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There is currently so much information available on the internet about travel. There are online travel sites for cruises, hotels, air, trains and any other type of trip. But what is the right product for you? Is the location of the hotel where you want to be? Is the type of room or cabin just right for you? Is that cruise line the one you should book? Not all products are made equal and the products are not suitable for everyone. How do you tell me? Contact a travel professional.

Are there travel agencies?

There have been several articles and even the president of the United States has said that travel agencies do not exist or disappear. In a way they are right. Travel agents in the past were just someone who booked a trip for someone who called or came to the travel agency's storefront office. Storefront travel agencies are few and far from most travel agents who have gone home to work. Even the term & travel agent & # 39; disappears because what they do now is different from what they did before.

Travel professionals / travel lawyers

Travel agencies are now more of a consultant and a consultant, so they are now called travel professionals or travel lawyers. Even the travel industry is trying to get away from using the term "travel agent". They no longer just book a trip for someone, they know more than what is available to the traveling customer. The travel professionals are now constantly learning, are constantly traveling, receive input from other travel professionals about where they have traveled and are a source for what is needed today to travel.

When you use an online travel agency such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc., you can not protect someone who protects your back. They book the journey for you and then you are almost alone. Suppose your flight is canceled, who is going to book a replacement flight? It is you, not she. If you use a travel professional, the professional travel provider will do it. If something goes wrong during your trip, if the room you booked is not like what would you think it would be, who is going to make it up? A travel professional will also regularly check for price reductions before the final payment and if a new promotion is more favorable than what was booked with a down payment. All these things can be handled before the final payment.

A travel professional works with you from the moment you talk to him for the first time until you are safely at home and all problems have been solved or resolved.

It costs more to use a travel professional

This is not always true. Admittedly, some travel professionals charge costs, but not all. This is because some suppliers, such as airlines and some hotels, do not pay a commission or some of the suppliers have reduced the amount of claims paid to the travel specialist. To make ends meet, some travel professionals charge a fee. I ask $ 50 per person for domestic flights and $ 100 for international airline reservations. I will also ask for compensation for hotels for the same reason or when I compile the different parts of the trip myself. When I book a cruise or a tour, I do not charge a fee because the seller pays me a commission. Remember, whether you use a travel professional or not, the commission is still paid because it is automatically included in the seller's price. So why not use a travel professional and avoid the hassle and save your time?

The rules for travel are constantly changing and it is the travel professional who is able to keep their customers on the right track.

Examples: passports

Did you know, for example, that you will need a passport from January 2016 to travel by plane? This is due to a law called the REAL ID Act. This requires that all travelers have an IDE identification that includes all these fields: full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, unique identification number, a main place of residence address and a photograph at the front of the country concerned. Unfortunately, there are still a handful of conditions that are non-compliant. Do you know which states are compliant and which are not? Your travel professional does that. By the way, outright non-conforming states / territories are American Samoa, Louisiana and New Hampshire. The states of Minnesota and New York offer an optional Enhanced ID for a fee, so because it is optional, a large percentage of the residents have none. Some states have requested additional extensions, but it is unclear whether they are granted. Currently only four states (Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York) and American Samoa are technically non-compliant.

Also, we still do not know whether 1 January 2016 will be the date of the requirement or will be later? Because of this law, the processing time for the passport is influenced for everyone. All passports issued in 2006 to comply with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that came into force in 2007 are now expiring, causing a whole series of innovations. So because of these extensions in combination with the possible REAL ID enforcement, it is expected that the passport tides will increase further. From 11 October, the current wait has already increased for a week to four to six weeks for standard passports and three weeks before accelerated. Accelerated in person can be up to eight days based on travel needs.

The ULTIMATE REAL ID Act requires all government-issued drivers & # 39; s & # 39; licenses to include "machine-readable technology" or chips to keep us safe and protected while traveling. For more information about the REAL ID Act, go to http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.

