Travelogger

May|13|2007

Making Travel Plans Online, Part 2

Posted by Camica as Travelogger

A lot of people nowadays prefer making their travel plans online with a travel website like Expedia, Travelocity, etc.  Most airlines also encourage prospective passengers to book their travel online on the airline’s website.  While there may be a lot of advantages to booking their travel plans themselves, customers should also take steps to make sure that they will not encounter any problems in the future.

First, you should always do extensive research, especially when it comes to the documents and papers you’ll need in your travels.  FYI:  for American citizens, you are now required to present a passport if traveling by air.  Also, with the increased security measures, it helps to know what items can be carried on the plane.  You’ll also need to check on your flight’s status every now & then, since airlines occasionally change the flight schedules for various reasons.  All these information are the traveler’s responsibility, and airlines will not be held liable or give you a special consideration otherwise.

 

You should also be aware that not all the information found on the website may be entirely accurate.  Particularly with regards to hotels or resorts, most travel websites usually rely on the information provided by the hotel itself.  And since customer feedback is subjective, it’s not 100% reliable as well.

 

Be sure to read the fine print.  In this case, it’s always wise to know the cancellation or change policies.  There’s usually a charge if you change or cancel your reservation, ranging from $20-$50.  With regards to flights, it’s even more complicated.  You’ll be charged a processing fee by the website on top of the airline penalty fee if you change or cancel your reservations.  And most of these fares are non-refundable.

 

Finally, if you do have a problem and you need to call customer service for assistance, be prepared that you won’t be speaking with just 1 particular agent.  You’ll most probably be dealing with different people everytime you call.

Related Articles

Comments are closed.