europe during school hols is to do it yourself (don't use a TO or travel agent) and to book early, the flights at least. In N.America, prices tend to be much less inflated during UK school hols, providing that you pick the right airline (not BA).
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Plake, As a teacher myself and pretty experienced at watching the market in "peak weeks", my suggestion is that you try to get booked up for Feb half term as early as possible. Even Christmas week (from 24th) is selling fast this year. Easter should be OK, but there were very few bargains going this year.
Best bet for Feb is to find a private owner who wants to avoid that week brecause it is too busy. Then look at scheduled airlines for flights. They are much cheaper than budget at peak times. In Mottaret people stick flyers under you wipers offering flats on this basis, so they are there. And the best bits of 3V are not crowded at this time too.
Best of luck with your SO's PGCE. I tutor it and know it is a huge amouint of challenging work.
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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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| Chris Bish wrote: |
| Best bet for Feb is to find a private owner who wants to avoid that week brecause it is too busy. |
Very good advice.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just for another point of view, I dissagree with richmond et al who advise going independantly. In my experience if it's just the two of you then there's no reason you can't find a good cheap deal with a TO within the last few weeks before departure, regardless of the time of season.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Manda wrote: |
| In my experience if it's just the two of you then there's no reason you can't find a good cheap deal with a TO within the last few weeks before departure, regardless of the time of season. |
Have you done this for February half-term? I've skied that week for most of the last 15 years and have very rarely found any last minute packages that I would be happy booking. Unless you really don't care what country/resort/accommodation you end up in, I think leaving it that late for a half-term holiday is a recipe for disappointment.
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Plake, my yet-to-be completed apartment in Serre Chevalier will be available in Feb half-term if you're interested. There'll be an entry in snowShops as soon as we can confirm it will be ready by Christmas.
No way can you book from regional airports for half-term week, the planes were full in April from Newcastle.
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You know it makes sense.
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Manda, I think that rob@rar.org.uk is correct. If you want the choice during school hols, you have to book early. Don't forget that most people going in school hols are a group of 3 or 4 or (God forbid) more, so the odd place is no use to them; that probably doesn't apply to Plake.
I'm sure that last minute deals are available all season, but the choice is likely to be pretty limited in school hols. I suspect that flights are likely to be the limiting factor; if you're prepared to drive, you may have more resorts to choose from.
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