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Booking Your Travels Online
by: Joe Collinsworth
Booking & shopping online has proven to revolutionize
the travel industry. There are many pros to utilizing
online booking sites to plan your trip. Bottom line is,
it saves you time and money, both
important factors when planning your trip.
Before you go booking your trip online, read our tips on
doing so to ensure you find the best deals and are
protected in the process…
1. Shop around:
This has been our motto from the start. We are finding
that prices change all the time, so it is important to
look around for the best travel deal.
Besides searching our site, we have provided our
favorite sites (with reviews) for finding the best
deals.
Don't get paralysis on analysis though. We recommend you
pick a price
(be reasonable though) and search until you find it-
once you find it-
take it!!
2. The more flexible you are the better:
Hey, I know when you travel with kids or a group of
people, being
flexible isn't an option.
If you can be flexible, it will help, that's all. Things
like flying
on certain days (like Saturday or mid-week), or specific
times
(10pm-6am for example) could be a benefit.
3. Join Frequent Flyer Programs:
This is a travel tip. You don't have to fly every other
month to
benefit from these programs. If you use credit cards,
you might as
well get something back.
Heck, we pay them enough in charges that you deserve
something in
return. Just pick your favorite airline(s) and sign up
for an airline
mile card!
4. Read:
Sign up for e-zines.
You can set up a free email account if you don't want
these piling up
in your in-box. Many of them have an opt-out section
that allows you
to quit receiving emails once you are done.
They usually provide up-to-date alerts on what deals are
out there.
Also, you might want to look into a few information
products about
traveling on a budget or getting great deals!!
There are experts out there who have been there and done
that and know
how to take advantage of great opportunities.
5. Know all the terms and conditions:
This is a very important cheap deal travel reminder.
For example, you will want to know if your quotes are
locked in
immediately or how long you have til you must decide,
what their
refund policy is, cancellation policy, if their site is
safe when you
enter your information (if you see a golden key or
padlock at the
bottom in the toolbar, then you will be fine), changes
you might need
to make, and so forth. You don't want to get trapped
into something
that you can't get out of.
6. Get Coupons:
Getting your hands on coupons can save you tons of money
off various
travel necessities. You can find valuable money savers
with coupon
books.
Other cheap deal travel tips to consider...
7. Check a few sites & once you find your price, go bid
at an auction
site like Priceline, at a lower price.
8. Book all in one. Sometimes if you book your airfare,
car, & hotel
or a combo of the three, you can get a better cheap
deal. Don't be
afraid to ask!!
9. For flights, you can also do things like get
bumped/stay over, fly
out of another airport in your region (consider gas &
driving and if
that's worth it), & consider 1-2 or more connections
(no-stop flights
can be expensive).
Bonus tips when shopping online in general…
· Do online shopping with companies you know. We provide
some places
that give you a good start. You can also compare offline
or with major
retail chain's websites.
· Keep your passwords private and choose them wisely.
· Keep good records. This protects you if something
arises.
· Check out the company's security policy and privacy
policy. These
are typically located at the bottom of the page. Or,
look under site
map or company information.
· Read the legal terms. These policies let you know what
they do with
any information you provide.
· Get their contact information. Try it out if need be.
Make sure you
know how to get a hold of someone.
· Make sure before you purchase, you read their
return/refund policies.
· Review all descriptions of products, shipping &
handling terms, and
any other pertinent information you want to know. This
should all be
outlined for you. |
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