Do you have any idea how many people are only now thinking about taking a vacation over Christmas and New Year's? Year after year it happens, and it still has the power to move me. Generally, it moves me to say, "What a moron," but only to my fellow travel agents.
I am not, you understand, talking about the people who suddenly decide they need to go home for Christmas. That's pretty normal, in fact, and you can always tell who's totally caved in to the pressure of the season by how embarrassed they sound when they call for fares. I'm sympathetic, and there's sometimes seats left at reasonable prices if you don't mind changing planes somewhere along the way. No, I'm talking about the fast-paced, Type A personalities who wake up on Thanksgiving morning and a big, honkin' lightbulb goes off over their heads which causes them to say, "Whoa! Christmas is coming up. Better get out of town. Maybe someplace nice and warm, with a beach, like Hawaii or Mexico. I'll give my travel agent a call on Monday." Then they get up and do their normal one thousand sit-ups before breakfast.
When Monday rolls around, they call. They're not shocked when you tell them there's not much left. They know they left it a bit late. They're shocked when you tell them how much they'll have to pay to get to that warm beach. And they always think it's the airfare that's the problem. Nah. Airfares wobble up and down right up to December 24th. It's the land portion that's hard to come by. One island, or five, in Hawaii's case, can only hold so many tourists. Mexico's a big country, but everyone wants to go to the beach and space is a premium. The fancy hotels filled up a month back. The not so fancy but still quite decent hotels were booked a year in advance. The iffy hotels, and in Mexico that can get pretty iffy, are still available for a hefty nightly rate. The Caribbean? Those islands are tiny to begin with, and the hurricanes have caused so much damage the hotel room space is still not back to capacity. So it's tough on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Because yes, there is still some space, and yes, you have to decide right then and there if you want it, and no, it's not going to be available tomorrow because I'll be damned if I make someone hold a room reservation at peak season for some clownbutt who isn't perfectly sure he wants to go if he has to pay real people's rates.
I wouldn't want you to think I get to say, "Sorry, Hawaii's full," and hang up. Nope. I keep on researching beach houses on Oahu over Christmas break, or ocean view condos in Ixtapa for New Year's. I find them. It can be done. It's a lot of work. It's a headache and a half juggling the rental companies, the tour package operators, and the demands of the clients. Finally, if someone decides not to take the fabulous deal you just spent four days putting together you have to laugh or you'd go mad. Then you get on the phone to let someone else know there's been a cancellation. No rest for the weary, no peace for the travel agent -- at least until Christmas Day. Then we get to relax, chill out, and generally mosey through the rest of the year.
Then we start working on Easter. Easter Week is April 4-11, 1998, and Easter Sunday is the 12th. Plan now. And if you don't, well, you can call me. I think you know what I'll call you.
