If you’ve toured with ExperiencePlus!, you are likely aware that for a limited time each fall we offer a $200 Early Booking Discount per person. That’s right, when you submit a tour reservation before our discount expires (in 2022 the last day is November 1), we will apply a $200 credit to your tour balance. But did you know there’s more than one way to earn discounts toward current or future trips?
1. (Re)Cycle Your Way to Savings
Our Re-Cycle program rewards frequent EP travelers with substantial savings on their fifth and tenth tours. The discount on the fifth tour, what we call Re-Cycle 5, equals half of the average cost of your first four tours. Then, your tenth tour, or Re-Cycle 10, equals the average cost of the first 9 tours. Here’s an applied example:
- The average cost of Ginger’s first four tours comes to $4,620. So her R-5 credit is $2,310.
- The average cost of Ginger’s first 9 tours comes to $4,596. So, her R-10 credit is the same.
Keep in mind that we limit the number of Re-Cycle spaces we allow on any tour to just four. Sometimes these go very fast. So, savvy EP cyclists keep close track of their Re-Cycle credits and make travel plans early by booking a tour a year or more in advance. Don’t know how many tours you are away from having an R-5 or R-10 credit? Call 800-685-4565 or email tours@experienceplus.com.
2. Cheaper by the Dozen Eleven
We kind of cringe at the word ‘cheaper,’ but we like the reference to the 1948 memoir by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey!
Our group discount actually kicks in once you have six or more people ready to book one of our listed departure dates.
- When between 6 and 10 folks book a tour, each traveler receives a $200 rebate, which comes as a refund once the tour runs since it is based on the number of people who go on tour. This discount cannot be combined with our $200 early booking discount. We automatically apply the discount, so there’s nothing you need to do.
- When your group reaches 11 travelers – and everyone has booked before the early booking discount ends – we’ll include an additional $100 rebate. This applies to regularly published and private departures.
What constitutes a group? For groups joining a regularly published tour, a designated leader should inform the ExperiencePlus! office about your group size and preferred destination so we can be sure there is space available. If your preferred tour is filling up, we can look at setting a private departure date, so long as your group is six or more (in some months we require 8 for a private date). Final tour cost for a private date will vary based on group size.
If your group for 14-20 seeks a custom bicycle touring experience, we can scale pricing based on the total number of travelers who book and even include an early booking discount. What constitutes a custom tour? Basically, any tour that veers from one of our published itineraries, whether you want a longer tour, hotel upgrades, or prefer a custom route. We recommend beginning the custom tour development process at least 16 months in advance.
3. Travel Twice (or more!) in a Year
When you take two or more trips with ExperiencePlus! in a calendar year you will receive $200 off each tour. This cannot be combined with other discounts, which means you won’t get both an early booking discount and a volume discount. But, you’ll also Re-Cycle your way to savings a bit faster!
4. Bring the Kids
Kids 17 years and younger (as of the tour start date) receive 10% off the published tour price.
5. Plan Ahead
Lastly, be mindful of the savings you can make on the travel services you need surrounding your tour. In general, the early bird gets the worm (lower fares, more options). ExperiencePlus! can also connect you to flight consolidator Exito for no-obligation fare sourcing. And, while this is not an up-front savings, taking out travel insurance acts as a peace-of-mind-savings you can bank on if you end up needing to activate it before or during your trip.
So, with a little planning, you don’t have to work too hard to earn a discount on every tour you take with ExperiencePlus! We typically publish the following year’s calendar of tours more than a year in advance and begin accepting bookings for the following year in early summer. We communicate frequently about our early booking discount deadline, so be sure to mark your calendar. If you have a group wanting to a custom or private departure, you can start planning up to two years in advance to maximize your savings.
Ride on, save on!