Demystifying Wholesale Travel

Wholesale and travel are not two words that go together, at least not to most of us. Since my family and I are self-proclaimed road junkies, I was very interested when one of our clients came to the office touting the benefits of this heretofore unheard combination. We love to travel, sometimes just heading out with no real destination or purpose beyond being on the move and spending time somewhere else. The idea that we could do so and save a tremendous amount of money was very appealing. I contacted a company that deals with wholesale travel in order to get more information. Thankfully the person with whom I spoke was more than happy to provide information about wholesale travel.

Purchasing wholesale is a familiar concept – it involves buying something for a reduced price without a decrease in quality. While we normally associate it with bulk items, wholesale travel does not involve bulk purchase for the individual consumer.

Wholesale travel works on the idea that people will go to places that appear popular. Consider two restaurants, one packed with patrons and the other almost empty. People will often wait for a long time to eat at the crowded establishment, believing (rightly or not) that it offers something worthwhile. An empty restaurant generally does not draw customers solely on the basis of a short wait time.

Hotels and resorts work the same way. We want to go to places where they will be surrounded by like-minded people. For this reason, hotels and resorts want to be crowded in order to draw more visitors and attention, even if it means some people are staying for half-price. Wholesale travel allows the consumer to stay somewhere at a sometimes sizable discount, with the hope that you will be pleased and tell your friends, thereby increasing business.

In addition to strictly wholesale travel bargains, many resort destinations (such as Disneyworld) offer cheap rates (through wholesale travel) and then offer cheap or discounted upgrades. This combination really increases foot traffic, thereby benefiting the company in the way described earlier. In some cases, these upgrades are not really worth the money. Consider Disney, for example. If you are there for a weekend, you might be offered a Park Hopper Pass (allowing you to visit another part of Disney’s facilities) for a discounted price. However, if you have ever been to Disney you know that it is nearly impossible to visit more than one part of the complex in a weekend. Save your money and stick to the deal you obtained through the wholesale price. Still, some upgrades are readily worth the money. On cruises you can often get cheap upgrades to a suite or cheap tickets for your children. At beachfront hotels you may find a cheap deal for a seaside room.

Wholesale travel is a wonderful, inexpensive, and fun way to travel for the cost-conscious family. It helps the family save, allows vendors to highlight their products, and makes the company look popular. So the next time you want to take that cruise, stay at the beach for a week, or just want to take time off, look at wholesale travel before you head to the local travel agent. You just may have a great time with the added benefit of returning home with a bit more green in your pockets.