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Travel Tips - Get the Ticket
By Lance
Chambers
There are a number of things you need to know before you head
off and get those tickets. Work out all the places you want to visit and
determine if you need to arrange flights with stopovers in various
countries. Determine the length of your holiday and when you can leave
and when you need to return.
Once you know your destinations and timings get your travel tickets
to fit in and buy ALL your tickets at one go as it will work out cheaper
and will give you sure timings for departures and arrives. Don't forget
that you need to book airline tickets first BEFORE you book
accommodation, car hire, show tickets, tours, or pay for anything other
than luggage, clothing, travel guides or maps. Sometimes you cannot get
tickets for the days you want so you need to be flexible and if you have
pre-booked lots of stuff you might not get to your destination on the
day you have selected. So, get the airline tickets first or you might be
up for quite a bit of expense and time re-arranging various bookings.
Now, with your flight bookings in hand, plan the timing for the rest
of your trip and make necessary bookings. Book accommodation, theatre
tickets, train travel and other short flights you know you will be
making. Do not make bookings for things you might not attend or places
you might not go - attempts to get refunds can be very time consuming
and frustrating and some organization will not pay a refund.
Be ready to pay a flight or departure tax. Some countries will
require that these taxes be paid so make sure you have enough money (in
local funds) to pay - having to convert foreign funds can be expensive.
Myths
- A round-the-world ticket is cheaper than a selection of
different tickets for different flights and airlines - false - it is
not always the truth that one ticket is cheaper than a swag of them.
It depends on what you want or need. It is generally a fact that
tickets by local airlines will be cheaper for flying around a
country than any attempts to get your round-the-world airline to fly
you around, lets say China or Europe. Also a ticket from New York to
England and back is certainly a lot cheaper than a Round-the-World
if all you want to do is visit Europe.
- Re routable tickets, those ones that let you select your next
destination as and when you want are a lot more flexible than any
other type - false - check the fine print. Sometimes these tickets
will limit the direction of travel (eg must keep heading East to
West and cannot, even for a short trip head the other way), can be
limited by time (e.g. must be used up in three months), can have
limited numbers of stopovers (e.g. max of 5), of limited duration (e.g.
can stay at any one stopover for no more than 2 weeks), limited
distance (e.g. no more than 18,000 kms) and have a limited number of
destinations (e.g. usually limited to the destinations the carrier
flies to).
- Tickets are cheaper at the last minute - false - Sometimes you
will have to pay a premium for a last-minute ticket. The airline
assumes it's an emergency and will gouge you for the privilege of
getting you to your destination. Today the problem with most
airlines is overbooking not under booking. So the opportunities that
used to exist with cheap standby passengers are almost over.
However, sometimes you can be lucky but do you really want to wait
for, maybe up to a week, to see if you have got a cheaper ticket -
that wait can totally use up you vacation time. Time you could have
spent enjoying your trip rather than waiting at home for a call from
an airline.
- You can trust your travel agent - false - they are human too
and are as likely to fleece you as your local used-car salesman. The
first thing to do is ask for the cheapest flights from a number of
airlines. Let them know you will also be checking with a number of
other agents as well and that they need to compete for your
business. Also check out fares on-line.
- The best ticket is the cheapest - false - the reason some
airlines are cheap is because they cut corners. Check out those
airlines that are notorious for crashes and you might just see a
pattern. Travel with Air Burundi if you want - I don't want! Check
this out as an example.
- You must hold a ticket from the airline to get on the plane -
false - today many airlines allow you to check in just with a name
using a self-service terminal where your boarding pass will be
printed for you. Also some airlines, especially if you book over the
internet, will e-mail you an itinerary and that will be sufficient
for you to book in at the airport. (Note: it is a good idea to keep
a copy of your complete travel itinerary on you at all times and to
also have copies of IDs [passport pages - the one with the photograph
on it, credit cards, drivers license, at least one type of photo ID,
etc.]).
Buying tickets online is safe and will require you submitting your
credit card details. My personal experiences of using the internet to
make purchases, including airline tickets, have been great. Nothing has
ever gone wrong yet and I find it far more convenient than having to
visit a travel agent - especially if you know exactly what you want and
where you want to go. If you book this way you will not receive a
physical ticket but will instead be e-mailed an e-ticket with a booking
number that is registered in the airlines computer. When you book into
your flight at the airport they will need to sight your e-ticket to
issue you your boarding pass. Print out all your itineraries and keep
them with you on your trip. Attempting to remember dates and times can
be very difficult and a missed flight is not something you want to
experience.
Budget airlines and cheap ways to travel are things you should keep
your eye out for if you are budget challenged. The only real
disadvantage is that most budget airlines only fly major routes so they
are fine for flights from and to capital and major cities. If you need
to take those short hops to strange and out of the way places you'll
probably have to use a local carrier (i.e. Air Zimbabwe or some such).
Also budget airlines are 'frills free.' If you want something to eat or
drink you might have to supply it yourself so be ready to take bottles
of water and tons of snacks aboard for a long flight. If you do have to
get as meal or drink on a budget flight expect to pay for it. Note that
these flights are NOT for those in ill health or with children - get on a
carrier that can offer you some comfort and maybe even a bit of
childcare.
Charter flights are also a good way to grab a bargain if ones
available. A friend caught a charter flight from London to Greece that
came with 5 days accommodation in Athens - just where he wanted to go
for the first leg of his Mediterranean trip. He purposefully missed the
return flight because he wanted to travel around and the charter flight
was cheaper than a one-way flight with a regular airline - especially as
it has the accommodation included.
This article is copyrighted by Lance Chambers a senior partner at
www.accommodationnear.com You are at liberty to copy and distribute
it as long as no changes are made to the content and this bio is
included as is.
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