Passports are also recommended for cruises, just as they are required to fly outside the United States. The reason for this is that if you have to fly back from a foreign port to the United States, you have a passport to do this. Just because you are on a cruise leaving a port in the United States, technically you travel internationally as soon as you board the ship, as most ships are registered outside the United States!

Example: Visas

A travel professional can help you determine if a visa is required to travel to your destination. If they are not sure, they know where to send you for that information and they get confirmation that you do or do not need one for the type of journey you take. For most cruises, for example, you probably do not need a visa to visit the ports if you leave a US port and return to the same US port. This is called a "closed loop" trip. But again, most cruises. Always check to see if one is needed.

Example: Travel insurance

Again, not all travel insurance policies are made equal. Should you take out travel insurance? Absolutely !!! I advise my customers not to purchase travel insurance, for the most part, from the supplier of the cruise or the product. The reason for this is that the coverage is not as complete as the policy of third parties. Travel insurance is not only purchased for travel delays, baggage lost / damage or cancellation protection. Some health insurance companies do not cover you when you travel outside the United States. Medicare does not. Travel insurance will act as your primary health insurance during your journey, from the moment you leave to the moment you return to your home. It also provides emergency evacuation for health reasons and protects you for other items. Always read the policy and the information provided by the issuer of the travel insurance to see what is covered. Your travel professional knows what a good travel insurer is.

Hotels are the very first thing you get when you visit a city. In your travel budget, this is also one of the essential components that really urge you to take care of booking hotels.

Although there are many options for hotels in every city, finding the right deal is a challenge for you. You can get many websites and portals that many hotels offer at very good prices, but when it comes to the final prices, they continue to add taxes and all those unnecessary costs that make your budget heavier.

In this situation you need a portal that really does the promise and not only makes it, but also keeps it.

If you book a hotel in a city, you must follow these tips, which will really help you to get a good city hotel deal for your trip.

• When selecting a hotel (s), make sure that the location of your hotel is near the area of ​​your choice, that you travel broadly as it might have been near the top attractions , it could have been close to the airport and things could have been like that.

• If you look at the hotels before you book, do not miss the testimonials from the hotel that will really help you book with confidence.

• Do not forget to view the hotel photos, especially the category you book for your trip. If this is not good to see, you can not use that hotel.

• You must check out the full hotel rates with and without taxes, which you are shown prior to the booking and also cross-check when you pay for the booking.

• When booking hotels online, be sure to check the status of the secure server when using your credit cards.

There are very rare hotel booking portals like us that offer you the comfort to book more than 95,000 hotels online without reservation fees and without registration. It gives you up to 65% discount rates for all available hotels.

If you are traveling to San Diego, it is a good idea to check what the area looks like before arrival. There are so many parts of this fantastic city that it will be difficult to decide which hotel rooms in San Diego will be the best deals. There are many factors that need to be taken into account, such as; the hotel accommodations, services and amenities offered by the hotel, eateries, if there are special rates and which are located near popular attractions.

Accommodations – The decision on which type of room is needed should be simple enough to make. Most hotels have the choice between suites with one or two king beds or a bed and a sofa bed. There is usually only one bathroom in the smaller rooms, but some suites also have a balcony, fridge, microwave and TV. If necessary, there are also rooms that are wheelchair accessible. Family rooms often have a large bed and a bunk bed, which is very exciting for the children.

Services and Services- If the trip to San Diego is for business, you should check if there is access to fax and copy machines. They usually offer the rental of audio and visual equipment and have an excellent variety of meeting rooms. Wireless superfast internet services are almost always offered, as well as computer use, in case an extra is needed.

For families there are countless hotels with activities for children, children & # 39; menu & # 39; s and even video rental of movies that kids enjoy. Cribs are available for babies & toddlers and toddlers, as well as high chairs. These can make traveling with very small children a smoother process. Airport transportation can be a big plus, especially when a large family travels to the hotel. It is difficult to find a taxi that is big enough to take everyone, plus the luggage.

