Tips For Booking A Holiday

When you think about booking your next holiday abroad, make sure you research and prepare before hand because your hard earned money which you have been saving for months really does need to get you the best deal you can get. I have put together some expert tips to help you along the way to ensure you don’t get “ripped off” or “stung” or end up with a bad holiday.

1. Look through brochures
When you go into a travel agent, they WILL try and get you to sit down and book a holiday regardless of if you want to just take some brochures. Take your time to look through the brochures at home and in your own time with your family or friends to make the decision where you want to go.

2. Have a budget
A travel agent will always try and up sell you to a more expensive holiday or add on lots of different extras, so have a clear idea of budget which you can afford so that you don’t over spend and get caught up in the excitement of booking the holiday.

3. Shop around
When you have made the decision to start getting prices and check the availability of a holiday, shop around at different travel agents, travel companies online and so on. The holiday industry is extremely competitive and by shopping around will mean that everyone wants your business and you will end up with the best deal. You need to remember that a travel agent is the middle man and will usually be dearer in price as they need to profit in booking holidays, booking online could well be a lot cheaper.

4. Research and feedback
When you have shopped around and found your perfect holiday which you are itching to book, hold fire. Check different Internet websites and look up the accommodation and read customer views and feedback from people that have stayed there. Research the area, is it safe, are there things to do whilst on holiday there. Customer feedback on holidays is vital as they will tell the truth whether they had the best holiday ever or the worst. One thing to remember when doing this though is that you can’t always please everyone so if you find 20 great reviews and 2 bad, chances are you will have a good holiday.

5. Don’t be pushed into booking
Exactly what this header reads, don’t be pushed into anything. When you have decided on all the details of your holiday and you are ready to book, don’t let anyone change your mind, don’t be told to up your budget by the “professionals” and don’t be pushed to buy extras such as car parking, ordering your spending money or upgrading your seats. If you stick to reading the brochures and doing the research, you will know what you want to add and what you don’t want so don’t let the sales consultants pressure you.

If you stick to my simple tips when booking your next holiday, I am confident you will get the best deal, save money and enjoy the experience of planning your holiday all by yourself without a pushy little sales person having their input, I should know, I used to be a travel agent!