Posts Tagged ‘Travel Agent’

Where ever you want to go on holiday you need to decide weather it is closer to America or England. The thing is the closer the destination to the travel agent then the cheaper the holiday will be.

If you want to book a hotel in London then go to a British site not a American sight or a worldwide site you need to go directly to London. It is to be advised not to go directly to the hotel you are best going to a site with competition for comparison and also the hotel room will be cheaper as these search engines offer discounts unlike these hotels.

Also there are many special offers in the world and search engines simmer everything down and find the best hotels to suit you. Besides it is actually easier to find a hotel on a site rather then find a website in the big wide world of the internet.

My solution for Europe is a small website that specialises in getting you a great deal anywhere in the world. This is a private business therefore it needs business and gives you real good deals and besides it gives you private help instead of these large companies that are mainly controlled by computers. This small business finds hotels all over the world at very cheap prices and it is certainly has fantastic offers. Even though the hotels in Europe are really cheap since this is a small business again it offers you fantastic deals in places like las Vegas. Even though there may be a similar American Version.

More information

Click Here to be directed to that fantastic website and get your holiday for next to nothing!

When you are planning your next vacation, there are several things to keep in mind to help you find the best travel deals. It doesn’t matter what your destination is or how you plan on getting there, you can find outstanding travel deals to help you keep your vacation budget from being blown away. Think about these tips when you plan your next holiday.

Plan Ahead

Many of today’s airlines offer significant savings, if you book early. As soon as you know your travel dates, start searching for flights, lodging and attraction tickets. Most of the airlines offer exceptional savings, if you book your travel at least a month in advance.

Use a Travel Agent

Travel agents know all the ins and outs to great travel deals. Many travel agencies book several vacation packages at once to keep the prices low for their customers. If it is getting close to the package date, you might be able to snag a really reduced rate. The agency would much rather make a small profit than have to take a loss.

Buy Package Deals

This is one of the best ways to save money on vacation. A vacation package that includes airfare, accommodations, and attraction tickets will be substantially less than purchasing each ticket or room separately. Plus you won’t have to make each reservation yourself and keep track of all the confirmation information.

Travel During the Week

Most airlines offer their cheapest fares during the middle of the week. Tuesday through Thursday travel are usually the least expensive days to travel. If you can stay over on a Saturday, many times the fares are cheaper than if you stay overnight a different day of the week.

Travel During the Off Season

Many of the prime destinations are much, much cheaper during a typical off season. This will apply all the way down to your lodging and event or attraction tickets. You can often find lodging for half the price of the peak times of the year.

Use a Budget Carrier

Even if you have a flight on a budget carrier that does not include an in-flight movie or meal, you might not mind if it can save you up to fifty percent off the normal airfare. Also consider flying standby, unless your travel dates and itinerary are specific.

Join a Travel Club

Many travel clubs, like AARP and AAA, offer great deals for travel packages and even event and attraction tickets. Using their service one time is usually enough to pay for the membership for a year.

Look for Discount Coupons

You can find coupons online for travel just about everywhere. However, some of the best coupons for travel can be found at an online coupon website. You may find coupons on airfare and lodging or great deals on attraction tickets. Sometimes you may find coupons that you can use even with another promotional offer. Be sure you understand an terms and conditions of the coupon and check the expiration date.

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There are many ways to go about planning and booking your holiday. You can go into a travel agent and get a package deal, which included flights, car rental, hotel accommodation, and maybe even some of the activities that you would like to do when you get there.

Booking Online

A slightly more adventurous way and time consuming approach is to go online and find out what is available. Book your own flights, find your own hotel, arrange your own car rental, and do what you choose. This method of holiday planning requires a lot more effort from you. You have to be prepared to come with your own destination, then research on the various flight offers that are available and make sure you a get a good deal, you also have to look up hotels in the area and find a good hotel at a good price that is in the area and with the amenities you want.

Then car rental will also have to be arranged separately. Also you should not forget the need to book travel insurance and find out if there are any medical procedures that are required if you are going to a more exotic or tropical location. The good news is that many website now specialise in helping you to do all of this for yourself and will be a good source of information on every step of the process. These days you will probably be able to book all of the necessary elements of your holiday from the same website.

You will also have the chance of saving a considerable amount of money since you will be able to seek out special deals and offers and take advantage of discounts that are available. You will also have the freedom to completely personalise every aspect of your trip. If you’d like to fly into one airport and out of another, or stay part of the time at one hotel and part of the time at another, or any other personalisation will be completely possible since you are arranging every aspect of the trip to your own requirements.

Be Aware

There are a few things you should remember if you are planning your own holiday. First of all, you should make sure that the plans you have come up with actually are saving you money when compared to package deals, then you should also make sure you are dealing with trustworthy websites and that you have got proper travel and health insurance.

The other option is always just to go to the airport, hop on an available flight and see where you end up!

One of the difficulties facing travel companies is that there is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to providing for customer’s travel needs. Many factors cause our needs to change over time, such as how much disposable income we have, how much free time we have, whether we do or don’t have children, and they mean that in reality every holiday maker wants something different.

For travel companies, trying to satisfy such diverse customer needs is a constant challenge. Now, with the mass adoption of the Internet, customers have an extremely powerful tool to tailor-make their own holidays -and this is what they are doing in increasing numbers.

A large number of on-line travel companies have sprung up over the last five years offering the component parts that go to make up a holiday (flight, transfer, hotel) but this seemingly endless choice can actually lead to a fairly negative on-line experience. After too many hours spent researching online and then attempting to make bookings with two or three different suppliers, potential customers sometimes justifiably conclude that half an hour spent with a traditional high street travel agent might actually look like better value.

To help get through the process and reduce the amount of time wasted it really helps to do some thinking first. Apart from the obvious things like where and when you want to travel, it helps to have answered the following questions:

Do I want to buy a package (flight, transfer, accommodation booked as one item) or do I want to attempt to save money (or tailor the holiday to my specific requirements) by booking my holiday components separately?

