21 Apr
Vancouver Tours Blog

Tips for Booking Hotels Overseas

If you've been using a travel guide book, it is going to have hotel recommendations included. Most have reviews, include pricing, or at least pricing categories, for each one. Many will be able to be booked online.

However, some of the smaller, independently owned hotels still do the booking themselves. Most you can correspond with via email, but some are a little more old fashioned, and only take reservations over the phone. If that is the case, do not let the thought of calling internationally and speaking to someone that English may not be their first tongue, intimidate you. These are business people that make a living providing rooms to tourists that, guess what, probably do not speak their native language. They all speak enough English to take a reservation!

Take a look at your itinerary, and start booking these hotels for each location. You generally want to book at least 2-3 months prior, just to ensure you are able to get exactly the hotel you want. If you're traveling during the peak season, you might want to start a little earlier. Most hotels do require a credit card to book the room, but most will allow you to pay in cash upon arrival.

Once these hotels are booked, write down the contact information (hotel name, address, phone number) and save for your records. There is also an awesome website called Tripit, that has an itinerary maker tool that allows you to either enter this information in manually, or it even has a feature that you can forward them any confirmation emails (for hotels, and even airline info) , and it will actually do it for you.

For my hotel choices, I go middle of the road here. I can not afford to stay in five star hotels, but I do not want to be inconvenienced by uncomfortable circumstances like an over crowded Youth Hostel. I prefer to have the best of both worlds: experiencing the country, people, and culture that I've immersed myself in, while not staying in "sketchy" accommodations. I lean toward small, independently owned hotels, near the city central, but sheltered from the areas that are choked with tourists.

Plus, most of these independently owned small hotels are run by the owners themselves, who are always MORE than happy to help out their guests. They are one of the best travel advisers you will run into while you're there. They can tell you where the best local places are to eat, the easiest ways to navigate the city, to even helping you book museum reservations and tours.

Source by Daniel W Francis

10 Apr
Vancouver Tours Blog

US Hotel Booking

The USA being one of the most advanced nations has a number of hotels which are of all categories including of luxury, budget, and economy. Moreover, most of the cities in the country provide excellent range of accommodation facilities at attractively low tariff and enable travelers to do US hotel booking either online or directly at the hotel agent. Some top notch hotels in USA including of Bellagio at Las Vegas, Benjamin Manhattan at New York, Caesars Palace at Las Vegas, etc. have been offering online hotel booking for ages.

Similarly, some other globally known luxury hotels in US such as Radisson Hotel at Miami, Reunion Resort and Club at Orlando, The Four Seasons at Chicago and the Regency at New York, etc. provide user-friendly hotel booking in USA. Today hotel booking is secure and safe as most of the hotels offer security and confidentiality of customer's data. Through SSL encryption the data furnished by travelers can not be taken away by cyber criminals. Most of the hotels in the USA have online booking engines which can be used by travelers for easy and fast hotel booking.

Kind of credit cards accepted, step by step information on online booking, terms and conditions, refund in case of cancellation of room, etc. are mentioned on the website. Once the booking is confirmed the user can take printout of the booking page. Amount deducted and charges, etc. are shown in the receipt. Some major hotels in USA including of Peninsula at Chicago, Trump International Hotel and Tower at New York, the Rittenhouse Hotel at Philadelphia, and Westin Grand Bohemian at Orlando, etc. provide easy access to online hotel booking.

US hotel bookings are done a lot when it is peak time for travel and tourism in the country. People who are going for honeymoon trip can enjoy a lot traveling in the country as the country can be transported round the year. Therefore, travelers should always be prepared with travel essentials such as valid Passport and a Visa to enter US as the country is ever ready to accept them. US hotel booking should be done in advanced so that any last minute hassle can be avoided and travel can be made pleasant.

Accommodations facilities in the USA are of international standard, hotels are kept clean clean, hotel staff are trained and hospitable and offer excellent service to travelers. As the USA can be transported at period in a year, backpackers and students can avail attractive consessions on air ticket from airlines and hotel booking from hotels. Moreover, when it comes to offering vacation packages or tour packages, American travel agencies are quite liberal and provide a comprehensive range of options and discounts to travelers.

Source by Meenu Kapoor

01 Dec
Vancouver Tours Blog

Cost Vs Value When Booking a Vacation

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

Unlike booking online, when you book with a travel agent, you are getting much more service than you will with an online agency. Our job doesn’t end when we deliver your tickets to you – it continues with our assistance while you are traveling and when you get home. How you may ask?

Here are a few examples of actual client travel problems that the value of using a travel agent outweighed booking by themselves.

We booked a family on a vacation package to Cabo. They had connecting flights and called us because their first flight leaving was delayed by several hours, causing them to miss their connecting flight.They called us from the airport because they were concerned that the company that their transfers were through would not be at the airport to pick them up. We contacted the supplier who changed the flight times and made sure the transfer company had the new information.

Clients from Georgia were supposed to fly Feb. 13, 2010 to San Juan for a cruise leaving at 10 PM on Feb. 14. At 8 AM on Feb. 13 they called us in a panic. It was snowing, their flights were canceled and the airline told the clients they would not be able to fly them out until Monday.

Thankfully they could drive to Florida and we found flights on another airline Feb. 14 that would get them to the cruise ship with plenty of time to spare. We canceled their 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 shuttle her back and forth to the airport. Our client said if she had booked this on her own, she would not have known what to do and would have been heartbroken at not being able to travel. Since she had also purchased travel insurance, we started a travel delay claim for her to be reimbursed for the difference in the flight prices, plus her expenses for gas, tolls and meals to get back and forth to the Orlando airport. The forms were waiting for her when she arrived back from her cruise.

A few years ago, we had clients who had booked a trip and canceled their trip a month before the date they were to leave for a reason that was not covered by travel insurance. The supplier was adamant that the cancellation was non-refundable. We interceded and were able to obtain a partial credit to book another trip within one year so the client did not lose all their money.

Today a client sent us a price quote for a vacation to Punta Cana asking if we could beat the price. She priced the vacation with connecting flights from Philadelphia and on her return, she chose a flight that left Punta Cana at 7 AM. We asked her if she realized that to make that return flight home she would have to be at the airport by 4:30 AM to ensure she would have enough time to get through Security. She had no idea she would have to be at the airport that early. Not only did we beat the price, we found her direct flights for less than she was quoted through the online agency and her return flight left at 1:05 PM.

What other value do we provide when you book with us that you won’t get from booking online? We send you destination information, advise you of the documentation you need to travel, give information on optional excursions, send you helpful hints and last minute reminders and we are available 24 hours if you have a problem while you are traveling as evidenced above. We follow up with you when you return and if there was a problem that needs to be addressed with a supplier, we will get involved to try and find a satisfactory resolution.

Is this kind of service worth paying a little extra for?

Source by Neil Maley