The extra services offered by most hotels include; A cash machine in the lobby, free breakfast and / or a drink, multilingual staff, room service and safety deposit boxes. There is often the possibility to store luggage when checking out takes place before the tram leaves for the airport. For general personal cleanliness, some hotels have hairdressers' shops and launderettes at the hotel. Swimming pools and gyms can be found in just about any popular hotel in San Diego, even water parks for children and relaxing Jacuzzi & # 39; s for adults.

Dining choices- Many hotels have at least one restaurant, while others also have a café or several dining options to choose from. There is usually room service that can be ordered between midmorning and 10pm. If there is a strong need to eat outside the restaurant, the head office usually has a map or a list of places in the neighborhood where you can eat.

Specials and discounts- Some hotels spend one night at a reduced price to book several days in a row. Other places offer packages for locations in the city in combination with an overnight stay; such as a trip to the local zoo, a night in the drive-in theater or a trip to Sea World. There are also packages that cover the whole family, even the pet or pets of the house can stay with the family at the hotel. Rooms that are reserved in advance usually generate a reduced price. It is always a good idea to check what might be available for a discount percentage.

Attractions – Finding a central hotel is fantastic, but not always feasible. The best way to deal with this is to create a list of places of interest in order of importance. There are many hotels that are near multiple attractions. There are also those that can easily provide transportation to some of the hotspots. Top attractions in San Diego are; San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World, Legoland, Balboa Park, San Diego Harbor, San Diego Old Town, Mission Bay Park, La Jolla and many beautiful beaches.

Booking one of the San Diego hotel rooms can usually be completed via internet or telephone. Both are equally easy and can be done at any time of the day. When you book online, after entering this information a part is filled in to fill in with the dates of the desired stay and availability. After the dates, the number of persons and the type of room have been filled in and submitted, the total costs are stated. If this is acceptable, a credit card will be used to secure the room, but this will only be charged after the stay.

Traveling can be very enjoyable if you have the time and the money to try it. It is necessary to book flights and hotels in advance to ensure that you do not get stuck abroad. It is also necessary to quickly read about the country you want to visit. There are many travel sites that write about global tourist destinations & # 39; hotels, restaurants, beach resorts, car rental companies and other things. They help travelers get an idea of ​​what they will see and do in the countries they intend to visit. Information about hotels is very important.

Hotels have classes and five-star options are the most expensive. If you're not careful, you can stay in lodges too much and come home with a broken feeling. If you want your holiday to last for several days, look for a centrally located tourist lodge to avoid changing your hotel room during your trip. It would be too expensive to book a hotel every two or three nights in the same area. If you take the time to explore the region you want to visit, you will find one or more lodges that are in the middle of all the trips you need to do.

These accommodation facilities are accessible via ground transport and probably offer everything you can find in other cottages in the same area. It is wise to book their rooms for all the nights you want to spend in the region. As a result of the decision to stay in a hotel for a few consecutive nights, you can get a free night or receive a discounted rate. If you only want to travel for fun instead of attending a wedding, an annual festival or a business conference, you can wait until the hotel rates have dropped.

Off-season trips to come with big discounts on flights and hotel accommodation. Still, it is good to realize that some hotels do not base their rates on changing seasons. There are rooms that are in demand all year round. You can also choose to travel in the period between the high season and the low season. Items received by lodges are not too high or too low and there before their rates are moderate. There are online travel sites where people can place their bids for hotels in areas of certain markets. Winning a low-priced hotel offer on these sites is purely by chance.

Interested bidders may be asked to give suggestions about hotel locations and facilities. However, they may be asked to first accept a hotel deal without knowing what it is. There are other sites offering travel auctions and if you become a winner, you get a discount of up to forty-five percent. The internet has many other ways to help you save money on hotel accommodation. If you want to try to bid, it is up to you to decide. It is also possible to rent a travel agency based in the country you want to visit and let it decide where you are staying. This will not be cheap, but it will be safer.

When it comes to vacation-hotel stays, the smallest details are often the most responsible for making the experience extra special. And although we constantly expect a certain service level during a hotel stay, such details can still come as a pleasant surprise!

