Frequently Asked Questions: Travel and Booking Help
Online Booking Websites
Begin your research for
domestic and international airfares at these websites. All are simple to
use and most offer email notifications of price reductions on routes you specify.
SideStep.com
- Start here! This "meta-site" searches all the airline and
online booking sites listed below, and displays all fares that meet your search
criteria. When
you find a fare you like, you get taken directly to the supplier to finish your
booking. This helps avoid booking fees and allows you to use/accumulate bonus
points and frequent flyer miles.
Other good online booking sites include:
Expedia.com
Travelocity.com
Orbitz.com
Hotwire.com
Kayak.com
Priceline.com
- Bid for travel
Mobissimo.com
- Search international fares
ITAsoftware.com
- Another "meta-site" that searches fares between any worldwide city.
Log in as a Guest.
More online booking resources:
BiddingforTravel
- Tips for effective bidding on Priceline
Seatguru.com - Find out the best
and worst seats on any given airplane!
JohnnyJet
- Lists the toll-free numbers for all airlines
Having trouble finding that great deal Clark mentioned?
All fares reported by Clark (or published on the Travel Deals page) are valid and active at the time of publication. However, sometimes the deals don't
appear on the Online Booking sites. Why is this, and what can you do about it?
- First, be aware of the listed restrictions and blackout dates.
- The lowest fares are often only offered on a select number of seats.
If you see a fare that seems too good to be true, we suggest calling an travel agent immediately. Travel agents have access to a professional database called Worldspan (which is where we find our deals), but often the limited number of sale seats sell out before they're published on the online booking sites -- or even the airline's own website. (In fact, calling the airline can sometimes be the least effective way to get the deal! It's not in their interest to make these specials easy to find, and they're often not even visible to the airline agents.)
Vacation planning
The Internet is a traveler's best tool for researching destinations, accomodations
or attractions. Start by getting a good overview of your desired destination:
- Search it - Go to google.com, type
in some keywords, such as "Tuscany" or "Best Caribbean Beaches."
Look for links to these kinds of websites:
- Official tourism sites - these will give you an idea of an area's best
attractions
- Travel guide websites -
-- Fodors.com offers comprehensive
info on worldwide destinations
-- Frommers.com offers budget travel
deals and money saving advice
-- Lonelyplanet.com is a favorite
with youthful and alternative travelers
-- Slowtravel.com is a favorite of experienced
travelers who like to really immerse themselves in the local culture. Great
for those who want to rent an vacation apartment or condo for a most authentic
travel experience.
-- Do a google search and you'll discover hundreds more sites dedicated to every
destination imaginable!
Travel guides are great tools for research, but the downside is that everybody
reads them, and you may find that that great little bistro they recommend is overrun
with other tourists! Or, it may not even exist anymore, as the guide may be out
of date. To get the latest and greatest advice on what's really hot, (and what's
really just a tourist trap,) go straight to the source: Your fellow travelers!
- Travel Forums - Travelers share advice, secrets, trip reviews and more.
You can post questions and receive answers from locals and recent travelers.
Two good ones include Fodor's Travel
Talk forums , and Clark Howard's own Travel
Message Board!
- Ratings and Reviews sites - See reviews on everything from hotels to
attractions, all sorted by rating and popularity. Two good ones include: Trip
Advisor and Epinions.com .
Be Flexible for the Best Deals
When you have firm travel plans, start gathering airfare quotes several weeks
in advance, but resist making a purchase until you know the fare patterns etween
two cities, or until a too-hard-to-pass-up deal comes along.
- Purchase airline tickets to a city when it's priced far below regular sale
fare levels - or at a rock bottom rate. Then, figure out why you want to go
there. Eventually you'll see the world at a fraction of the normal price!
- Visit foreign cities during off-season when airfares, crowds and attraction
costs are at their lowest.
- You will pay significantly more for your travel if you insist on traveling
to a specific destination, on a specific outbound and return date, and/or at
specific times of the day. Creating this 'box' will leave you few opportunities
to take advantage of sale airfares.
Many of the best deals must be booked online at the site of the offering airline.
If a fare basis "Code" is provided, phone orders can be placed to
the airline or a travel agent. But Clark suggest you always try to book via
the Internet. That way you'll have a paper copy of your booking. Also, compare
prices at several travel Web sites before making a purchase.
