Many people think that a yacht cruise is only for the rich. Or even very rich people, millionaires at least… How about this week-long tour (Secret Places yacht tour), which costs 790 € per person? This is not a huge amount of money, you must agree. Surely, if we talk about yachting, the cost of cruises greatly depends on such factors as a boat itself (size, type, age, equipment), country, season, duration of your trip, etc., and your vacation can cost both a reasonable amount of money and hundreds of thousands of euros if you want to sail on a large yacht made of gold like an oriental sheikh. So, here we will consider how to save on a yacht charter.
In this article, we will talk about the low-cost option of a yacht vacation. Even a representative of the middle class can afford it. So, in order to enjoy all the benefits of your journey and at the same time not spend extra money, you have to follow a few simple tips, here they are.
Some tips on how to save on a yacth charter
- Take your time! Sometimes it happens that when you search for a suitable offer, you immediately find a good option. It suits you by date, by route, by boat, and everything else. Our advice is as follows: do not rush to order it immediately, no matter how persistently you are persuaded to do so. Be sure to check out similar offers from other charter companies and compare 3-5 options. Practice shows, that such companies often have promotions or bonus offers. So it may be possible to save money. Besides we recommend you to subscribe to the newsletter from several charter companies. Thus you can monitor their special offers for a week or two, they may provide you a really interesting option.
- Book in advance, or book at the last moment. It seems that these two tips contradict each other, but no! The most budget options are either long (up to 6 months) before the start of the cruise, or at the very last moment (last-minute tours). So it’s worth trying one or the other.
- Don’t choose a high season. The difference in the cost of a similar tour on a similar boat in high and low seasons can be up to 30, or even 50%. Of course, the weather may not be the most pleasant during the low season. So we advise you to choose either the very beginning of the high season or the very end of it. In different countries and parts of the world, the start and end dates of the high season differ. For example, in the Mediterranean, it is May and October. The weather still allows sailing at sea at that period.
- Choose budget countries. There are countries that are more budgetary for yachting. And there are more expensive ones, even within the same region. Thus, in the Mediterranean, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro are in any case be cheaper than Spain, Italy, and France. But, the quality of service in Turkey is not worse than that in Spain. The right choice of the country will help you to save money.
- Find a good flight option (charter). The cost of the flight is usually not included in the cost of the cruise. But the trip can cost a lot, especially if the destination country is far from you. The best option is to find seats on a charter flight or a budget proposal for a regular flight. To do this, you also have to book a flight in advance.
- Select the right boat. The most optimal offer in terms of price-quality ratio is a small sailing yacht (11-14 m), middle-aged (up to 5 years). While this type of sailing boat will give you incredible emotions during your trip. Catamarans and motorboats obviously cost more.
- Book excursions by yourself. A charter company is always ready to offer you an entertainment program, including excursions. Naturally, they want a certain payment for this. But you can book these excursions by yourself. And of course, it will cost you less.
- Save on food and alcohol. There is a cook room with all the necessary kitchen equipment on a board of yachts and catamarans. There you can cook food. It will definitely be cheaper than that in restaurants or cafes. Many charter companies prohibit taking alcohol on board, but sometimes they do make exceptions. The alcohol on board costs much more than what you bring with you.
These are only basic recommendations of how to save on a yacht charter. There are still many different nuances that form the total final cost of your trip. In order not to overload you with these details, you can contact our consultants. They will select the best budget solution for you, taking into account your wishes.