Most of us have a story – or few – to tell us about excellent service we have received from a hotel: perhaps a member of the hotel staff went beyond their duty to provide impeccable service, or a certain aspect of the facilities of the hotel really impressed you. Or maybe the striking gesture was as simple as taking a few extra steps to make you feel at home or an extra special greeting to welcome you at the hotel. It can even be an ordinary gesture when leaving your favorite chocolates under your pillow! Whatever the function or service, your hotel stay experience was better.

When such experiences occur, they are certainly worth talking about. After all, if a hotel experience impressed you, it could very well do the same for another guest. But how likely is it that your praise will pass over the ears of friends and family?

Today this is very likely; and it is just as easy for you to learn about the travel experiences of others. That's because a number of online travel resources and leading hotel accommodation providers now give past, present and potential customers access to online forums and post-journey experiences – so you can easily express your opinions and travel recommendations, and make informed travel decisions based on the meetings of other people. Such a service is Homewood Stories, which is managed by the Hilton Group or hotels.

Such sites have proven to be a huge success with both former and potential travelers – and it is not difficult to understand why. Although the website of a hotel can inform potential customers about the facilities of the hotel through descriptions and images, only an account of a guest who has actually stayed there can provide information from a really validated point of view. Moreover, hotel guests who have an excellent experience with the accommodation they have chosen are a means of informing potential travelers about their recommendations, opinions and travel tips.

So the next time you are looking for a hotel stay that stands out, or you simply want to share your remarkable hotel search, you can easily do this! After all, it is always worth knowing what you can expect on your next holiday.

The rules for online hotel marketing have been changing in the hospitality industry for a few years now and that is not surprising. OTA & # 39; s, Metasearch sites, target sites and tools such as last-minute booking apps / mobile apps are so numerous that the average traveler uses more than a dozen sites before making an online booking. Do not ignore the fact that travelers often switch between mobile phones, laptops, iPads, etc. To do research and make a travel reservation. The tools of Hotel Revenue Management have to a large extent minimized these challenges.

The changing buying behavior of Traveler, in combination with better access to online / mobile means of travel, offers the hoteliers both a challenge and an opportunity. All of the above platforms offer real-time data with more small details about the online journey of the consumer. Here justifies all the reasons why every hotel should also follow the prices of mobile apps.

Increasing use of smartphones, all-in deal-hungry consumers, last-minute booking apps on mobile and penalty-free reservations have made the competition heavier in the hotel sector. These are just a few of the factors why travelers book hotels closer to their check-in date. According to most experts and recent data, the turnaround times of reservations are dramatically compressed.

If your hotel constantly lowers the prices of these last-minute bookings, you will travel a lot of your earnings package, especially those who have booked on OTA & # 39; s, you will lose even more by paying high commissions from third parties.
There are, however, ways to deal with this new trend of the rapidly shrinking booking window:

No more worries, use it optimally

Instead of worrying about shrinking booking windows hoteliers should concentrate on how they can convert this into their best. Strategically work on converting your best potential customers faster with a dynamic campaign for restoring reservations.

Findings have shown that millions of travelers with a long booking time are often ignored by hoteliers, most likely to become a customer.

Pay special attention to prospects who have already visited your website and searched for inventory on dates that coincide with your periods of low business activity.

This could be a fundamental opportunity to look again at the lost potential customers, turn them into bookings and improve the days that suffer from extremely short booking windows! Book more directly and save money on commission.

Know the occupation prognosis

An efficient revenue management tool can easily provide you with predictions for each check-in date. This way you can easily identify the days / weeks that cause low ADR & # 39; s and occupancy and thus define your pricing strategy.

Captures the e-mail addresses of the website visitor for re-targeting

Once an online prospect searches for a room on the selected dates, he must enter his e-mail address in the booking process. That way you now need the contact information to re-target if they leave their booking halfway.