Do I want the reassurance of booking a holiday with a brand that I am familiar with or am I happy to try somebody new?

Am I confident enough to deal with any issues that may come up whilst I’m in resort (as, unlike on a package holiday, there will be no representative to turn to)?

Do I want to book a holiday that is covered by some sort of financial protection scheme such as ATOL or do I not mind either way?

There is no doubt that one of the key trade-offs customers need to make when booking on-line is between how much “reassurance” and “supplier accountability” they want (if something goes wrong) versus how much “tailor making” and perceived cost-saving they want.

There is a spectrum which reflects this trade-off right from, at one end of the scale, buying a two-week brochured package holiday from one of the major players such as First Choice (firstchoice.co.uk) or Thomson (thomson.co.uk) up to the other end of the scale where somebody goes to British Airways (ba.com) to buy a flight, Sol Hotels (solmelia.com) for the hotel and Holiday Taxis (holidaytaxis.com) for the transfer.

All the way across this spectrum are a huge number of other suppliers and online companies who are providing services that fall between the two extremes. The best-known examples of this would be Expedia (expedia.co.uk) and Opodo (opodo.co.uk) which are examples of sites that provide a “one stop shop” to give customers the feeling that they are “tailor making” a holiday and making a good cost saving but still give customers the feeling that, because they are dealing with one travel agent, a “safety net” is in place.

There is then an interesting new breed of online travel companies who are different yet again in terms of what they offer. This group is different in a number of ways:

They are typically ATOL bonded which means there is a financial guarantee in place if they were to have financial problems (details at caa.co.uk).

Through advanced technology they link to as many flight and hotel options as any of the other sites – often sharing the same hotels.

They offer an “on call” representative service in resort so they are only around if you need them.

They offer “package” holidays but their packages are made up of “components” from many different suppliers and presented to customers in one transaction. A recently launched example of this is Fresh Holidays (freshholidays.com)

All of the sites mentioned above have an online booking capability and all work reasonably satisfactorily. Most of the major travel web sites are now quite slick in the way they take customers through the booking process which means that the time consuming part when booking on-line now is the research phase.

Many of the shopping comparison sites such as Holiday Watchdog (holidaywatchdog.com) offer opinions from people who have actually stayed in the different properties but the best known for researching travel options is Trip Advisor (tripadvisor.com). This is a justifiably popular site that provides a rich vein of comment on most of the major hotels in the world and is always a good place to start.

Best of luck with your mission!

For many people, their preferred method of booking a holiday, whether abroad or in Britain, is to wait until the summer and then book a last minute holiday, either online or through a travel agent. This has several benefits, which allows you to benefit from last minute discounts, but on the other hand, the available choice is often limited, so you may have to settle for a different destination. However, provided you’re prepared to be a little flexible, booking a last minute holiday can often be cheaper than reserving many months ahead. You may have to visit Jersey instead of Normandy, or take the sun in Morocco rather than that hotel in Jamaica you had your eye on, but you will be saving money.

Let’s take a look at an example of how you might book a last minute holiday. Having decided that you’re going to try and get away in springtime for some sunshine abroad, you can wait until the week before you’re planning to travel and then get onto the Internet or visit a local travel agent. The travel agent may not be able to offer you anything in Jamaica, as you’d hoped, but they do have a deal on flights to Morocco, which means you can holiday there for far less than you’d have expected.

Ordinarily, you’d want to book well in advance to get the best deal, but by leaving it so late, you take advantage of cancellations and spare capacity. Airlines and hotels have a choice of leaving seats and rooms empty, or offering them to customers at hugely discounted rates. They will normally plump for the latter. They are able to reduce their losses, and you get a great deal.

Of course, we don’t always book a last minute holiday through choice. Sometimes we’re not sure in advance exactly when we’re going to be free to travel, perhaps because of work or family commitments. The same benefits apply, though; by waiting until just before your date of travel, you reduce your options, but open up excellent deals on late flights and hotels, which wouldn’t otherwise be open to you.

However, it’s not just the financial benefits that attract many people to booking a last minute holiday rather than planning ahead. Some people positively enjoy the uncertainty of not knowing where they are going to be spending the weekend. Modern travel is not always as exciting as it might be; from the hassle of flying to the familiar-looking shops and fast food chains, the frequent traveller can occasionally become jaded. Choosing a last minute holiday gives you an element of uncertainty and excitement. Have you ever wondered what the south of France is like? Well, you’re flying out in 48 hours, so better start reading up!

Booking a last minute holiday is easy. The best place to do this is online – the ease and convenience takes all the stress and hassle out of what can be a tricky decision. There are any number of websites out there dedicated to finding you last minute deals on flights, hotels, or fully integrated holiday packages. Some cater for single travellers and couples; others specialise in family deals at suitable resorts and locations. You can use last minute holiday websites to book a short break in the Highlands or Jersey, or organise a two-week holiday in the Canary Islands. Alternatively, you can simply get a last-minute flight to Italy or Germany and make your own way from there.

So long as you don’t turn up in a tourist hotspot in the middle of the high season expecting to find a room in the first hotel you visit, you should find there’s plenty of excitement in choosing your destination at the last minute. You can also book a last minute holiday by going to a travel agent – certain companies will advertise late deals and can organise a getaway for you in just minutes.

Just as certain people actively seek out a last minute holiday for the thrill and uncertainty of visiting a new place at short notice, so it should be noted that a last minute holiday is not necessarily for everyone. If you’re the sort of person that likes everything planned well in advance, or requires a certain type of accommodation, then a late booking may not be for you. Similarly, if you have your heart set on a particular destination, you should be aware that choice is necessarily limited the later you book. Most of us wouldn’t mind if instead of Jamaica we had to make do with Morocco – but you may feel differently. If so, perhaps you might prefer to be booked well in advance.

