While the holidays often combine both stress and fun, most people I know in the travel industry would say, at least in the weeks leading up to Christmas, that the stress factor usually wins out.
Here is a compilation of Grinch-like thoughts many in the travel industry may have contemplated, but won’t express to the traveling public. These were collected from friends and colleagues in the travel business and from a few airline reservationists.
Unsaid perhaps in all of this holiday hullabaloo — no, we don’t set the fares or the hotel prices. Plus, travel agents and airline reservation agents understand travelers are stressed, especially with holiday prices so sky high. It’s not just retail stores that make a good portion of their yearly sales around Christmas.
1. Sorry, no, there isn’t last-minute space at some “cute little place on the beach” that no one’s heard of. If such a place ever existed, with the Internet nothing is undiscovered anymore. And even if somewhere really off-the-beaten track exists, there’s no way we can find flights at this point.
2. I understand you want to go ANYWHERE that’s warm, as long as it’s cheap. But here’s the problem. In most of North America it is winter, and it is cold. In some cases, really cold. (While there are some destinations, like Southern Arizona where it won’t snow, it could still be in the low 60s, for a high.) Basically, there are very few nearby options, well, maybe except checking into a motel-hotel and turning the heat up high.
3. I know you say you are really flexible with your dates. But unfortunately, saying you can leave any time on the 26th or 27th of December and return either the 1st or 2nd of January doesn’t denote “flexible” as far as the airlines are concerned. Now, leaving in January IS cheap. Moving your vacation by a month is flexible. But, you don’t have that much flexibility.
4. Yes, I know you have to be back at work, or your kids have to be back at school; so, you can’t stay a day longer. Unfortunately, so do a lot of other people who booked earlier than you did.
5. I also understand that you need an aisle seat and your family wants to sit together. Again, this is what everyone who booked earlier wanted too. (Of course, if you want to pay for your seat reservation, there might be a chance.) Even with an expensive ticket the airlines won’t give you an exit row just because you are tall.
6. I know you never pay more than $500 round-trip to Hawaii, but really, the only fares available now are closer to $2,000. If someone cancels? No, airlines aren’t selling the seats at $500 then either, because there are a whole lot of other people who will pay full price.
7. Yes, I understand you flew (somewhere between twice and 20 times) with our airline last year and that your barber’s brother-in-law is a manager with the company. Unfortunately, it won’t help.
8. Sorry, I know you have a lot of miles, enough for two first-class flights. But the flights are full, really. The waitlist for December 26 just isn’t going to clear in the next couple days.
9. Your friends may say they got a great deal/free tickets for the dates you want. But one of these things is true: Your friends booked really really early, they may have used double miles, or it’s just possible they are lying. (This is true, I know more than one person who has told friends and relatives a trip cost a fraction of its actual price, because they didn’t want to admit how much they paid and/or didn’t want to seem ridiculously wealthy.)
10. I know you want me to keep looking. As much as I’d like to add more planes I can’t do that. Honestly, I’m not hiding any flights from you. There is no secret password either. If there was, I’d use it myself.
In all seriousness, most of us in the industry do this job because we love it, most of the time. (Although, I have no doubt readers in the industry will add a few more things they wish they could say.) But even our miracles have limits.
If you’re a frustrated traveler reading this from the passenger side, here are two thoughts — firstly, all these warm weather places are REALLY crowded at the end of the year, so you do get crowds and added stress with your vacation; secondly, if you really still want to a warm weather getaway, next year call us in late January for Christmas 2012.
Photo: courtesy Mr. Halloween Man & the Halloween Bros.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
