Posted on November 04 2011
If you’re planning a bonefishing trip, we think that it’s really important that, no matter what, you book the cheapest trip you can find. Don’t worry about reputation or logistics or the quality of the fishery or competition on the water or experience of the guides or any of that stuff. Just book the cheapest trip you can find.
Here are the top 5 reasons why.
Why You Should Book the Cheapest Trip You Can Find
- It’s only a week out of your life. Most bonefishing trips are only a week long, and a week is a pretty small percentage of your entire life – way less than 1%. Besides, if this trip doesn’t go well, it’ll only be a year until you can try it again!
- It’s not important at all to have quality equipment and maintain it well. Yeah, for a lodge to own and maintain reliable boats and motors would be pretty expensive, and that would mean they couldn’t be the cheapest…but who needs a reliable ride out to the flats, or back home? It’s only…the ocean. And safety equipment like SPOT units that would allow you to be located out there, no matter what? Totally frivolous, and also a contributor to non-cheapest pricing.
- It’s not the real overall cost of the trip that matters, it’s the package price at the time that you book. So what if you get stuck paying extra for airport transfers and flies and loaner gear and drinks during your stay (hello, multi-hundred-dollar bar bill), and ‘optional trips to the West Side’ and single occupancy lodging? It’s most important that, at the time you book your trip, you feel like you “got a great deal on a bonefishing trip”. You can tell your buddies all about that!
- Quality labor is very inexpensive. In the Bahamas and Mexico and Belize, the best guides and lodge staff work for the least money. Isn’t that weird? Don’t worry at all about the quality of the team.
- Powdered eggs are awesome for breakfast. Yeah, you could get tons of fresh seafood and great local dishes and decent pieces of meat and desserts like key lime pie, but who needs all that stuff? You can eat good food when you get home.
What We Really Think
OK, if you haven’t detected our slight sarcasm…we think that maybe always booking the cheapest trip isn’t the best idea. We understand completely that these trips are all pretty expensive, and that in some cases you either go the inexpensive route or don’t go at all – and in that case, you should definitely do whatever you need to do to go fishing.
On the other hand, we feel really strongly that you should realize there’s a difference. If you’re looking at two trips and one seems to cost 40% less than the other, do your homework. Make sure you understand what you’re getting and what you’re not getting, and the likelihood that you’re going to have a great trip, and then make the decision that’s best for you.