Whatever your personal preference, there’s no doubt that there are great benefits in booking a last minute holiday. In just a few minutes, you could be on your way to… well, who knows?

Tourists

The origin of the word “tourist” date back to 1292 AD. It has come from the word ‘tour’. A number of experts have defined the term:
“Tourists are the voluntary temporary travelers, traveling in the expectations of pleasure from the novelty and change experienced on a relatively and non-current round-trip”.
“Tourist is a person who makes a journey for the sake of curiosity for the fun of traveling”.

Tourists are:

-Persons traveling for pleasure, health and domestic reason.
-Persons arriving in the sea of sea cruise.
-Persons traveling for convention.

Tourism – the first commercial venture.

A religious Englishman called Thomas Cook in 1841 arranged, for a fee, a one –day rail excursion from Leicester to Loughborough for 540 members of a temperance league. Thus the first bona fide travel agent was Thomas Cook.

While Cook himself did not make a profit on this first venture, he was a man of vision and was convinced that there was a need for a skilled “travel arranger”. So by 1845 he had become the first full-time travel agent, operating train excursions from Leicester. The next year he chartered a train and steamer for an excursion to Scotland for 330 people. In 1851 Cook arranged ocean steamship travel and accommodations for more than 1,50,000 visitors to the World Exposition in London and in 1856 he operated the first escorted “grand tour” of Europe. Tours to Europe and Middle East were also conducted and, in 1872, the first around the world tour was conducted.

Tourism as a Service Industry

Tourism as a service industry comprises of several allied activities which together produce the tourism product. Involved in the tourism product are three major sub-industries. They are: -
1. Tour operators and travel agents.
2. Accommodation sector (hoteling and catering) and
3. Passenger accommodation.

According to international estimates, a tourist spends 35% of his total expenditure on transportation, about 40% on lodging and food and the balance 25% on entertainment, shopping and incidentals.
The product in this case is not confirmed to travel and accommodation but includes a large array of auxiliary services ranging from insurance and entertainment and shopping, demand generation, in addition to the consumer motivation, is also heavily dependent upon powerful persuasive communication both at the macro (country) level and the micro (enterprise) level. The participants in the process of this service business can be illustrated by the figure below.

Some of the pointers to nature of tourism as a Service Industry

1. Tourism accounts for nearly 6% of world trade.
2. Bulk of tourism business is located in Europe and North America., with 1/8 of the market being shared between the other regions.
3. The highest growth rate in tourism in recent years has been in the third world.
4. Tourism, like most pure services, because of the character of inseparability, exemplifies a product, which cannot be sampled before purchase; the prospective consumers have to travel to a foreign destination in order to consume the product.
5. The major players in the tourism market include a number of intermediary companies. Some of them transnational in character, some of them exhibit
vertical integration, both backward and forward, acquiring interests in all major sectors of this service industry.

The Tourism Product- Factors Governing Demand.

Because of the unique nature of the nature of tourism product- it being an amalgam of the characteristics of a destination and the infrastructural as well as managerial efforts of the promoter, the determinants of tourists demand emanate from both individual tourist motivations and the economic, social, technological factors. Some of these are:

• Income Levels

In the last 30 years, disposable incomes around the world have shown upward trends, thus allowing more money for activities like leisure travel. Smaller families have meant higher allocations per person in the family. More and more women are entering the workforce and in real terms the cost of travel has fallen. The dramatic rise of tourism in the last 50 years can be attributed in a large measure to the combined effect of more leisure time and rise in both real and disposable incomes.

• More Leisure time:

Increasing unionization of labour right from 1930 onwards has reduced the number of working hours per week. Changing managerial orientations towards human resources have increased the levels of pay and paid vacation time in most developed countries. Now people have longer periods of leisure, which could be allocated to travel.

• Mobility

Better transportation and communication services have made the world a smaller place, and have brought both exposure and awareness of distant lands to larger sections of potential tourists across the world. Faster modes of transport have cut down on travel time, making it easier for people to economically plan and execute trips abroad.

• Growth in Government Security Programmes and Employment Benefits:

The growth in government security programmes and well entrenched policies of employee benefits mean that quite a large number of families may have long term financial security and may be more willing to spend money for vacations.

Tourist Classification:-

Tourists can be classified into the following seven demand categories:-
1. Explorer: – Very limited in number, these tourists are looking for discovery and involvement with local people.
2. Elite: – People who favour special, individually trips to exotic places.
3. Offbeat: – These are filled with a desire to get away from the usual humdrum life.
4. Unusual: – Visitors who are looking forward to trips with peculiar objectives such as physical danger or isolation.
5. Incipient mass: – A steady flow, traveling alone or in small-organized groups using some shared services.
6. Mass: – The general packaged tour market, leading to tourist enclaves abroad.
7. Charter: – Mass travel to relaxation destinations, which incorporate as many as standardized, developed world facilities as possible.

The Travel Decision:-

The average tourist is faced with considerable uncertainty regarding the decision and may have only scanty ideas about distant destinations. His evaluation of alternatives is also limited to the extent of this awareness about possible destinations. The stages of travel decision can be described as: -

1. Travel Desire:-
The first step where the need to travel is felt and the pros and cons are thought about.
2. Information Collection and Evaluation:-
This stage involves the process of finding out the trip from travel agents, books and acquaintances .information so collected is evaluated against criteria of cost and time constraints, alternative possibilities, relative attractiveness of destinations, perceived ‘safety’ o the alternative destinations etc.
3. Travel Decision:-
This is the decision phase involving selection of destination, travel, mode of accommodation and activities to be undertaken.
4. Travel Preparation and Experience:-
This involves tickets, bookings, travel, money and documents arrangement, clothing and undertaking of the travel.
5. Travel Satisfaction Evaluation:-
The whole tourism expenditure is constantly evaluated before, during and after the experience is used to influence future decisions.

