Motivation For Trip Purchase?

[travel2fun]

Community Members, I have wondered for some time the motivations behind your decisions to buy trips from this web site. Let me explain further, if I may. When you visit the site, have you already made a decision regarding the general destination you would like to visit? Have you already made other ground arrangements and plan to use one or more destinations available from this site as add-on properties? Do you typically buy one or more packages at a time to assemble into a holiday? In my case, since I do some international business travel, I am considering staying at my destination a few extra days and inserting a package from Luxury Link. This would potentially represent a substantial savings, since my air fares are already paid, plus I will have had the opportunity to acclimate myself to the local time zones and inquired of local contacts of the best way to use my bonus vacation time, etc., etc. I am wondering what others in the community, either past buyers or future first time buyers are, have used or are considering as a strategy.

[kyshel]

I shop LL every day, looking for some really cool place to visit. I have to determine whether I can reach that destination easily or if i can't get there easily, what will it take to make the value of the package offered still valuable to me? I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to fy to some destinations for nearly nothing as an airline spouse, but I have also amassed hundreds of thousands of miles in years of revenue flying as a salesperson.Don't laugh--I have a fold-out map from the travel channel I keep on my desk so I can check to see "where the heck that place is in relation to where I can fly".
Even though I have been to today's mystery auction area, it's been so long, I have no clue the best/most affordable way to get there [yet]. (I'm working on it!!) If I don't get that auction, I'
ll try the one that intrigues me--and--one I can reach reasonably.
I have incredible discounts available for airline employees, if I can/want to fly last minute--but sometimes that isn't the best deal to be had. I don't always want to go an all-inclusive resort or cruise. So, I search LL for something different.
Thanks for posing an interesting query.

Message Edited by kyshel on 10-11-2007 02:21 PM

[funtimes]

I go to LL quite often just to dream of travel destinstions. Sometimes we purchase for a special occasion - birthday, anniversary etc - check with the property that our dates are available and figure out airfare later. Unfortunately I do not have any airline connections so I must rely on value $$$ or frequent flyer miles. That ruled out the holiday cruises in French Polonesia - airfare was extremely high! Ugh!Every LL trip we've taken has been wonderful - often exceeding our expectations and always much better than what I selected on my own. We've been to Canada, Tortola, Italy = 2 and Arizona so far. This spring we've purchased an LL trip to Austria and will be expanding our plans to include additional European destinations hopefully with LL. Sometimes I just start at all auctions and go from the last page forward untill a trip really strikes me. This way allows for the greatest length of time in planning. Airline estimates and record locators can be reserved, property dates can be secured etc. I like the idea of a map with easy access travel points - good idea! Our Austria trip will be a bit difficult to arrange since I purchased this without checking on airlines 1st - now we may have to use a carrier other than American since Salzburg does not compute with AA. We try to frequent AA for miles. Right now we are looking at round trip Chicago to London 3 days in London then chunnel or Hydrofoil to Paris for 3 days back to London - fly to Munich 2 days in Munich and train to Salzburg ...train to Munich fly back to London and home. A circuitous route most definitely but this will result in only 2 rt airline tickets Chicago - London and London- Munich. Any advice will be appreciated. Just drop me a personal email Thanks and happy travels ...Funtimes

[omegaet]

t-2-f.....excellent question! We've had a "life list" of travel dream destinations for years and as we check off "been there" then we keep revising and adding "must go there". The availability of prior LL auction destinations, including the Ecuadorian Amazon, Galapagos Islands,the O-EPeru experience, multiple trips to Central American and Mexico...of courseEurope....various domestic destinations.(one of which we just bought for an early Dec visit to Vermont.), motivated us to take tripsto more upscale properties for less money than we might have otherwise have visited.



We also do add-ons using interesting properties from LLits almost always possible to find a three or four night offer we can use as an extension to a non-LL travel itinerary we might be take.



There have been a number of members in this community who have mentioned their regrets of procrastination amd missing out on trips they wanted to purchase. They could have bought, but waited and lost the opportunity. The Orient-Express Peru trip is a prime example. We see LuxuryLink asa dynamic site and things come and go (LuxeLife, when it was active,offered some extraordinary merchandise.....not any more).



After a few weeks of perusing the available offers last summer, we were able to assemble a multi-country journey, including the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France and finishing up in Venice and Follina, Italy. That particular trip took a little more effort, involving exchanging several emails and a couple of foreign calls, to solidify availability dates.but the time, money and effort was worth the end results.



We have amassed a fair number of air miles on several legacy carriers over years of travel, as well as points with theaffinity credit cards, whichwe use in association with our travel.



Bottom line is, we look at the offers on LL, the air miles and points and fit the pieces of the puzzle together. I agree with your thinking 100% regarding staying at your business destinations a few extra days and maximizing a package from LL.



Don't be a procrastinator...if you see it, you like it and you can afford to work in into your travel plans.....do it!



Good luck!


Message Edited by omegaet on 10-17-2008 03:35 PM

[maylinglai1]

As with everyone I love to travel. I however can only do quick long weekend vacations. Planning a dozen quick 3 and 4 day ventures is really tough. There is so much to do in the way of figuring out where to go, what to do, etc. I use LL to make it easier. I have a budget in mind for the weekend, figure out what on LL is within that budget, figure out the airfare, and I'm on my way. I don't have to worry that the hotel will be sub-par and have bad service. Often there are already a few activities to start me on my way. Moreover, I find the staff of most of the LL places are more than willing to help me pre-plan my short trips. I can ask them quick questions and receive knowledgeable answers on whether I will need a car, how far it might be, what are the key items to see, are there any things I need to plan in advance, etc...