Send custom offers

After a potential customer leaves a booking, follow them up with a specific offer by e-mail with a personal greeting thanking them for considering your property and a time limit offers for direct booking your hotel. Certainly, these offers lower the net revenue for your room, still less than the prices you pay on OTA or other sources of last-minute bookings.

Reward the visitors who have shown their willingness to book with you or have almost completed a booking in a certain period; you can close more bookings earlier. Here the hesitation of the short reservation window is reduced.

Hotels are generally taken for granted by most people in the world because they have become accustomed to finding them easily in all parts of the world. Travelers know that they can usually get a hotel room in almost every city when they need one. Nowadays, however, it may be a good idea to reserve a room in advance, in case the establishment is sold out.

Most travelers book hotel rooms in advance on the internet at this time, because it is generally considered the easiest and fastest way to secure accommodation. Almost all hotels on the planet now have websites and you can visit them to get information about the establishment. Most sites also let you book a room directly from the hotel via the internet.

However, there are many travel websites online that specialize in the sale of discounted hotel rooms. These sites usually deal with hotels in all parts of the world and have a huge database of them. Visitors can browse through the sites and search by country, city, hotel name, date, star yield and price, etc. The website will include information about the type of hotel, price range, dates, etc. And come back with a list of available rooms.

This method means, for example, that you can get a list of hundreds of hotels in London, England, and then refine them by price, or location, and so on. You can usually reserve the room in a matter of minutes about the website. There are also some sites that allow you to bid on hotel rooms on specific dates.

These are generally hotel rooms that are empty and the establishment will sell them at a reduced rate. For example, you want to offer $ 75 a night for three days for a London hotel. Simply enter your bid on the website and it will check the database with accommodations to see if one of them will accept the price you offer.

Like everything else in the world, there are some great hotels that are well worth the money and there are some bad ones that are too expensive. The personal service that a hotel offers can also make your stay more enjoyable. It is often a good idea to view some reviews of a hotel before reserving a room. There are dozens of travel sites that offer traveler reviews, as well as photos from different locations around the world.

Guests and tourists who visit London often complain about the high prices of the shops, restaurants and hotels in the British capital.

If you book a room in a suitable location, you often eat the budget that you intended to set aside for shopping, nightlife or otherwise enjoyment. However, not everyone knows that you can make significant savings by choosing cheaper hotels in London that still maintain a consistent, consistent quality. One of these options is Travelodge – a fast-growing chain with hotels spread throughout the city.

Let's make one thing clear. Travelodge is probably not the best option if you want to indulge in luxury. If you like tasteful furniture and can not live without a hotel spa, look elsewhere. But if these are not essential and you just want a place to rest your weary head, Travelodge can prove to be your best bet. Staying at Travelodge can help you avoid spending a small fortune on the nights of your stay, so that you can reinvest your precious budget instead.

With more and more visitors making short breaks to London, it does not make much sense to spend huge amounts on the hotel. Because you can discover London all day, there is often no time left to enjoy the luxury of a 5-star hotel you may have paid for.

At the same time, staying in a simple & # 39; hotel is an excellent way to get you moving in the morning and spend plenty of days enjoying London – instead of staying in your king-size bed and personal Jacuzzi, which could be enjoyed all over the world.

There are 28 Travelodge hotels in London and more than 4,000 rooms with many new ones currently under development. The locations vary considerably, but all hotels are well connected to the London transport network (metro, buses, etc.).

In fact, there are even more Travelodges in places like Marylebone and Tower Bridge – these are certainly not cheap locations and many other central London hotels will be happy to charge you a small fortune for the area only.

But instead, staying in a Travelodge could save you a lot of money without having to compromise on location. You get a particularly good deal if you book during a periodical & # 39; sales & # 39; from Travelodge when it spends a large number of rooms at stupid prices (sometimes under £ 20 / night and often less than £ 50 which is still an excellent price).

Some people may say that the Travelodge hotels & # 39; are characterless & # 39; to be; but London itself is so full of character that you inevitably need to remember more than the hotel where you were staying. You can learn more about budget hotels in London on the London Hotels Insight blog. You will also find head-to-head reviews with other cheap London hotels such as Premier Inn, Luna & Simone Hotel (near Victoria), YOTEL and more.

