May 19, 2008
In planning a Caribbean vacation this summer, be sure to check the offerings of Liberty Travel
There was a time when Liberty Travel (tel. 800/897-9999; www.libertytravel.com) was always the cheapest to the tropics. During my own years as a tour operator, I used to rub my eyes when I saw the rates that this competitor offered for a weeklong stay at various Caribbean resorts. On one occasion I even called the president of Liberty Travel to suggest that a price in his ad might be a typographical error. He burst into laughter. I subsequently learned that Liberty's power with the public enabled them to get unbeatable airfares from American Airlines and rock-bottom rates from the hotels they used. No one else could come close.
In more recent years, Liberty hasn't seemed to play the price leader, and you would often find lower rates from much smaller firms. But that seems to be changing. Recently acquired (just two months ago) by a rich Australian conglomerate, Liberty's current prices are again quite impressive, and though they don't always undercut those of Vacation Travel Mart (www.vacmart.com), Apple Vacations (www.applevacations.com), or CheapCaribbean.com (www.cheapcaribbean.com), they frequently give battle to those firms. The Aussies are apparently intent on reestablishing Liberty's cost-cutting reputation.
All this is by way of suggesting that when you begin to plan a trip to Cancún, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados and the like, you should always check your tentative decision by learning what Liberty will charge for the same trip (and though Liberty's offices are mainly along the eastern seaboard, they quote air-included prices from every major U.S. city as far west as Los Angeles). You do that easiest by simply going to Liberty's website, or by phoning its 800 number.
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In more recent years, Liberty hasn't seemed to play the price leader, and you would often find lower rates from much smaller firms. But that seems to be changing. Recently acquired (just two months ago) by a rich Australian conglomerate, Liberty's current prices are again quite impressive, and though they don't always undercut those of Vacation Travel Mart (www.vacmart.com), Apple Vacations (www.applevacations.com), or CheapCaribbean.com (www.cheapcaribbean.com), they frequently give battle to those firms. The Aussies are apparently intent on reestablishing Liberty's cost-cutting reputation.
All this is by way of suggesting that when you begin to plan a trip to Cancún, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados and the like, you should always check your tentative decision by learning what Liberty will charge for the same trip (and though Liberty's offices are mainly along the eastern seaboard, they quote air-included prices from every major U.S. city as far west as Los Angeles). You do that easiest by simply going to Liberty's website, or by phoning its 800 number.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: caribbean, deals, websites
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