You assemble at your favorite table in your favorite restaurant. Your waiter distributes menus, wine cards, and a sheet of specials of the day and season. Topping the Specials sheet is this entry:

“LOBSTER TAIL: 2lbs, from Maine today – Market Price.”

          You know what “Market Price” means: limited supply priced according to demand. And “Market Price” normally means “If you have to ask, order the chicken.”

          But, if “Market Price” really means the price is computed according to the ratio of demand to supply, there is the possibility that circumstances of excess supply and limited demand also occur simultaneously. You know: a huge abundance of succulent Maine lobsters caught at the very moment most of the population is on a lobster-free diet. And, of course, this rare windfall must occur on an evening you find yourself studying the specials sheet in your favorite restaurant.

          Now imagine you are sitting in your favorite chair reading the latest dispatch from a favorite travel company and dreaming about an improbable trip to a favorite destination in this year of the Great Recession, but expect to order the chicken.

          In the dispatch is a sheet of Specials that announces:

“TRIPS TO ALL DESTINATIONS: fresh today – Market Price.”

          This week Home At First cancelled its normal pricing practice and went to “Market Pricing”. But, this time “Market Pricing” is a good thing for travelers, because supply (especially airline seats, lodgings overseas, car rentals) is greater than demand (you).

          How much? Depends upon several elements:

1. WHEN do you wish to travel?
    Demand is down for all travel times—even the high season—but some
    travel periods offer more price reductions than others. Remarkably—we
    have never seen this before—many airlines are offering stark reductions
    even during normally peak travel times.

2. WHERE do you wish to travel?
    Most destinations offer solid reductions, but those accessible by
    non-stop flights offer better airfares than those requiring multiple-flight
    journeys.

3. HOW MANY in your traveling party?
    Larger accommodations and rental cars may offer better deals than
    minimal, basic lodgings and autos.

4. WHAT is your originating airport?
    The airlines know where their revenue shortfalls are greatest and where
    their competition is stiffest. They are offering short-duration sales —
    some with extraordinary savings — between on-line airports they serve
    in North America and overseas. These windows of opportunity can open
    and close without notice, and, typically, tickets must be purchased
    within two days or less of booking in order to get the special fares.

          How much can be saved? Depending up the answers to the four questions above, travelers can see savings ranging from 5% to more than 50% of original retail cost of their 2009 trip. Most travelers are experiencing something in between that range, with savings of 25%-40% off retail now common.

          How can you determine the cost of your trip? How do you find out the cost
of the market-priced lobster? Ask the waiter. Ask Home At First. Call us (toll-free at 800-523-5842 in the US and Canada). E-mail us (info@homeatfirst.com). Provide us the answers to the above four questions. We will get to work researching the best prices for the trip you specify. No charge. No commitment. No strings. Within a short period (a couple of hours to a couple of days-depending upon the time/day you ask and the complexity of your request), you will have your answer by telephone or e-mail—your choice.

          What then? You might say “Let’s do it.” But you can say, “Thanks but no thanks.” Or you may ask, “What about a different destination?” or, “What about different travel dates?” All good. Our motivation is to put together your dream trip at a price attractive enough that you will accept our proposal. That’s right – we hope to give you an offer you can’t refuse.

 
          Home At First does your travel homework for you: packaging the best flight schedules and fares for your needs with the proper rental car arrangements, and, very importantly, with quality lodging in your preferred Ireland location for your ideal dates. Wherever our travelers go our lodgings meet our American quality standards (we visit and inspect them regularly) and come to us at special rates. It’s a good bet that you cannot package a similar trip to any of our destinations for less than we can package one for you. And, our selection of quality, inspected lodgings ensures the success of your trip. Can you be certain that a lodging you choose randomly off the internet will provide the quality, the location, and the hosting ideal for your needs?
  
          Even better news: for during 2009, many of lodgings are offering discounted rates for at least a portion of the dates still unreserved. These special offers are available exclusively through Home At First. Packaged with a best-fared flight, quality car rental, and the lowest on-site prices in years, reduced-cost Home At First lodgings help make your dreamed-of vacation a real travel bargain for 2009.
  
          Are there caveats? Yes: all prices are subject to change, as low airfares, favorable currency exchange rates, and Home At First’s specially-priced lodgings will exist only until heavy demand returns and the special offers end. Moral of the story – act now while prices are at historic lows.

          Here at Home At First, we have been watching the sudden change in the cost of travel with great interest. Recent dramatic improvements in currency rates and substantial reductions in many airfares enable us to offer a special program that might save you significant money for your 2009 Home At First trip. It’s called Instant Discounts, and here’s how it works:

• Choose a Home At First destination. Look at our published price on-line or in our 2009
   Vacations catalogue.
• Call Home At First toll-free (US & Canada) at (800) 523-5842. We probably can reduce
   the price based on current currency exchange rates – and on reduced airfares, too.
• If you like your new price quote, you get 48 hours to lock it in. If not, no harm, no foul.

          You may soon begin planning your 2009 vacation. There will be concern over the economy. But, when the conversation turns to travel, please remember there is good news for 2009. Happy HOLIDAYS from Home At First!

--------------------
Ron Fahnestock
Editor

This year, give yourself a gift you’ll always remember: make a dream come true.
Home At First provides flexible, independent travel tailored to your goals at
dream locations throughout IRELAND & BRITAIN, SCANDINAVIA, and NEW ZEALAND.
Talk with HOME AT FIRST toll-free at (800) 523-5842 (USA & Canada residents only),
or learn about us here on the web.