Lately I have come across articles, blazing out about the hazards of booking airline tickets, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages through online travel sites. I don’t disagree with them but I don’t even agree with them as everything has its bad as well as good sides and in most of the cases, we fall into such pitfalls because of our own carelessness. Seriously, I have been using various online travel sites like CheapOair, Expedia, OneTravel, Tripadvisor, Orbitz and so on for years, to book my flight, hotels and more and I have always noticed that travel has become cheaper, more convenient and easier since the birth of online travel.Here are some tips and tricks that you need to known while booking your travel plans online:
• Hook up with a well known, reputed online travel site, which offers secure booking page. Check out the site terms and conditions; read the cancellation policy and browse the FAQ section, if you have any doubts.
• Booking in advance is undeniably the best way to get the cheapest deal, but this does not mean that you have to book months in advance. The best time to book is 21 days before the day of your journey. Incase if you could not, book 7 to 8 days ahead of your travel dates.
• Never end your quest by just visiting one site. Do a research on multiple-sites. If you don’t know the address of such travel sites, use search engines such as Google, yahoo search and so on.
• Sign up for fare alerts like Fares newsletters and RSS fares that the many travel sites offers. Most of the online travel sites allow visitors to sign up free for fare alerts, by which one can get all the latest updates of airfares, hotel deals and so on of a destination through emails.
• Always inquire about extra-charges or any hidden cost before finalizing your deal. Do not give up the PIN number of your credit card besides the three-digit security number on the back of your credit card.
• Once you complete the process of booking, you should receive an email confirming all the details, print it and keep it safe and handy as you will need it while check in at the airport or at the car rental office, if you have booked a rental car.
Next time while buying your travel plans online, follow these simple tips. If you have any tip or experience, feel free to share by posting it as a comment.
2 comments:
You failed to mention the primary reason that people (like me) 'blaze' against online travel agencies: it almost ALWAYS costs you more than it would if you booked directly. I know - I work for a hotel that tells these online agencies what to charge so that our price is always cheaper. There are always added fees and taxes as well that booking direct does not incur. My blog posts from April and May show exactly why it is more expensive to use Expedias, Travelocity's etc.when booking your travel and also shows why booking packages MAY seem cheaper but offers the worst flight times etc. There is a trade off, as always.
Hi David Reynolds,
Thanks for sharing your opinion. What you have mentioned does not happen all the time. Its been so many years that I have been buying my travel plans through various travel sites and i have always gotten the best deal, plus now i don't have to stand in queue. Many websites have 24 hours customer service, if you have any problem you can always call for help!
You must have noticed on the post about comparing prices on various sites, so after comparing if you are getting the best deal directly, then go ahead.
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