The marketing concept for the travel and tourism industry is profit driven and customer centric (unlike sales which are volume driven and target centric).

Service Marketing Triangle

Service marketing is unique in many ways in the travel and tourism industry. There are 3 players in the transaction process:-

- Company: A travel and tourism company listens to the customers and evolves/develops the travel/tour package and it communicates the attractiveness and the utility of that very tour package directly to the customers. Here it (the company) performs external marketing. The company makes promises to the customers.

- Providers: They are a travel company’s internal customers constituting employees and agents. The company does internal marketing with the providers educating and motivating them about the idea of the particular tour package which they can offer to their customers. This is done to enable the providers to effectively carry out the service transaction process. The providers make provisions for office space, accessibility and connectivity. The company enables promises to be kept by this infrastructural association.

- Customers (Travelers): The customers are the reasons that the travel company exists and for whom the company has designed the traveling and touring package as well as set up the infrastructural facilities and spent money on employee development programmes. Here the providers are the only ones who interact with the customers, like the travel agents interact with the customers and not the company. The agents perform interactive marketing which is on-time, all-time, every-time. This is the most crucial aspect of service marketing in the travel and tourism sector. Those agents have the responsibility of ‘keeping promises’ made and enabled by the company. The providers (agents) are responsible for the perceived quality level of the service transaction. This underlines the uniqueness of service marketing.

Tourism Products:

1. Accommodation
• Hotels
• Motels
• Boatels
• Flotels

2. Destination

• Natural Scenes
• Historic Excellence
• Artificial Beauties
• Social Cultural Excellence

3. Transportation

• Infrastructural
i. Airways
ii. Railways
iii. Roadways
iv. Waterways

• Local

i. Local transport

4. Tour operators

• Travel companies
• Travel agents
• Guides

5. Shopping

• Handicrafts
• Handloom
• Books

Marketing mix for tourism product:

The designing of the marketing mix variables in case of tourism is significant as it helps the marketer in conceiving the right ideas, particularly to raise the acceptability of the tourist product by stimulating and penetrating the demand. Framing of a proper marketing mix is significant because it helps the tourist organization in accomplishing the objective and projecting a fair image.

Product Mix:

Tourism is a composite product with components like attraction facilities and transportation. Attraction deserves an intensive care. It includes natural site, places of historic interest, events and cultural attraction.

The facilities compliment attraction. The facilities include accommodation, food, transportation and recreational facilities. The transportation component includes the vehicles and infrastructure. Innovation in the tourism product helps raising the sensitivity. The users of the service are looking forward to better and improved product.

The provider of the tourist is a travel agent or the package tour. A well conceived and designed package tour, covering a wide range of tourist attraction at an economic price, helps in attracting the potential tourist.

The travel agent performs numerous activities such as hotel arrangement and accommodation, site seeing arrangement, domestic transport arrangement, air travel arrangement etc.
In a true sense the tour agents and the travel agents are the vehicles who can give a fillip to the tourism industry, provided they are well trained.

Pricing:

Pricing of the tourist product is complex. Geographical location of the destination, seasonality and varying demand affects the pricing decision.
In India the pricing strategies become important for promoting or contracting the tourism industry, since more than 40% of the total population are below the poverty line. In order to develop the tourism industry more and more potential users are to be transformed into actual users.

When a tourist proposes to visit a particular place, the total cost of his traveling also include the expenses incurred on transportation, accommodation and communication.
Liberal pricing strategy is found to be a productive pricing decision, particularly in case of tourism industry. The pricing strategy which includes low income group people, student and retired persons can be more effective. This is possible if the government concessional and subsidized infrastructural facilities to the potential tourist below the average income.

The different pricing methods generally used are cost based pricing, demand based pricing and competition based pricing.

Promotions:

The promotion mix includes advertising, publicity, sales support and public relations.
The purpose of promotion is to make available the information to the user. Advertising the sales promotion can be effective when supplemented by publicity and personal selling.
Radio, TV, newspapers, cinema and printings are some of the important vehicles for traveling of messages. Effective slogans raises the effectiveness of advertisement.

Another important component of the promotion mix is public relation. It helps in projecting the image of an organization. Public relation and publicity include regular articles and photographs of tour attraction, use of TV and travel journalists to promote editorial comment.
Public relation officer plays an important role. He should be efficient, active, impressive, intelligent and well-behaved.

Good image projection can be made if the PRO manages the affair like a professional. It is said that word of mouth is the best form of publicity. The word of mouth promotion is an important tool in tourism marketing.

Place:

The tourist centers should be located at suitable points if the tourists spots are natural there is no question of selection. In a vast country like India with a divergent socioeconomic and cultural patterns, the promotion of domestic tourism encourages unity in diversity.
Infrastructural facilities, transport and communication are important for development of tourist centres. The site selected should have natural surroundings, increased accessibility and improved amenities. At the same time it is also important that the ecological balance is not disturbed. Since growing ecological imbalances leads to pollution, some important steps like promoting afforestation, promotion and beautification may be undertaken in countering the side effects of atmospheric pollution and maintaining ecological balance.

Only few people like to spend their holidays at home. Because at home it is more difficult to leave the daily grind behind. The upcoming household and other work prevent that you can really relax. It is therefore understandable that many book a holiday to really recover. The possibilities are numerous and range from adventure in the wilderness to cultural city trips or spa services with comprehensive care. So everyone can design their days off to their own taste. For families there are also special offers such as for individuals or small groups.

You can book a vacation not only through the travel agent, but also through the Internet. The advantage here is that you can select and compare different offers and chose the one which is most fitting your needs.

Anyone who already knows his destination needs little vacation tips, because he has sufficient information. But it is different if you want to discover something new on vacation and explore foreign lands. In the preparation of the leave may arise many unanswered questions. This starts with the arrival and choosing the right accommodation. But Customs and entry regulations, customs and cuisine, or the respective destination country may raise questions that should be clarified in advance in order to spend a pleasant holiday without annoying side effects.

