About tourist trips and independent trips

Most recently, I had an interesting conversation with one of my friends. After that I came to mind to write this article in the blog.

Familiar recently returned from a trip to one European country. He liked the journey, and he stated the following phrase: "I will no longer use the services of tourist companies!"

In addition, I remembered one article on the Internet, which I read most recently. Rather, I began to read it, I realized that the author did not understand the topic at all and just closed. She was called "Tourist business will die, as these are the services of the lazy". I do not pass for the exact name, but the meaning of the title is such.

The author of the article argued that all tourist operators and agencies should certainly "go to Valgalla" for the reason that everyone can buy a ticket to himself and book a hotel.

Different articles – a different look

In fact, everything is not so simple

In the presentation of most Russians you can buy any air ticket to any country, and on a direct flight. Of course, this is not so.

To many countries there are no direct flights. Bright example – Flying to Nepal. Flights only with transfers and quite expensive. Many countries are arranged charter flights that are difficult to find in a free sale, and even more so for the money you pay in the travel agency.

Tickets for charter flights do not sell freely, although on the Internet you can find companies that offer them. But prices! Somehow I had to try to buy a ticket in Sharm el-Sheikh. Tickets were available, but at a price of 14,000 rubles "Round-back". At the same time, for 12,000 at this moment it was possible to buy a full-fledged ticket for a week in the hotel 3 stars. It is more profitable to buy a tour and just do not live in this hotel, but to book another. However, many do.

It all depends on the specific country, although there is a serious difference in prices even within one state. If you want to look at the Great Wall of China, it is more profitable to buy tickets to Beijing alone. And if you want to get to the beaches of the island of Hainan, then it is cheaper to buy a ticket.

Why charters such expensive?

There is nothing surprising. Airlines themselves do not sell them to private clients. Charter is when someone hires a plane to a certain flight. The initiator of the trip in this case is not the airline itself, but side face. Airlines can not sell these tickets to anyone who wants, do not have the right.

Tickets are cheap only to tourist operators who participate in the charter as a customer. And, of course, they have no desire to spoil their profits and sell these tickets at low prices.

From here and it turns out such a difference.

What is the point of selling these tickets is cheap, if the consumer has no alternative?

Which countries are more profitable to fly?

Let’s start with those countries where cheaper to buy a tour.

Resorts of the Red Sea Egypt – Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba. But if you want to see the sights of Cairo or Alexandria, it is more profitable to buy a regular ticket and book a hotel yourself.

In Turkey, the situation is similar. If you want to see Istanbul, then fly a regular flight. If you have chosen the resorts of the Mediterranean Sea – Antalya or Belek, Alanya or Kemer, then buy the tour will be much cheaper.

Journey to Tunisia with a probability of 99% will be more profitable to perform with the help of a travel agency. Only the capital of the country can be flying a regular flight (City of Tunisia), and all the resorts of Tunisia from it are far enough.

In Morocco, a very interesting situation. Rabat, Casablanca and Marakesh cities can be reached by regular flights. Only on the resort of Agadir is more profitable to fly through the voucher.

In Austria, you can fly in a regular flight, but only in the capital of the country Vienna. In winter, airlines are flews to Salzburg and other popular ski resorts, but in this case there will have to visit the Travel Agency.

In Italy, the situation is similar. Direct flights to Italian cities are constantly. This is Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence. But if you want to get to the popular resorts of Rimini or on Sardinia Island, you need to get to a charter flight, and, therefore, buy a ticket.

In Greece, the situation is similar. Only if you want to see Athens, then cheaper to buy tickets independently. On the island of Crete and Rhodes, where most beach hotels are located, it is more profitable to buy an organized tour.

Interesting retreat

If you notice a sightseeing vacation gives much more freedom of choice, especially if you speak English, and you do not need guides and translators.

Now in Russia (Note: The article is written at the end of 2014) tourist operators are actively ruined. Every month, someone from market players declares to prevent activities. How many Russians will completely be spoiled by New Year’s holiday, we can only guess.

Traveling yourself, you are almost fully insured against such problems. Of course, and with independent booking, "incidents" happen, but they do not lead to large financial losses.

What to do

Now there is a crisis in the yard, and the most serious in the history of modern Russia. And he is afraid of two things. First, the heavy economic situation is observed only with us, and in the rest of the world everything is in order. If during the recession 2008 and 1998 problems solved the "all of the world", now the Russian authorities will have to do it alone.

Secondly, in previous crises it was clear that now everything is bad, but there will be a restoration. Now there is no such understanding.

Fly in budget directions. Istanbul, Bulgaria, Finland. You can also buy very cheap vouchers to Egypt. Hotel 3 stars is not so bad.