Booked for March 2010 at Sunset Beach, Candolim with Thomas Cook. £830 each. Prices have shot up!!!

I am still lookin for next March and I agree that prices are lots more nevertheless I will still be there

We've had a quick look and I think prices have shot up, but to be honest I dont think you get a better deal if you book early and the way things are going I cant see travel firms being overworked in the near future. I think its going to be like a game of chicken and its all down to who can hold there nerve the longest.And lets be honest theres nothing more annoying than someone telling you they booked there holiday last minute and they got it well cheaper than you Keith

We've had a quick look and I think prices have shot up, but to be honest I dont think you get a better deal if you book early and the way things are going I cant see travel firms being overworked in the near future. I think its going to be like a game of chicken and its all down to who can hold there nerve the longest.And lets be honest theres nothing more annoying than someone telling you they booked there holiday last minute and they got it well cheaper than you Keith

It seems like a game of chicken but the holiday firms now employ extremely sophisticated software to gauge the market.If you are a frequent surfer of prices like me you may have noticed that online prices seem to go up at weekends and in the evenings.This software I think can predict demand and adjust prices accordingly.I was talking to someone who works for a Middle Eastern airline who told me that their software stores your ip address so that it knows you have been checking prices and deduces if you have come back to the site you are ready to book and increases the price.I tried it twice and the first time the price went up a few days later it was the same so not sure.

I think now is too early for us to book for next season but as the operators are cutting capacity yet again not sure how long to leave it.

Papa

I don't know if this helps to stop tour operators from checking how many times I go onto their websites, but each time I go onto one, I delete the cookie after I have finished checking prices.

I use internet explorer for everything and firefox when I am booking through quidco. the same could be done with booking holidays. No history then

I use the firefox browser for everything Fiona, is there an advantage in using explorer ? amd firefox just sometimes?
Chilly

it was in the context of holiday companies not being able to track when you have been looking for prices Chilly. Use one browser for most things but the other one when you want to actually book.

Surely the obverse of TO's knowing your browser history is also true.
If they record your IP address and see that you are checking every few days, then they will not assume that you are ready to book and up the prices but are more likely to assume that you are waiting for a bargain price before booking.

or are we all getting paranoid?

Using Firefox set 'prferemces' on Mac 'internet options' on PC to CLEAR PRIVATE DATA when closing the browserm this will delete all cookies, history etc. every time you close.

Not a computer whizz, but surely whatever you do to YOUR computer makes no difference as by logging on to their website you have allready given whatever information they need to track you.
deleting cookies etc will not remove the information from THEIR comuters.

Yes del,

The second you log onto their website they have your ip address.I am no expert either and as a previous poster suggested we may all be getting a bit paranoid...... or not.

I know I am not paranoid but they ARE out to get me

Papa

OH was a bit with Goa when we were there this year, combination of things. To try and cure him of this we have booked Kerala for Dec 09/Jan 10

£1244 for the 2 of us, over £600 discount.

We have always wanted to try Kerala so now seemed the ideal opportunity, after 6 visits I will miss Goa and will be there later in 2010 with or without OH

Looking at Sri Lanka for September.Looks like it does not suffer the same monsoon as Goa.Still researching though.

Papa

Well after much deliberation and internet searching we chickened out and booked for 3 wks (Feb 2010).Due to not having any flexibilty regarding dates, as we (like most others) have to give definate dates in to work for next years holidays.We used an independent travel agent who we have used in the past and trust 100%, I think what caused us to book is that when we gave her the dates and the details (2 rooms 4 adults at the M/D) she got back to us within 20 mins and told us there was only 1 room available to the tour operator she was booking with . She told us she would have to contact the hotel directly and ask if they could release another room and she would contact us on Sat with their reply, I asked her to mention our names to Edwin (the Manager) as we know him quite well and he always books us our preffered rooms when we stay.I must admit she was'nt overly confident and asked if we would stay at a different hotel if we could'nt get the other room,we said we would consider it but luckily she contacted us on Sat and told us Edwin had agreed to release a room. The holiday has cost us about £50 pp more than last year which we can live with also its £200 cheaper pp than what we've been getting quoted, the downside is its a Monarch flight ....but you win some you lose some...Keith

The best way to look at the flight keith is your going to goa on holiday, when you wont to. Gel

At least its booked now KFC ....... KJF and you can stop worrying and sit back and look forward to it see you in Feb!!
chilly

goalies mum - who have you booked with for kerala? really fancy trying it but no flights from manchester i dont think?

Helen V, no flights from manchester and when I asked at First Choice/ Thompson they had dropped it from their brochure flying from London (I assume Gatwick) also.