Friday, January 9, 2009

Travel Planning Tips

How do you plan your trip? Usually when we go out of the country we plan for it like 6 months away. I mostly like do the searching, like checking out the best and cheapest place to stay, and the spot to visit. When planning your trip, there are some things you should do in order to keep it as hassle free as possible. So here is your guide. Have fun!
  • Make sure that you find out about the wet and dry seasons, or other possible weather conditions that may affect your holiday. If you are using a travel agent then make sure that you ask about this, even though they should tell you.
  • Ask your agent, or other sources to find out whether the hotel or even the destination has any work going on. Again the agent should tell you, however he/she may have over looked the hotel that is being built right next door.
  • If you are travelling to an area that may be considered a 'hot zone' (possibly dangerous) then check with your insurance company to verify whether you will be covered in case something goes wrong. If they do not, and you still want to travel, then find one that will.
  • If your itinerary may change, ensure that there are absolutely no charges if you do change the dates or times of flights. Ask your agent to fully explain the restrictions that may appear, on your ticket, to ensure that they meet with your needs.
  • If you are flying with one of the alliances, such as Star or One World. Just verify with your agent what plane is going to be used. They should tell you, but it is surprising how often you will see people complaining that they expected to be on a Singapore Airline plane, not the Lufthansa one that they find themselves on. This is the result of the code share agreements that the airlines are using.
  • If money is valuable and if you are buying a plane ticket on a certain airline and have been told that due to these code sharing agreements you will actually be flying on another airline. Then call around or check if you can buy any cheaper tickets on the actual airline that you will be flying. Believe it or not code share does not mean price share and you may be able to find much cheaper.
  • It is recommended to buy your holiday using a credit card. This gives you the comfort of official records, and also additional insurance that comes with the card. One of the best for travel is American Express, where you can also transfer your points to your frequent flier programme.






4 comments:

Umma said...

Thanks for posting this one sistah.. Im planning to visit TPE this coming Chinese New Year.. OMG! the plane ticket is crazy expensive.. 2 of us (YL) is almost $2000 na.. waah.. super mahal jud.

Dean and Lee Schroeder said...

thanks for posting this one Dhemcy! I love to travel too and I am the also the one who organize everything

amiable amy said...

visiting today...ingats

GagayMD said...

hello! happy monday! parking for a while here..hope to see u at mine! good day!