Are you shopping around for a bargain in Canada, Colorado or Lake Tahoe ?

Let's face it - we all want value when we buy a holiday and a big part of that is getting the best price. So let Dive Fish Snow Travel take the hassle and guess work out of organizing all the attention to detail, and finding you the very best deal available. If you need someone to help you to cut through all the information with professional unbiased and objective advice, someone to listen to you and answer your questions. Then give us a call, What's more, this is a free service to you. So why stress yourself out when we can offer you expert advice from trained travel cosultants who are passionate skiers or riders just like yourself and have personally carved up all those slopes you're dreaming about. This is why we have this mott: "We have acutally been there - many times. Our goal is to tailor your holiday to your need and budget. Ski North America: It's our job; its our passion!

The bottom line when you book with Dive Fish Snow Travel

• You get the benefit of Special Package Airfares which are not available over the Internet, often $200-$300 cheaper.
• You get the benefit of specially negotiated early bird deals from ski resorts and accommodations that utilise our buying power – not available through the Internet.
• You get the benefit of not paying 6% GST on all Accomodation and Transfers in Canada as we are GST exempt, buy direct you now have to pay GST.
• You get the convenience of a one-stop shop offering FREE professional advice and service - You just can't get this from the Internet. You actually talk to someone who’s skied there.

How we make our profits

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explain how we make a profit from you - Our Client.
We make our profit from our suppliers paying us a commission - not from charging you extra or adding on fees.

If a hotel, ski resort, transfer company or airline advertise a rate over the Internet, that rate is called a "Published Public Retail Rate " for you the public - even if that rate is promoted as a "Special”. As a Wholesale Specialist Snow Holiday Travel Agent and a NZ representative of that supplier, Dive Fish Snow Travel are paid a commission and buy at a "wholesale" rate because we are combining the elements that make up a holiday into a package. Even if the rate is promoted as a "special" we have an even cheaper "wholesale rate".

I.e. a hotel room is advertised to the public at a certain price.
The hotel sells it to us the travel agent for less and pays us a commission.
We package this up with your other holiday components and offer the package to you at a better combined price.

We put together the components you want us to, it doesn’t have to be the whole package and you can book your own flights or other components. We provide this service free to you, our client. The supplier pays us. We do not add an additional fee.

This same principal applies to airlines, ski resorts, car rentals etc worldwide.

G.S.T.
Goods & Service Tax

Canada charges 6% G.S.T.

Dive Fish Snow Travel is G.S.T. exempt on the following services:

• Accommodation
• Domestic airfares connecting with International flights
• Airport transfers to/from International flights

Dive Fish Snow Travel has already saved you CAD $180.80 pp in Taxes and Credit Card Charges i.e $361.60 per couple!

P.S.T.
Provincial Sales Tax - 8%

You have to look very carefully on resort and accommodation websites to find the PST as often GST and PST together total 15% and has not been added on to the cost you will see on the Internet.

This can come as a nasty surprise when you get your total bill!

Look carefully and you will see it! If you don't see anything about taxes, ask!

NZ G.S.T.

When you buy a domestic airfare to Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch direct on the Internet you will pay 12.5% G.S.T. Book with Dive Fish Snow Travel and you don't!

Seasonality

You’ll often see advertising on various resort and accommodation websites displaying very attractive lead in prices. When your considering these prices and comparing quotes, bear in mind when it is you’ll be travelling and what dates the advertised lead in price actually relates to. We often hear “but I’ve seen it advertised at this price on such and such a website, why is it so different to the price I am actually required to pay.” The answer is simple – the price you have seen is for early December or April, not when you actually want to travel in January, February or March. The differences in lift pass and accommodation pricing across the ski season varies greatly, high season prices can be more than double that of low season – it’s called “seasonality” - so it pays to check out the applicable dates of any prices that have drawn your attention.

Here’s an example of what we’re talking about. This graph gives a clear example of the differing price for lift passes over the season at Vail.

