u/External-Climate-466

Hey,

Just got back from a week in Punta Cana with my partner. Flew out of Montreal with Sunwing, paid 1400$ each. Was feeling good about it tbh.

Then on day 3 we end up at the swim up bar with another couple from Toronto. Started chatting, comparing notes, and they tell us they paid 719$ each. Same exact week, same room category, same flight. They booked like 5 weeks before departure after watching the prices for a bit.

I almost choked on my pina colada lol.

The wife was telling me they have a whole system, they use some Canadian app or website that tracks all inclusive prices and pings them when stuff drops. I think she said it was called Palmaa or something like that. Apparently saved them a few thousand last year between two trips.

So now im sitting here trying to figure out if i was just naive my whole life or if everyone else already knows about this stuff. Few questions :

1. Is the "wait and watch" thing actually reliable or did they just get lucky ?
2. Anyone else here use price tracking tools for vacations ? Worth it or hype ?
3. Whats your general booking strategy ? Early bird ? Last minute ? Wait for drops ?

Honestly feel kinda dumb for not knowing about this. Cheers !

Hey,

Throwing this out here for honest feedback. Im a Canadian dude (based in Quebec) and last winter i went to Punta Cana with my partner. Paid 1400$ pp through Sunwing from Montreal, thought i got a solid deal.

Then on day 3 we met another couple at the resort. Same week, same room, same flight. They paid 719$ each. Booked through Air Canada Vacations like 5 weeks before departure, after watching the prices for a few weeks.

So basically i overpaid by 700$ each which was rough lol. Started looking into it and apparently this happens constantly with all inclusives, the prices fluctuate hard in the last 4 to 8 weeks before departure but most Canadians have no clue.

So i built Palmaa over the last few months. Basically tracks all inclusive prices from Canadian airports daily across Sunwing, Air Canada Vacations, Transat, etc. and sends you an alert when prices on a specific deal drop significantly. Pretty simple tool but it solves the exact problem i had.

Just want to be upfront : its not a scam, im not trying to sell anything weird. Subscription is like 6$ a month or so, theres a free trial, you can cancel anytime. Built by a small Canadian team because we kept watching friends and family get screwed on vacation pricing.

Few honest questions for the community :

1. Anything obvious im missing in the product ? Pricing, UX, features ?
2. Have you guys validated similar travel deal niches before ? What worked what didnt
3. Is the "wait and watch" strategy something most travelers know about or am i targeting an actual gap

Open to brutal feedback. Cheers !