When you’re running your online searches for some accommodation to lodge in on your upcoming getaway, it very quickly becomes clear that the major factor separating what you can and can’t have is indeed the budget you have to work with. This applies to your flight as well and in fact pretty much everything that has to do with the logistics of the trip.

You can have two different travellers coming from the same block in the same neighbourhood, boarding the exact same flight and going on to lodge in the exact same hotel and yet the difference between what they spend could run into the thousands, or even a couple tens of thousands! Why is this though?

Well, for one every single industry including and perhaps especially the travel industry caters to different budgets and so there are different classes of consumers, separated by how much they’re willing to spend on the products and services they seek. Note that I explicitly referred to it as how much you’re willing to spend, not how much you can afford because those are two different things, fundamentally. This is especially true when it comes to the travel industry.

There is perceived value in all the little upgrades and add-ons forming part of the travel and tourism industry, such as how your airfare can go up by at least double the lowest price if you choose to upgrade to the equivalent of the “Instant Upgrade” option or if you go all the way and choose to fly Business Class or First Class. The same applies to your accommodation – the two travellers I spoke about could be staying in the exact same hotel at the same location, which would imply that they’re in the same building, but one can pay up to ten times what the other pays if they choose to go with options such as the presidential suite. I won’t even mention all the add-ons such as room service, the most extravagant of which would come with something like some of the finest, imported champagne and the likes.

This swiftly brings to light the discussion of the true value of premium travel – what are you really paying for when in some cases it’s at least double what the average traveller will settle for?

In the case of something like premium add-ons and upgrades, for the most part you’re not really paying for that much more than what everyone else gets. Or at least I should say that you’re paying an inflated price for the extra value you’re getting. It is indeed subjective because for all I know a businessman who is jetting off across the globe for nothing more than a business deal might want to get a good few hours of proper sleep, in which case they’re willing to pay to fly Business or First Class.

Otherwise the true value of premium travel is something you should rather look for in the likes of your travel insurance, where the extra value you get actually has tangible value. I mean if you’re travelling within Atlanta for example, what sense would it make to take out travel insurance that offers legal coverage when you don’t really need it because of the services of the likes of Christopher Simon Attorney at Law? These are services one would only solicit if the need arises though.