If you want to visit a foreign country, any information on interesting sights are useful, because it is not always easy to find on the spot all the places that are worth a visit. The water quality and the condition of the beaches, the difficulty of trails or the provision of sports facilities at the resort, are all important information that can influence a decision for the holidays. If you are informed about your destination before the leave, it feels already familiar on arrival and you can have an idea also of places to visit and attractions.

Many special guides on the Internet offer important and interesting holiday ideas. These tips are provided free of charge and often even with lots of interesting pictures. A special feature of the online holiday tips are forums or travel blogs in which holiday makers who know the intended target already, are publishing their experiences. Hardly any other information is as authentic as the reports on personal experiences.

Especially popular destinations should be booked early in advance. This is particularly so if one wants to travel in high season or during school holidays. These times are very much frequented, so that it can quickly happen that a flight, hotel or car rental is booked. Early booking is recommended as well for another reason, as most of the tour operators offer attractive early booking discounts.

Also the spontaneous can save when they book only days before their holiday departure. However, last-minute trips are remaining seats, so you may need to resort to other than the desired destination or postpone the arrival or departure by several days. This is even more applicable the closer is the planned departure date. Therefore, the discounts are usually higher when you book the trip until shortly before the flight.

There is no question that the internet has revolutionised the way we purchase items in our everyday lives. Whether its gifts, clothes, the weekly food shop or even our flights and holidays, access to sites which help us compare prices, view items in 3D, or read reviews from other purchasers of the same item, really makes us wonder what we did before this virtual, ‘we-can’t-live-without’ mechanic.

With all this information available at the click of a button, it is no surprise that more than half of all active internet users are booking holidays through the internet. In fact, 55 per cent of internet users are booking holidays online, while 7 per cent still book on the high street with travel agents. Meanwhile, what was once the prime source of cheap and immediate holidays – Teletext – sees only 1 per cent of people actually utilise this service now.

So is this the death of the travel agent? Well, in this world there are still those who like to dabble in the internet, and making purchases online is still not their preferred method of shopping.

Most internet users search for accommodation online, purely due to the huge amount of choice available, and take that information back to the travel agent to book via a ‘human’. These people sum up the surfers who are still not quite into making large purchasers online but will freely use it for information. Although this works in reverse also, as some users will take the recommendation from brochures in store, but find a cheaper price on-line, and then book through the internet.

Whichever method you choose to book, there are guides on the internet to help you purchase a flight, or package holiday online. There are top tips for travelling, holiday guides by previous travellers, and even specific advice for travellers going abroad with children and babies, or for those in wheelchairs. The internet can tell you what vaccinations you require for specific holiday destinations, and when you need them. Some sites can even send you email reminders to make sure you don‘t forget!

Without the ‘human’ travel agent to ask an exhaustive list of questions about booking currency in advance, or arranging travel insurance, these are some of the things, and more to consider yourself and make sure they are booked and arranged.

So, to book on-line, all you need is a notepad and pen, some recommended sites from family and friends, a little patience and your credit card; because once you’ve booked your first holiday on-line, you’ll never go back to the high street again.

You don’t have to pay exorbitant car hire rates when you’re on your next overseas holiday. As long as you follow these easy to understand tips you’ll be well on your way to enjoy your holiday without the worrying expense.

Always Plan Ahead. It’s just common sense really when you think about it. As soon as you have finalised the dates of your trip, start looking for hire cars immediately. By going online, or even checking with your travel agent at an early stage, you’ll be able to take advantage of the many early bird price reductions and save yourself a lot of money. You can achieve discounts of up to 25% when you book far enough in advance.
Shop around. Even when you begin your search early on, make sure you don’t limit yourself to one or two companies. As you begin to shop online you will be amazed to see the variety of deals available from the numerous car companies on the Internet. This will involve a little bit of effort and time but you will be well rewarded with the savings you can enjoy by checking out 5, 6, 7 or more car rental firms before you make your final decision. If you are planning to hire a car for more than seven days, you’ll also be able to take advantage of the long-term rates that many companies offer.
Car Hire Brokers. Have you ever tried a car hire broker? If not, it may be well worth your while having a chat to one to see whether they can offer you any special deals. These brokers are in touch with every hire car company and are often privy to special deals not advertised on the Internet or with travel agencies. They are typically involved with longer term hire deals but they occasionally have special offers for even short-term rental periods that you can take advantage of.
Package Deals. When planning your holiday, you are not only looking at hiring a car. You probably want to book your accommodation, and maybe even a few tickets to some shows or tourist attractions that you are interested in. Your travel agent can show you how to make the best of a package deal which will incorporate all of these features. You can make some great savings this way not only on your car rental, but on the accommodation and tourist attractions as well. Sometimes your airfares can also be packaged in this way so you can save a bundle on every element of your holiday booking.
Credit Card Deals. When you pay for your accommodation or car hire with your credit card, it is worthwhile checking to see whether any discounts can be obtained. Many credit card providers have signed up to corporate deals with other companies and pass on these savings to you as a reward for choosing their particular card. Your travel agent will not generally know about these so you should contact your credit card provider to see what offers are available. If you are a member of an automobile club you can also take advantage of similar specials.

So, by following a few simple steps you can save a lot of money on your car hire and accommodation, all in one package.

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With today’s world of internet booking the place of the travel agent in the average person’s holiday plans has become somewhat redundant, but why? What features have led to the fall in the use of the travel agent, and what can be done to save this industry from total eclipse?

The first reason for the decline of the travel agent is that the air travel companies truly hate agents. The main issue is that air companies since 2001 haven’t been able to afford the five percent taken by a travel agent. This is a misconception however as the cost encountered by an air company to take a direct booking probably exceeds that five percent anyway. The main reason is that the airlines want the travel agent taken out of the booking equation as they are able to give expert advice on how to lessen airfares. This is the crux of the issue for airlines.

