LIFESTYLE NEWS - Each year around late September and October, tour and cruise operators from around the world come out with fantastic ‘Early Booking Offers’ for travelling the following year.

Pentravel have just launched their Early Booking brochure, in store from this week and packed full of 2012 holiday ideas and discounts. This is the perfect opportunity to save on your holiday if you like planning ahead and taking the worry out of last minute holidays.

Finding the best airfares normally also means booking early. The airline seats are capacity controlled which means the more seats they have sold on a certain flight the more expensive the tickets get. You could be sitting next to someone who could have paid double of your ticket cost just because they booked last minute.
Obviously airlines bring out fantastic last minute specials too but these mean you have to be extremely flexible with your traveling dates.

Booking early normally ensures you get the exact dates you want at an affordable cost.
Some ‘early booking discounts’ include:

• Save R500 per person to Vic Falls if you book by 31 Dec 2011.
• Save R2000 per person on Club Med holidays if you book by 2 Nov 2011. (Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Mauritius and s& Snow holidays!)
• Save up to 40% on local cruises.
• Save 10% off guided holidays.
• Amazing deals to Namibia, Maldives, South East Asia & Crui-sing.
• Free night offers to Mauritius.
• Choose a value destination.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out which countries are offering mega deals this summer. But research meticulously and check with your travel agent. More tempting are destinations that are cutting their package prices, such as the Greek islands, and Egypt.

Sweat the small stuff.Pay attention to the details. Never travel without travel insurance (you can get affordable insurance cover for any destination starting from R327 per person for 7 day Gold cover). Follow baggage allowances to the kilo. Check airline’s rules meticulously for avoidable expenses. A huge hidden cost is mobile phone roaming charges, so it’s well worth learning how to switch SIM cards.

Do all-inclusive holidays pay off?
All inclusive holidays are definitely the way to go if you don’t like hidden surprises when your holiday is over! You can basically ‘leave your wallet at home’ as all inclusive holidays include all meals and selected drinks.
This allow you to budget more accurately and once you’ve paid for your holiday then that’s it, you don’t have to worry about the bill at the end.

Are you planning to chill out in the resort for the entire week? If your hotel is in a remote spot where you can’t easily stock up on snacks and soft drinks, all inclusive may be for you.

What are you actually paying for? Are meals à la carte? Will you get premium-brand alcoholic drinks and unlimited bottled water? It’s rare that free activities and spa treatments are offered to all-inclusive holidaymakers, so they’re a real plus. Most importantly, is the food good? If not, you can forget relaxation - you’ll feel furious by day two! Ask our consultants, they have first hand experience and have travelled to various destinations and resorts.