In escaping the dismal Irish summer, frustrated and shivering would-be tourists will have to pay full brochure price on most package holidays and be prepared to fly anytime, anywhere
If you feel like you blinked and missed the Irish summer, the late availability signs beaming from travel agents' windows may lodge in your mind just as the memory of what a cloud-free sky looks like fades.
But there are very few discounted late deals on offer this year.
Frustrated and shivering would- be tourists will have to pay full brochure price on most package holidays and be prepared to fly anytime, anywhere.
"There has been a significant increase in the number of enquiries from people trying to escape to the sun, due to the recent spate of bad weather," confirms a spokeswoman for tour operator Falcon/ JWT.
As more families year on year are booking earlier to get their first-choice package in the school holiday months, it is mostly couples or groups of friends who opt for spur-of-the-moment leftovers.
Last-minute booking means hasty budget calculations. The sign in the window may say €599 per person for two weeks in Crete, in black felt pen but it never quite works out that way, as the "subject to availability and extras" small print will suggest.
Take a pre-holiday shopping bill into account and it's likely the total sum will reach four figures before you even get around to ordering the first cocktail of the evening.
Under-occupancy
According to a spokeswoman for Panorama, the main add-ons to the advertised price are insurance and under-occupancy fees. "The prices advertised would be based on two sharing or four sharing," she says, so if you are part of a threesome or a single person travelling alone, you will have to pay extra.
This is because the tour operator's contract with hoteliers and apartment owners is based on a price per room, although they will sell the overall package per person.
For example, an Airtours package for seven nights at the self-catering Aguamar Apartments in Tenerife has an average price of €699 per person for this summer's high season.
But a one-bedroom apartment at this complex is sold on a maximum share basis of four people, so three people sharing will be charged a supplement - €53 during high season.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is not included in the holiday price. Cover for a two-week holiday in Europe costs around €37 if taken out through the travel agent and many agents will automatically insure you with the operator's insurance company of choice unless you state otherwise at the time of booking.
If you opt to take out insurance elsewhere, most operators require that it provides at least the same amount of cover as the policy they offer, but it is possible to get the same or wider coverage and save money by shopping around. For example, Getcover.com gives a quote of €30.99 for 17 days in Europe, Australia or New Zealand.
Luggage and accessories
You've finally dragged your suitcase down from the top of the wardrobe without hitting yourself on the head, only to find that, although last year's flight tags are still attached, the handle isn't and the zip is refusing to budge.
All those neatly folded sundresses, sarongs and Hawaiian shirts laid out on the bed still need a home, so it's out to the department store to buy some new luggage.
A 26-inch Travelog trolley case, for example, costs €40 at Dunnes Stores, while "the biggest suitcase in the world", a 115 litre from the Delsey range, has a full price of €208 at Clerys. Alternatively, a Gelert 70-litre backpack is available for €80.99 at Millets.
While you're out shopping, other items catch your eye, like a travel iron for €35, a continental adaptor for €4.50, a money belt for €7 and an inflatable travel pillow called the "Snoozer" for €9, all from the Go travel products range.
Then there's a Boots travel hairdryer for around €25, Rough Guide or Lonely Planet travel guides (€20 plus), film for your camera (€6 a go) and sunglasses for €10 or from €75 at Specs-Xpress if you need the prescription kind.
Things you never knew you needed, but suddenly seem like a good idea include Scholl Flight Socks, which claim to "improve blood flow and help relieve leg discomfort" and help prevent deep vein thrombosis in exchange for €16.65.
Toiletries
Suncream is usually cheaper at home than it will be at a holiday resort, so stocking up in advance is a good idea. Ambre Solaire factor 35 sunscreen for kids or people who burn easily costs around €17.50, with lower factors around the €15 mark.
After-sun skin soother sets you back around €8, while tan-prolonging cream costs €7.
The triumph of an even, non-peeling tan will quickly disappear if mosquitoes decide to decorate your legs with red blotches.
A family-sized bottle of Jungle Formula insect-repellent lotion is available for €11, with bite relief priced at around €6.
Passports
Sometimes it's the simple things we forget. Turning up at the airport to kick-start your round-the-world trip only for the boarding official to tell you your passport has expired isn't going to impress your co-travellers.
If you need to update as quickly as possible or don't feel like queuing at the Passport Office, An Post's Passport Express service costs €5.40 and guarantees delivery to your home within 10 working days.
You will need to include an application form witnessed by a member of the Garda Siochána, two signed recent photographs and your birth certificate if you are a first-time applicant or under the age of 18.
Other applicants must enclose either their birth certificate or their most recent Irish passport for cancellation. The fee for a standard 10-year passport is €57.
At the airport
Some tour operators will advise that alongside accommodation supplements, flight supplements may apply, bumping up the original price. According to Falcon / JWT's brochure, flight supplements "reflect the differences in cost of flying from different airports or on different days of the week".
People booking late deals may have to pay a fee if they collect their tickets at the airport. "If we have a late booking, we would ask the person to come in and pick up the tickets from us," says Ms Judith Murray of Michael Stein travel. "Otherwise there is a ticket-on-departure fee, but it's a very small fee."
If you are bringing golf clubs or other large items abroad with you, some operators will ask that you tell them in advance and pay a small supplement. The amount of baggage allowed per adult on European charter flights will be either 15kgs or 20kgs, with excess baggage charges ranging from €6 to €35 per kilo, depending on the airline.
There is a set charge for infants who have not yet reached their second birthday before the date of departure.
These range from €19 at Falcon/JWT to €39 for an Airtours holiday.
While on holiday, representatives from some tour operators will ask you to pay a fee for pre-bookable seats for your return journey that will guarantee that your party will sit together.
For example, on packages with Panorama, pre-bookable seats are available on certain flights at a charge of €9 per adult and €3 per child.
On arrival
Tour operators here currently include transfer by coach from the airport to the hotel or apartment complex as part of the package price, although some operators in Britain are now charging a fee for transfers on late deals. At Panorama, private transfer by taxi is a pre-bookable optional extra.
Local charges may be incurred from the apartment complex owner for a range of extras, such as a security box deposit, highchairs and cots, babysitting services, a welcome pack in your apartment, air-conditioning, car parking, use of equipment including sun loungers, jacuzzis and saunas, and certain leisure facilities such as tennis courts.
Having got through all that, enjoy the break...
