While updating our database of tours to Ireland, Britain, Scotland and Wales I have to manually enter a low and high price for the year, a tedious task that could be automated but it serves a greater purpose -- keeping a pulse on rates.
With the economy tanking here and Ireland just a few months behind us, rates have actually gone down on a large percentages of tours -- on average 5%. The euro has been holding steady so it comes down to hotels and transportation which is lowering their rates to be competitive in this economy.
The shorter tours have very little mark-up so you'll notice those rates are staying steady while the longer tours, and particularly the deluxe tours, offer greater discounts in 2010.
Airfare
Airfare continues to be a thorn in my side - rates did not drop as I had anticipated and with fewer flights (thus fewer seats), the demand is keeping the rates up there. Keep your eye out for Aer Lingus sales and you can find a deal here or there but you may not go when you want.
Lowest Online Self-Drive
After quite a bit of go-around with our tour operator, we have decided to go direct when purchasing car rentals, B&Bs, hotels and airfare -- ensuring the lowest price around! Just compare our $110 B&B night to $132 per night and you'll see the savings add up for your entire trip! The discounts are even more when it comes to hotels and car rentals.