When it comes to saving money during a trip – when is the value of using a travel agent worth paying a little more than the price you find online?

In contrast to online booking, when booking at a travel agency, you get a lot more service than at an online agency. Our work does not stop when we deliver your tickets to you – it continues with our help during your journey and when you come home. How can you ask?

Here are a few examples of actual problems with traveling with customers that the value of using a travel agent is already heavier than books.

We have booked a family on holiday to Cabo. They had connecting flights and called us because their first departure from the flight was delayed by a few hours, so they would miss their connecting flight. They called us from the airport because they feared that the company that carried through their transfers would not be at the airport. to pick them up. We contacted the supplier who changed the flight times and ensured that the transfer company had the new information.

Clients from Georgia supposedly fly to San Juan on 13 February 2010 for a cruise leaving at 10 am on 22 February. At 8 o'clock on the 13th of February they called us into a panic. It was snowing, their flights were being made and the airline told the customers that they would not be able to fly until Monday.

Luckily they were able to drive to Florida and we found flights with another February airline … 14 which would take them to the cruise ship with a lot of time. We saved them San Juan hotel, found a hotel in Orlando for her that would allow them to park their car for free for the duration of the cruise and to take her back and forth to the airport. Our client said that if she had only booked this, she would not know what to do and she would have been heartbroken if she was unable to travel. Because she also purchased travel insurance, we started a travel delay claim for her to cover the difference in flight prices, plus her costs for gas, toll and meals to travel back and forth to Orlando Airport. The forms waited for her when she returned from her cruise.

A few years ago we had customers who had booked a trip and had canceled their trip one month before the date on which they had to leave for a reason that was not covered by travel insurance. The supplier was adamant that the cancellation was non-refundable. We intervened and could get a partial credit to book a new trip within a year, so that the customer did not lose all his money.

Today, a customer sent us a price quote for a holiday to Punta Cana asking if we could beat the price. She priced the holiday with connecting flights from Philadelphia and on her return she chose a flight that left Punta Cana at 7 o'clock. We asked her if she realized that in order to make that return home, she would have to be at the airport at half past five in the morning to make sure she had enough time to get through Security. She had no idea she should be at the airport so early. Not only did we cut the price, we found her direct flights for less than she was quoted by the online agency and left her return at 13:05.

What other value do we offer when you book with us that you do not get when you book online? We send you destination information, advise you on the documentation you need to travel, provide information on optional excursions, send you useful hints and last minute reminders and we are available 24 hours if you have a problem while you are traveling, as shown above. We will contact you when you come back and if there is a problem that needs to be solved with a supplier, we will work to find a satisfactory solution.

Is this kind of service worth paying a little extra?

Out for a business trip or is it a holiday you think? Whether it is a journey, you have to wonder how you can make a reasonably priced journey. Well, it is not that difficult. When booking a hotel, always compare the prices between the available hotels, including the luxury hotels. Most star hotels continue to come with a number of offers and discounts that allow you to win a range of other extras along with a luxury trip. And in this way you can also enjoy luxury hotels at reasonable prices. If you plan your trip in low season, getting discounts can be scarce, but not impossible, in such days you can make hotel deals through different websites. With these hotel deals you get a flexible stay in cheap hotels or in an airport hotel, so you have easy access to all tourist spots.

These hotel deals also offer free car rental or parking for you along with dining options. Through hotel deals you can use the best facilities at a number of hotels in France, UK Hotels or Dubai Hotels. It may take some time to search between the varied options, but then who does not like to negotiate for a fairer price. The online travel websites or hotel portals are the gateway to making cheap hotel deals and these websites can also provide you with all necessary information about the location of the hotels and the nearest tourist destinations or shopping centers. You can book a hotel room through these hotel websites. Some of the luxury hotels in London or France also offer cheap stays, especially during the low season. Some of the best hotels in London also offer other amenities with reasonable prices during these days.