Business trips, last-minute trips and meticulously planned trips…they are all not the same, and naturally the pricing and profitability will not be the same, too.

My friend Ling is a chartered business consultant. A well-paid single woman at 32, she always works hard day and night, and often has to make last-minute trips on business.

She says: I always have to pull my little luggage with me in a rush in order to catch a flight or train, and when I reach my destination, I will  have to rush to the client’s office. Even though I fly business class, stay in a 5-star hotel, and dine at an expensive restaurant, those are just business trips without the element of a relaxed holiday. There’s no time at all for me to slow down and enjoy all the superb facilities available to me!

That said, there are people who tend to ridicule Ling for not appreciating all the luxuries offered to her, without realising that she has been mentally and physically stressed out and is suffering from really bad gastrointestinal and spinal problems!

41-year-old manager Liu is the right-hand man of a chain store owner. The thing is, his job is not any less taxing than his boss’. He has promised his wife he will bring the whole family for oversea holiday at least once a year, no matter how busy he is. “I promise!”

Unfortunately, when his children are having school holidays, that’s also the time when Liu will be extremely busy with his work. So, he will typically tell his wife: You all can go and enjoy yourselves! And his wife will yell back: Can’t you just pre-plan our family vacation?

As a matter of fact, when Liu tells his wife and kids to go and and enjoy themselves, he must have said so only after trying his very best to plan for the family’s vacation.

Understandably, his wife finds it difficult to accept the fact that last-minute flight booking and travel cost are often prohibitively high, and as a result, she has no choice but to cancel the travel plan!

To be honest, the so-called “family vacation” is an annual event for most families. We can therefore understand why Liu always feels so guilty being unable to keep the promise he has made to his wife and kids!

The Mat Sallehs in general will tend to plan their travels and day-to-day lives well ahead of time. They will normally plan their next destination a year ahead, choose where they are going to visit, book their flights, hotel accommodation, tour arrangements, admission tickets, restaurants, concerts, etc.

They also have the information of exhibitions, musicals, museums at their finger tips, and will read up more about the local history, geography, food and culture before departure. In short, they really do their homework!

It is said that the early bird catches the worm. You can enjoy unparalleled promotions if you plan ahead, especially knowing that air tickets, hotel rooms and  tour fees are all getting very expensive after the pandemic. 

Nonetheless, major airline companies still offer incredible savings for early purchases.

Currently Malaysia Airlines is offering 45% discount for early birds, while Japan has 45-day special early bird fares for domestic flights. And I’m sure you all know that many budget airlines will do the same as well: just sell you the tickets first and arrange for the flights later.

In the meantime, hotels and resorts also offer early bird discounts for travellers. In short, if you plan your trip early, you are bound to enjoy substantial savings rather than making last-minute travel decisions.

Apparently young people are much more aware of the benefits of planning their trips early. The sad thing is, most wage earners find it hard to plan their trips well ahead of time nowadays because of the uncertainty in their leave applications.

The reality is, many people have experienced unexpected twists in their careers due to the highly unpredictable changes taking place during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Many are not earning enough to make ends meet in the first place. As such, it is utterly essential that we plan our expenses prudently for any untoward situation.

We will have quite a number of long weekends in 2023, and I believe this is a boon for the travel industry. But of course, do expect higher tour fees during peak holiday seasons.

So, we hope you can call us early and register for your next trip at least half a year ahead for some great savings and unexpected perks!

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has travelled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)