Minimizing headaches when you travel

I can’t remember ever using a travel-agent. That’s probably because I find organized trips too much pressure — I feel trapped. There is nothing wrong with getting a travel-agent to book your flights and make your itinerary; they are good with suggestions and often get the best rates if you want to cover multiple things-to-see-places-to-visit. My reluctance to use them has resulted in me paying a lot more for things than I should have, but given me freedom and only myself to blame if I’ve had problems.

Whether you choose to use an agent or make bookings yourself, there are some things you can keep in mind to minimize potential problems when you travel. So here I post these four key points to keep in mind as given by travel agent and columnist John Frenaye in a recent article on MSNBC. They may seem obvious but when it comes to putting the money down, I always get asked the same questions all the time, all revolving around doubts on reliability; these points should help remove doubts when you make booking decisions.

  • The Internet is not god: Should you be making your bookings online, cross-check your information with a few sites and take what a hotel/restaurant/airline’s website says with a bit of skepticism. Only use reputed sites to make bookings; they are reliable and will give you competitive rates.
  • Beware of deals that sound too good to be true: $500 for 5 nights and 6 days to Hawaii, flight, accommodation, tours and meals included! Right. There is definitely a catch and the company offering you this is probably dubious.
  • Cheap doesn’t mean good: Even if you are traveling on a budget, sometimes it’s worth it to pay a wee-bit more. Also, be a bit skeptical if something seems unbelievably cheap, there is probably a reason for it or there are probably hidden costs.
  • Use your common sense: With the number of travel scams out there (agents and online), double check things and go with your gut. Stick to reputed websites and agents, book directly when possible, and as long as you have a person on the other end to speak to in case of an issue, you should be okay.

    You can read the full article here.

  • Posted by | Comments Off on Minimizing headaches when you travel  | March 1, 2008
    Category: Travel News

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