Travel Tip Don’ts

I have learned the hard way what I should not do while planning travel and some while traveling.

Don’t:

Rental Car Advice-Pay at Counter 

Do not pay in advance a non-refundable reservation (even if it saves you money).  My experiences with this:  I booked a car for an airport pick-up through Priceline and paid the Pay Now option which saved $100 on a week’s car rental rather than pay at the counter option.

  I had booked an SUV which the site stated “this car or similar.”  When I arrived at the airport, the agent at the counter said I had to pay an upgrade fee to receive the car I believed I had already paid for and rented.  He stated that the particular car was not guaranteed (which I knew, but a similar car was expected).  He told me it would be an additional $300 for the type of car I wanted.  Since the company already had my prepaid reservation, I was stuck.  From then on, I will always reserve a car and pay at the counter, even if it is more as I won’t be subject to the “bait and switch” 

Nonrefundable prepaid Travel Vouchers:  Do not purchase

I would advise to only buy Travel Vouchers from companies with a long history of reputable service such as Travelzoo which are refundable.  I have purchased several vouchers from Travelzoo and if I decided to cancel I have had no issues getting a refund.

Luxury Escapes offers travel vouchers for good prices as well, but if you change your mind, (and you purchased a refundable vacation) you will get a credit to use at another date. This option is still okay with me as I know I will eventually find something else to book. But, if you don’t travel often, buying this type of “refundable” vacation is not truly refundable.

Think about the air reservations when you are given a travel bank credit to travel at another date rather than a complete refund to the method used to purchase. I don’t want to discourage anyone from Luxury Escapes, if you are okay with the company holding your money while you find a different trip as they have very good customer service and are easy to work with.

New companies offering travel deals:  Don’t use!! My negative with this is with Unsold.  This was a new company which began offering travel vouchers to destinations around the globe at very good rates.  The purchaser paid for the voucher and then would book the location when they were ready.  There were many issues with finding availability when I was trying to use my prepaid voucher, and then the company went bankrupt and I was out $700 for two vouchers I could not use.  

Don’t book a hotel which is the least expensive as there is a reason it is.  When planning a trip, I use Booking.com to read as many reviews of properties as possible (Tripadvisor is also a valuable tool for reviews)  to make my decision where to stay.  There is a messaging system in Booking.com where you can message the property with any questions.  This is helpful for any unanswered questions. 

I now book hotels which are in the mid-price range that have Good or Excellent reviews from former travelers.  I look for trends in the reviews as some travelers are extremely picky and complain about small things and others are overly positive. 

Think about what is important to you and look for reviews in this area.  I made the mistake of booking a hotel in Prague which was the least expensive I could find, and I had not done enough research.  The hotel was nice enough, with a good breakfast, (as expected from the reviews), but it was too far away from the attractions we wanted to visit and there was no public transportation to these sites from the hotel.  (I now would pay more and stay closer.)

Don’t carry large sums of cash.

Every travel book you pick up will advise you to not carry large sums of cash and to wear a money belt (a small pack worn under your pants waist).  I was traveling with some friends whom I had not traveled with previously.  I did not know the travel habits of these friends.  We used underground public transportation in Milan, Italy, which was crowded with commuters.  When we exited at the destination station, my friend went to retrieve her ticket to exit the station and found that her wallet had been stolen from her backpack (which she wore on the front of her for security).  Then she told us she had all her cash for the trip in her wallet.  Remember the thief does not look like a thief who picks your pocket, they look like any other community member or tourist.  Leave most of your cash in the hotel safe along with your passport. 

Carry your ATM card to get cash as needed and a copy of your passport.  I now have two banks and two ATM cards so I can have one in the safe and carry one. I use ATMs to get out the cash I need for a few days at a time.  (Make sure to research  ATMs are readily available).  For example, when we were traveling to Tahiti, I knew that on outer islands, there was little access to ATMs so I ordered the local currency from my bank in the United States and kept the cash in different places and when arriving at the hotel used the safe.

Happy Travels,

Carol