A good travel agent will not only be able to find the best deals on airfares but perform a lot of tasks that are related to your air travel. They can negotiate priority seating and boarding and act as a representative should anything happen to go wrong and sometimes find discounted tickets. The airlines to do not appreciate these kinds of services provided by a good agent as they actively work to lose them money and pursue a better deal for travellers.

Unfortunately for the average travel agent they receive a great deal of bad press; seemingly everyone is gunning for the travel agent. It is usually part of the ‘shoot the messenger’ syndrome that affects many of us when we are angry. The agent is usually the firs person who gets it in the neck when something goes wrong, it is rarely the airline who receives the abuse, even though many of the time it is their mistake or action that has caused the problem.

Unfortunately for the travel agent, the majority of people have no clue how the industry works; for instance the prices of airfares can change many times in a minute dependent upon demand. Then customers are surprised when prices for the same trip itinerary vary wildly from one agency to another. Simply it is not he agent’s fault; it is the airline that changes the prices and once again the ‘shoot the messenger’ effect occurs.

It is not only customers who lay blame upon the travel agent; often suppliers are just as willing to pass the buck. Hoteliers and airline operatives will readily blame the agent if anything does go wrong that is not directly related to them. Often it is the case that the problem is in their sphere of influence but the option to pass on the compliant to the party who are not present, usually the agent, is the easier course of action.

So what can the average agent do to solve these problems? First and foremost a formal training program must be implemented to increase quality control in the industry generally. That way the number of bad agents would be reduced and the industry would benefit immensely. It would also mean that the knowledge base for agents would be increased meaning they could advise customers more efficiently and help them find the ideal package for their holiday.

The other option for the high street agent is to specialize in certain holiday types. An all encompassing approach is no longer viable and agents should instead focus either on a specific location, for instance, Australia or focus on a type of holiday such as adventure trips. By consulting on specific issues it is possible to make oneself an authority on an area and become an indispensable resource.

Most travel agencies are at a crossroads in terms of development, in the current quagmire of disrespect that affects most agents it is only through proactive measures that survival will be guaranteed. The best way forward is to become an expert in a chosen field and provide customers with information that is hard to find elsewhere. By doing this the agency industry should be able to survive and compete with the increase in internet and self created holiday bookings.

If someone says to you “Cheap holidays” what do you instantly think of?  Is it a grubby 2 star apartment in the middle of nowhere or a relaxing holiday that is just what you are looking for?  Anyone who has never been on a cheap holiday before might be a little concerned about booking one (especially if they have heard some of the 80s horror stories about them) but there really is no need to worry.  Thankfully times have changed, and so have the cheap holidays that are now on offer.  With this in mind here is a beginner’s guide to cheap holidays that can help you to get the holiday you want at a vastly reduced price.

Cheap holidays are often offered by travel agents as the departure gets nearer and the full quota for the holiday has not been met. If you are prepared to wait a little you could get up to 50%, or sometimes even more off the price of a holiday to destinations all over the world.

Cheap holidays don’t mean cheap accommodation or resort. Holidaymakers who take advantage of low price holidays experience exactly the same holiday as those who pay full price for the same holiday.

Be prepared to do a little research when you are looking for cheap holidays, most travel agents will want you to book full price holidays and try to steer you towards them. However, if you have a limited budget for your holiday stick to your guns and you will be able to find a holiday that is perfect for you and your bank balance.

If you are quite adventurous you could even book time off work, pack your suitcase and head down to your local travel agent or go online and see what cheap holidays there are which depart in the next few days. Doing this can get you some amazing discounts – but you need to be ready to go literally anywhere in the world as there is no saying which cheap holidays will be available. So if you are looking for a particular type of holiday this might not be the best option for you.

Set a budget for the amount that you are looking to spend on cheap holidays and stick to it. If you go way over budget your cheap holiday might not work out to be as cheap as you had originally planned.

If you don’t find anything suitable at first, keep trying. Cheap holidays become available at a moment’s notice and sometimes you have to keep looking to find the best holiday deal for you.

Remember that cheap holidays give you exactly the same as a full price holiday and no one knows that you got your holiday cheaper than they did – unless you want to tell them that is!

So now that you have a little more information on how to look for and get cheap holidays the only thing left for you to do is grab your suntan lotion.

In today’s stressful times, people are compelled to work for longer hours in their jobs. No wonder, it becomes all the more necessary to go on holidays to relax, recharge our brain cells, and enjoy those precious moments away from our desks and work stations. This becomes all the more important for single people who are living alone, without any companion.

Well, there are plenty of options if you are thinking of singles adventure holidays; therefore, the single traveller should try to plan his trip carefully in order to enjoy his holiday to the hilt.

If you are rushing through a last minute booking, you would not be clearly considering your criteria for the perfect singles adventure holiday. Booking, be it online or through the travel agent invariably takes longer time than you think; therefore, give yourself plenty of time and just do not be too hasty in picking the first singles adventure holiday that comes on your way.   

Also, single travellers need to be clear about the kind of holiday they want. This is because the more clear and specific you are about your requirements, the more likely you would get what you want. For instance, to have a great time on your UK solo holidays, do you want a quiet location, a resort amidst spectacular landscapes, somewhere buzzing with nightlife, or something else? If you are clear about what you are looking for in your singles adventure holidays, things would fall into place smoothly.

When it comes to selecting a travel company for booking your adventure single travel holidays, word of mouth is always the best recommendation you should bank upon. Listen to your friends’ and colleagues’ experiences, particularly those with similar needs and requirements as that of your own. This way you would be able to go for the best singles adventure trip ever!

Also, try to check out a travel book or two before you leave home to enjoy the cruise for single people. This would allow you to have an idea of alternate activities and places of interest. This is because weather is something you can not have control on. Therefore, let’s say, if it is not a great sun-bathing day, the UK single travellers could always rent a car and do some sight seeing at the places you have always thought of visiting. It is advisable to research about such places and mark them out on a map.