In a way, LL replaces asking friends for suggestions. I prefer this, as you avoid the uncomfortable realization that some of your friends might not share your preference for "luxury" while on vacation. Moreover, few people in my age category have engaged in luxury travel extensively. And of course many have a very different idea of what constitutes "luxury". LL is more accurate than other websites in describing the lodging arrangements. I've almost stopped double checking to make sure I've picked the right place.

As for the Work related travel add-on trip, I highly recommend. Even the book a la carte suggestions can often be below other offered prices. I would love to hear what locations you end up at and your review and suggestions.

[bonniejoy03]

Great question travel2fun. We like unique trips. If I go to a local travel agent in our small town, chances are we will be sent to Cancun, Bahamas, or Orlando. No problem with those places but I like to go to more remote locations. Every family member in my immediate family travels all the time. As we say, someone is always somewhere!! We help each other with ideas and each member has their "specialty". (US, Asia, etc.) So, when I found LL I was amazed that places we had stayed had showed up for their auctions (for example Punta Islita.) We were impressed that they offered more remote, upscale properties than we had ever seen offered by airline web sites, travel agents, etc.

So, when I look at the auctions, I try to think ofour allocated work vacation time, money, time away from the puppy, etc. I really don't have a lot of preconceived travel ideas. (except for our Anguilla and Virgin Gorda trips annually or semi-annually.) I am so open to any other ideas!

[travel2fun]

maylinglai1, I find it interesting you would rely on the opinions of individuals you have never met and know little or nothing about to make a buying decison, rather than the opinions you might receive from your friends or associates. Since I have been visiting this community, Imarvel at how many of us will accept opinions of people we have never met. Surely, the staff at luxury link must take pride in seeing this.

[maylinglai1]

Travel2fun.... you may be newer to blogging and not realize your tone... but I'll take it as a question designed to continue the flow of conversation that was accidentally written with a hint of sarcastic insult. lol....

You do have a point. One should take commentary with a grain of salt. Clearly if you have no concerns on budget and you read a blogger who seems overly concerned with cost, that person's opinion may not apply to what you are trying to discover about a place. However, that does not discredit that they are hinting a city is expensive. That can be helpful to a number of people. For example, if you're travel partner(s)/group are on a variety of budgets, you can be aware that this particular location might be a strentch for some. Alternatively, if you are looking for a place with less low end and more luxury tourist poshness, this might be a hint that you found the right spot.

Relaive to my experiences LL picks some very random places and it would be hard to find people that have been to all of them. On a different post, I received a fairly well informed response from someone on my inquiry about a location in India. Which I found helpful and piqued my interest further about the location suggested. When you read such posts you can tell this person probably did have a well-informed opinion and knows his stuff. As such, his responses rated highly for its helpfulness to others and I rated him highly as well.

I want to encourage others to post/reply to questions and encourage people to not feel bad about accepting the advice in the LL community, in case they might have accidentally misinterpreted your comments in a negative tone. Definitely we should all read it with a grain of salt, as I'm sure the LL community comes from a variety of experiences and may therefore find some commentary more helpful than others.

And I'll reiterate and provide more detail on why I feel confident in suggesting the helpfulness of this community. I belong to a private international and luxury oriented website where the users rank various things; lodging among these things. Nerd that I am, I cross check both websites as part of making my decision. LL tends to have quite a few of the quality places indicated in my other network source, but the explanations within the community blog as well as the postings on the respective auctions are more detailed. That other site tends to just rank and have a single sentence commentary as many users do not have english as a first language. Accuracy has been very good for LL, in my experience. Though if others have differing experiences, I would love to hear.

LL covers more random places than the my other website which only tends to cover major cities and destinations.

And finally, what's the point of travel if not to share the joy of the experience!! You go to a great place, maybe some of your friends will go in the future, maybe not. Here's place where a lot of people might have gone to some exotic but wonderful random place. How wonderful!! It's like extending the nostagia of the vacation! I'd love to hear what others think and I do hope people keep posting their experiences.

[Mountie]

travel2fun, I was thinking about what you said about opinions from strangers regarding travel. When I think about it, I've never met any of the writers for the travel magazines or travel guidesI turn to for information. I mean, they are strangers and they are being paid to give their opinions. At least in the on-line travel communities to which I belong, the other contributors may be strangers, but I assume they are not ringers being paid to express their opinions. I don't find it sounsual to consider the opinions and ideas posted in this community. I do agree with your comment about the LL staff probably taking pride in what they observe being posted here. At the information being posted, especially from members who have visited the properties being offered, can be of value to other community members.


Message Edited by Mountie on 10-28-2007 01:18 AM

[kyshel]

Hi-maylinglai! Would you explain your use of "random" in reference to LL properties? You've made me very curious! Sorry, but I don't understand that part of your post below.
While I believe that some properties are chosen without first-hand/on site knowledge, I don't think they're haphazard selections. I think LL has put a great deal of effort into offering a wide range of hotels, resorts, and villas in varied locations. Granted, there have been some less-than-desirable locations that have had complaints/poor reviews and even some that have been removed from the portfolio. What sort of lodging does your other website promote that makes them "non-random" compared to LuxuryLink? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but I'm just confused (that happens now and then...) Thanks!
You were spot-on with the compliment about the India information--I was ready to book, but
restrained myself--I can only go to so many places and only one at a time!!) There is so much valuable information in the community pages.