As you can see, some date ranges are more than double the price of others. The same system applies at all resorts, for lift passes and accommodation – just the dates and number of “seasons” will change.

As you can see, it pays to check the applicable dates for the prices you have seen so you can compare like for like. There’s some great savings to be made if you’re flexible on the dates of your travel, but do take into account that the best conditions aren’t often found on those dates that have the lower prices – that’s why they’re lower.

At Dive Fish Snow Travel we have the full range of seasonality and prices for all resorts on lift passes and accommodation, we know the conditions that prevail at those times of year and we can get you the best deal. Contact us, we’re here to help you identify when will be the best time for you to travel.

EXCESS LUGGAGE DON'T GET STUNG

Don't we all hate that!
When you buy an Internet fare to Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch this is regarded as a domestic airfare and your luggage allowance will only be 10kg's per person. You could end up paying hundreds of dollars in excess luggage.

Dive Fish Snow Travel buy a special ski airfare in conjunction with your International flight so you get 46kg's baggage allowance per person!

NOTE: Cheap Internet fares are non changeable, whereas our fares allow you to change, right up until they have been ticketed, though some conditions can apply.

BUY DIRECT = YOU PAY BANK FEES

Did you know that when you buy in foreign currency using your credit card:

• The credit card company uses an advantageous rate of exchange when converting currencies.
• Foreign currency other than U.S.D. is first converted to U.S.D. and then to N.Z.D. so you can end up paying double the conversion fee.
• The bank then charges a 2.5% foreign currency service fee.
• This credit card transaction alone can add up to 5 - 7% on top of what you would have paid had you purchased with Dive Fish Snow Travel.

Note: Dive Fish Snow Travel have Australian, Fijian, Canadian and American bank accounts, hence we avoid credit card conversion fees and foreign currency service fees.

BUY DIRECT AND YOU'RE AT THE MERCY OF EXCHANGE RATES!

With exchange rates, there are always winners and losers. i.e. If you pay a deposit on your holiday in July when you book direct or through the internet and the exchange rate drops by 8% by the time you travel - you have just paid 8% more on your holiday than you needed to!
Book with Dive Fish Snow Travel in August and we give you a price based on current exchange rates. If that rate drops, you are given 2 options:

• Take the risk and pay later
• Agree to pay the price quoted, pay a deposit and we will take a forward exchange contract (it's FREE) that guarantees you that particular price quote, taking the exchange rate risk away.

Booking through the Internet often requires paying in full months in advance of travel. By booking with Dive Fish Snow Travel only a deposit is required until the balance due date comes around. We’ll advise you in advance when this will be – freeing up your cash for when you want to use it.

Extra Value

The Internet is a great tool, but it does have its limitations when it comes to booking your holiday.
Consider

• What happens to my accommodation if a flight is delayed or cancelled?
• What happens to my transfer if a flight is delayed or cancelled?
• How do I change my flights?
• What if I’m not happy with any accommodation, diving or other activities I have booked?

Try changing something you have booked over the Internet and you’ll see another example of what we’re getting at.

Snow holidays are complicated, bringing together international flights, onward flight transfers, airport transfers, accommodation and lift passes to name just a few of the main components. Booking them all individually through the Internet may seem like a good idea, but it won’t necessarily get you a better deal and it certainly won’t be of any help holding it all together, especially if just one thing goes slightly off plan. We’re the glue if you like that holds all the components of your holiday together so things run smoothly, and that service costs you nothing. You get 3 or 4 weeks holiday a year. Why gamble when that time is so valuable? Especially when you’re not saving anything.

Save your time and money

If you do not want to spend hours looking at various resorts on Internet, but still want to get the best deal, talk to the experts, Dive Fish Snow Travel.

Call us now on Auckland +64 (09) 479 2210 - TOLL FREE: 0508 348 334 or click the button below to enquire about our snow holidays.

# Some Conditions Apply. Please check with our Ski Travel Consultants