When it comes to booking a boat, there is a saying: the sooner, the better. The general rule is that it is best to book a boat before Christmas to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for.
You may be asking yourself: But why, it’s freezing outside, why should I think about it now? We agree, that might sound quite early, but trust us on this one. If we take into account the fact that the sailing season generally starts in early April, it’s not so early as one may think. Especially if you have something pretty specific in mind.
But don’t worry. To spare you the trouble, we will explain everything you need to know about chartering a yacht early. And by the time you are done reading this article, you will be an expert on the subject of early booking. And who wouldn’t want that! So, let’s dig in.
What is The Best Time to Book a Boat?
That’s really a hard question to answer. But the simplest answer would be – whenever, as long as you get everything what you need. If you got everything you hoped for by booking a boat two days in advance, it’s as good as if you booked five months in advance.
However, if you’re on the more cautious side of the equation, you should really consider renting a boat early. It’s our most sincere suggestion because it comes with a lot of benefits. And that’s where this article comes in.
The general rule of thumb is (in every industry, not just sailing) the earlier you book, the better are your options. You get a lot of advantages if you decide to book early. For instance, you get to avoid the rush, you get the best possible experience and the prices are much lower.
All in all, as long as you’re satisfied, it doesn’t matter when you booked a boat. Although, booking a boat early comes with a lot of benefits. You get to save a lot of money and avoid a lot of stress. Not to mention that you’ll most probably get the best possible charter experience you can get.
How Early Can You Charter a Yacht?
Short and simple answer would be up to a year in advance.
It would be silly if someone wanted to charter a yacht two or three years in the future. One year is a period of time most people can plan out, so charters usually allow booking up to a year in advance.
Advantages to Last-minute Bookings
Early-booking has several advantages to last-minute booking. First and foremost being that by renting a boat early you get to plan out your sailing holiday to the last detail. On the other hand, when booking last-minute, you don’t get that level of comfort.
By chartering a yacht early, you avoid all that unnecessary stress. You avoid the chances of not finding your perfect boat and you’re even risking not going sailing at all. And that would be the worst, wouldn’t it?
Of course, last-minute booking has its own unique set of advantages and arguments on its side. There’s a lot of reasons people love booking in the last minute. But if you’re a person who loves making plans and having everything planned out – early-booking is for you.
Why to Book a Boat Early?
Reasons to Book a Boat Early
Tailoring to Your Needs
If you decide to book a boat early, there’s the biggest chance the whole chartering experience will be tailored to the last detail. Meaning there will be enough time to talk everything out with your agent. The agent will have enough time to make everything possible for you and the only thing left for you to do would be to relax once you get to your charter destination.
If you have a specific type of boat in mind you want to rent or maybe you just want a particular model of boat then early-booking might just be for you. Maybe someone of your friends and family will be sailing with you and you are not sure is it going to be enough space for all. There are decisions to make, but never compromises. That is why you book a boat early.
Don’t hesitate to ask for whatever you may need. The agents have probably heard it all. And it most probably wouldn’t be the first time they’re hearing the request. However crazy it may seem.
It’s your booking and it’s about you. Don’t forget that.
Sail When You Want
If you want to sail on specific dates whether because you planned your vacation in advance, whether it’s your birthday or if you have a month when you enjoy sailing the most, we suggest booking early.
There might be a high demand on a specific week on a destination of your choosing. You can avoid all that by chartering your yacht in advance. That way, you will make sure you got everything under control.
Price
Price is maybe the most persuasive argument early-booking has got on its side. If you book a boat early, the prices will be significantly lower, even up to 50% of the original price you’d pay on a later date of booking.
Even if discount wouldn’t go to 50% (in most cases), you will without a doubt get the best deal you could possibly get.
How Much Discount Could You Expect on Early-bookings?
Discount usually vary between 20 and 30%. That is in the most cases. But don’t be surprised if you find deals with original price tag lowered by 40 or 50%.
Sail Where You Want
There are many locations on this gorgeous planet you could go sailing to. Whether you enjoy sailing in the Mediterranean or sailing in the Seychelles, there’s something for everyone. So, don’t miss to book your dream vacation on your favorite place on Earth (we are sure we have it on our list 😉 – we?) on time and grab it on a great deal as well. Sounds good?
Avoid Rush and Stress
In this modern day and age, it’s always a good idea to avoid additional stress. And that’s one more benefit of renting a yacht early on. If you decide to book early, you will save yourself a lot of trouble. Plus, you will have much more time to plan your vacation to the last detail. And if we would want something to be stress-free, it is our vacation, right?
Get the Best Possible Charter Experience
When you do things late, you don’t have as much control of every aspect of the situation you’d preferably want to have. That’s another good side of chartering a yacht early because you would most probably get the best possible charter experience.
You can talk to your agent about everything that you want and your agent will make it happen. After all, agents have a lot of time on their hands until your sailing holiday to make everything perfect for you. And even if you forgot something, you can always contact your agency and your agent will help you with anything you might have forgotten.
Booking a boat early guarantees the best possible charter experience.
How come this is my first time finding out that it’s actually much cheaper to reserve a boat via advanced booking? Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure my uncle would appreciate this revelation because he plans to hire a private boat this weekend anyway. To ensure a seamless journey, he should make a reservation with the right company fast.
I’m thankful you advised us to rent a boat early on if we want to avoid the rush and stress since we will have more time to plan our trip to the last detail. My friends and I decided to try out fishing for the first time this summer, so we need to find a boat rental service to hand us a boat we can use for our first fishing trip. I’ll keep this in mind while I look for fishing boat rental services we plan to contact before our trip next month.