One of the well-known online travel companies that offer a wide range of solo holidays to some of the most spectacular places across the globe is singlesholidays Visit the website for more details.

I remember how I used book holidays before I had access to the Internet. In many senses, things seemed so much more simple back then. Most of us would make our way down to a local travel agent. This is where we’d be looking to make our holiday bookings.

We’d be presented with an assortment of holiday brochures. Looking back, it’s amazing to see just how little information was really contained in such brochures. We might expect to find only a small paragraph describing a particular resort.

There might be even less information about individual hotels. As a result, we might largely be basing our holiday decisions on a relatively small amount of knowledge. There was, of course, the opportunity to ask the staff in the store for assistance.

But these staff could not be expected to know an enormous amount of information about each of the thousands of holidays that they were tasked with selling. In essence, this whole approach to holiday bookings was something of a lucky dip.

The Internet has transformed the way in which we now make such bookings. It gives us the opportunity to carry out an enormous amount of research before we come to make a booking. That means that we can find out a lot about particular resource or hotels.

But this is by no means the only advantage. We can now easily compare prices to. This gives us a much better chance of finding fantastic holidays at discount prices. There really is no excuse for paying more than you need to.

That’s why many people have come to realise that it makes sense to make holiday bookings online. This gives you the best opportunity to make savings and to have a holiday that you will truly enjoy.

If you want to visit a different place from the worldly noise, the lovely location of Vietnam is ready to welcome you. You don’t need to think about the expenses of the holidays because you can go there with the help of the cheap Vietnam holidays that are arranged through various online agents. There will be no hectic problem for you in booking a holiday package because these packages take care of every budget holder.

You don’t need to go to your local travel agent in order to search the packages cheap Vietnam holidays because they are easily arranged through the online agents. It is also a good way to book your holidays because you can see the best ways of saving money by booking a tour with any agent. If you don’t satisfy with any agent, you can simply go with another option that will assist you in the right way.

Though it is easy to book your cheap Vietnam holidays, it is also suggested to you to see the necessary things included with the budgets. If you don’t do so, you can family in enjoying a cheap holiday package. Hence, you will need to pay attention while booking your cheap holiday package. In present times, there is no lack of the online options, as a result, you can book your cheap holiday package in a very cheap way, and however you should be a good bargainer.

Hence, don’t make any delay and plan a tour to Vietnam holiday this summer season when everything is arranged in a very cheap manner through the cheap Vietnam holidays. Book your holidays now and get ready to rock the world of fun anytime!

Ready for a holiday but you haven’t booked anything yet? If so, you should definitely try booking your holiday online. After all, there is a very good reason that so many people are booking their holidays on the web these days. Don’t try calling up a travel agent for a last minute deal. You probably won’t get it. Here is a look at some of the benefits you can enjoy when you book a last minute holiday online.

Benefit #1 – Quick and Convenient – When you book a last minute holiday online, one of the biggest benefits is that this is so quick and convenient. You’ll only need to have a computer and an internet connection and you can get started. Easily find travel websites and start browsing to see what is available. Within 30 minutes you can have an entire holiday booked on the web with no hassle or stress at all.

Benefit #2 – Easy to Find Last Minute Deals – Another benefit of booking online when you want to go on a last minute holiday is that it is so easy to find good last minute deals. When you go through travel agents, often you’ll pay premium prices if you decide to take a holiday last minute. However, when you go online to do your booking, often there are last minute deals that you can take advantage of. Make sure you look for last minute deals when you decide to book online. Often you can save big bucks this way.

Benefit #3 – Save Money – Most people have a budget for their last minute holiday. So, it is important that you get the most for your money when you are booking. When you book online you can easily save money. It is often cheaper to book online, no matter where you want to go and when you want to go. If you really want to save money and have more money to spend while you are on the holiday, they try booking online. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save.

Benefit #4 – Easy to Research Holiday Destinations – Booking online makes it very easy for you to research holiday destinations. You may not be sure where exactly you want to go on your last minute holiday. It’s easy to research various destinations on the web. Not only can you look at what these areas have to offer, but you can easily research and compare prices as well. It helps you to make the best decision on where you want to go on your holiday.

Benefit #5 – Save on Packages – You’ll save on package deals when you book online for your last minute holiday. This is one of the biggest benefits of booking online. Most online travel sites will give you discounts if you book in a package deal, such as booking your flight and your hotel at the same time. It’s a great way to save money and make sure you get everything booked you need to, all at the same time.

There are many sources, from where you can collect useful tourist information,for strategically planning your vacation to a destination. However, all these sources are not equally reliable and do not provide the updated information always. Therefore, you need to choose a source very carefully.

Among the many sources, the information provided by the websites on travel and holidays, are the most reliable ones. They are regularly updated and provide complete information about tourist destinations to people. Therefore, you can consult them for useful information and travel tips.

The travel portals are playing a very important role in the revolution which the travel and tourism industry is undergoing. These websites are offering attractive travel packages to tourists, for which, the number of tourists going on holidays, have increased over the years. They are also providing an online booking platform to the holidaymakers.

Due to the popularity of the online travel sites, any person planning a holiday strategically, prefer consulting a reliable  world travel guide for the latest information. According to a research conducted lately, more than 75% of the tourists refer to the different travel sites and the packages offered by them, before booking a holiday online or from a travel agent.

Due to the ever growing popularity and high demand of the travel portals, these sites not only provide the regular  tourist information on cheap flights, cruises, rail, hotels, travel packages etc, but also provide unique, fresh and very useful information on a wide range of areas. These websites also suggest destinations which are most suitable for short and long breaks. The latest tools, with which the travel portals are equipped, help tourists to make their holidays exciting and memorable.

If you want to plan a holiday and are in search of a reliable travel portal, Places Online is one of the best options for you. Here you will find all the essential information about a number of tourist destinations. It is a travel portal which you can consult for the best holiday advice and information.

For more information you can simply visit www.placesonline.com.

At a time when the world is grappling with global financial downturn, violence and other things that have created an atmosphere of pessimism, going for a vacation can be a good way to relax yourself and stay positive. But as stated earlier, recession has hampered various sectors including tourism. Thus, you need to restrict your expenses and go for vacations that fit to your budget and give the utmost satisfaction. However, it does not mean you have to compromise with the enjoyment or fun during the vacation but just need to restrict unnecessary expenditure.

You can begin cost cutting with choosing tour packages that fit to your budget. In terms of travel agents, such India holiday packages are known as ‘Budget

India Holidays Tour Packages Under such packages, you are provided with low-costing ways to enjoy the holidays. Flights to India remain relatively expensive, but domestic flights in India are not that costly. Trains are also good option to tour India, especially locations such as Nainital, Darjeeling and others. Budget holiday tour packages entail booking in advance in three or four star hotels, lunch and dinner, sight seeing and other facilities. Please do not forget that the budget tour packages are low-costing travel packages, where you do not have to compromise with the “quality”.

This is where many of us get stuck, where to get a fine travel agent. There are lots of travel brokers all around us. To be aware of the perfect amongst them gets awfully easier said than done. You could get assist from those who have already taken their services; still you’re required to choose your own. Therefore, you should have some parameters on which you’ll be able to decide on your own, which travel agent will be the most excellent. The best way to know this is by knowing what you want to accomplish relating to the holiday. There are travel operators of many types; some tackle all the concerns of the trip, while some specialize. The people who specialize are the ones who would know everything about one specific thing. That’s why if your travel type falls into any specific type, it is possible to always depend on these specialist tour operators. They might get the best suited arrangements done for you. As an example, little travel agents are respectable with product data and some are good with destination knowledge.



Cruising is a great way to spend a holiday especially when it comes to family. This is because there is a lot of variety in the activities that are available aboard. So whether you are a kid or an old man, a girl or a young lady, cruises have something that is sure to interest you.

There are certain things that you ought to keep in mind when you are looking at good travel deals. The best of the travel deals can be got if you make the right choices. Booking way in advance can get you cheaper rates for your holiday. This has proved to work for many. Do not just go by the price of the ticket. You have to realize that there are a lot of other factors that matter when it comes to choosing the best cruise and also getting good deals on it.

Getting a travel agent to plan your holiday also is also a good way to get good travel deals. Always check on the taxes that you pay. You might end up paying much more than you expected sometimes when you have not checked on it. Some cruises also give you certain privileges if you had traveled with them earlier so it is best if you make a check on that too before you make your final decision in choosing a cruise line for your holiday. These luxury vacations can be great for honeymooners. Also you can plan a wedding on a cruise.

Talk to a cruise line directly. This move alone can save you a lot of cash. Asking for discounts is not a bad idea at all. In fact this can help you get better deals. Also travelling frequently gets you better offers a lot of times. Also the cruise gives you a mode of transportation when you get to a destination. Making use of these will cost you much more and hence avoid taking those. Talk to your travel agent and make sure that such transportation is all arranged by them so you save a lot on your holiday.

Choosing the best cruise deal and also making sure that you are taking the right decisions in choosing one is important. Also make sure that you book a holiday with a cruise line in way that you get the best possible.

Have you been planning a vacation or a quick getaway? If you are, it is obviously important that your holiday is perfect. For this, the right planning is the first step. If it’s a known destination, you could do with planning yourself. However, if it’s an unknown venture, you must take the help of a professional, who has the right resources and expertise to help you. Herein we provide some tips on how to plan the perfect getaway without paying enormous bills.

1. Hiring the services of an expert
As mentioned above, unless you’re an expert on the destination, it would be a great idea to hire the services of a travel agent or travel company. With the increase in the number of OTA’s, you would actually be spoilt for choice. With their domain knowledge and expertise you might actually be able to save some money. Sign up for their newsletters, mailers and travel alerts so you are the first one to know on any special offers that come up. A number of travel companies also provide special deals and discounts on using a certain credit card – so check out on those before you book.

2. Planning ahead
This one is kind of tricky. How early is enough? I’d say that you should start planning at least 2 months in advance. This is especially important if you are planning to travel in the peak season or your kid’s summer holidays. Start doing your research online and check out on rates available. The earlier you book, the better your chances of bagging a cheap deal!

3. Travelling during off-season
Unless imperative, skip the actual holiday season and travel when it is low. Alternately, travel to places that are not likely to be thronged with tourists during your holiday. The lower the season is, the higher your bargaining chances.

4. Selecting an all-inclusive tour package
Unless you are going camping and backpacking, get an all-inclusive tour for yourself. This has two advantages: if you book with all inclusions, you’re likely to get a cheaper deal, since separately, various elements like transfers and meals tend to cost more. Also, a pre-planned trip takes the load off your head when it comes to securing inclusions. I recommend packages that at least include transfers, some sightseeing and breakfast.

5. Save money on hotels
You don’t always have to stay at a five-star hotel – there are a huge number of 3 star hotels too that provide great service at really affordable prices. An alternate to this would be staying at a service apartment that comes with good rooms, a kitchenette and even the services of a butler.

6. Research online
This is best done by logging on to travel websites that often feature deals and discounts. If you’re booking a hotel, you could also research on the hotels own website – they often have lower deals than most OTA’s. Not just the price, I recommend checking up on the user ratings and reviews posted by actual customers as well as photos of hotels and rooms.

Budget travel must never be a horrid experience. When done through the right channels, they actually turn out to be really memorable experiences. With some simple tips and tricks, you can actually save enough to spend on really meaningful things – such as shopping or a nice meal for the two of you!