Getting the best price on Internet
bookings
- Sale fares may be buried. They may only apply to flights at certain
times of day, or certain days of the week. You may need to try several different
times and dates before you find that special fare. If possible, don't fill
in specific dates or times, just city pairs, and look for the lowest prices
that come up. Travelocity.com
makes this really easy by offering a "flexible search" that shows
you a grid of different dates, airlines and fares, making it easy to pick
and choose the lowest fare.
- Check back often. Sale fares come and go frequently. Or, you can:
- Sign up with several internet booking sites to receive e-mail
promotions, notifications of sales, etc. Some, like Travelocity, will even
email you when there's been a significant reduction for your designated
destination.
Be careful:
- Fuel surcharges, taxes and fees are not always included in advertised
airfares.
With fuel and service prices skyrocketing, the add-on fees have gone through
the roof. Make sure your quote include all fees before booking.
- Read all the fine print at the web site you finally book with.
Be sure that you are totally comfortable about policies, terms and pre-and-post
customer service. What if you have a problem to solve? Does the web site
have a real phone number and address? Can you live with a purchase that
doesn't permit refunds or changes? Are you willing to pay fees for processing/handling/delivery
fees?
Airline Codes:
Some deals must be booked directly on the website
of the offering airline, and you'll sometimes see a "Reference Code"
alongside the deal. These airline codes provide information about advance purchase,
minimum stay and other rules. If a fare code is provided, you can give this
code to the airline or travel agent to help them locate the deal. However, they
are useless for Internet bookings. Clark wants you to compare prices
at several travel websites first to make sure you're getting the best deal.
If it is the best deal, go ahead and call the airline or agency and provide
the fare code.
No guarantees on that sale fare
If you do not see a "purchase by" date associated with a particular
sale mentioned on Clark's Travel
Tips page, treat the offer as a one-day sale and purchase tickets
as quickly as possible. Those deals typically expire before 11pm, and calling
the airline or booking online may not always work. If you're unlucky with one
format - try the other! Don't forget that travel agents are a reliable source
of airfare updates and current specials.
Is my hometown on sale? How do I search out sales to
cities in Asia or Europe or Caribbean Islands?
Clark's Travel
Tips page is full of ongoing and HOT deals to many worldwide destinations.
Tips to Europe
The sagging dollar isn't keeping travelers from heading to Europe! Steady demand
means you will have to be strategic about finding decent discounts. Don't fall
for paying full fares. Instead, consider traveling during an alternate season.
- The lowest fares of the year are offered during 'low' season which
runs from November 1-March 31. Slightly higher 'shoulder' season
fares are for travel from April 1-May 31 and again for October travel. 'High'
season runs from early to mid-June through early to mid-September.
- The key to savings is flexibility! Don't box yourself into a set destination
for specific travel dates. If you do you are play into those seasonal airfares
and cannot take advantage of discounts. Another key is to wait, wait some
more, and watch for discounting during the season you plan to travel.
- Travel during shoulder and winter months when airfares are cheaper. That
may be a huge sacrifice, but you'll save huge dollars if you are flexible
enough to travel when the deep reductions are offered, such as when new
service to a city is announced with introductory prices.
- Does your school schedule prevent you from taking advantage of off-season
specials? Teachers, students and other full-time students can find decent
summer airfares and specials, with STA
Travel.
How do I find a
good travel agent?
First, ask your friends, neighbors, co-workers or people that brag about their
fabulous vacations to refer you to their agent. These references can be the
most reliable and the best way to start. Working with and establishing a good
relationship with a travel agent could aid you in your search for low airfares
and with extensive trip planning. Yes, travel agents do charge fees that range
from a percentage of airfare to a flat fee, but your ultimate savings could
put you on the plus side. Find a travel agent at ASTA
or a cruise professional CLIA.
How do I find hotel
and car rental deals?
- Nearly all name-brand hotel chains are pulling away from placing special
rates from third-party travel Web sites and now ensure consumers of the
absolute lowest rates when booking directly at specific brand sites. You
should still shop several general travel Web sites and compare rates at
at the general brand Web site.
- If you don't care about staying at a specific hotel, consider a purchase
at Hotwire or Priceline.
Review the details on how hotels are 'rated' and terms of purchase before
completing a non-refundable sale.
- Shop car rental rates at many sites and then bid a bit lower at Priceline
- after all, a car is a car... Auto rentals from Priceline will get you
wheels from the brand names you trust.
Flying on a bankrupt
airline?
You should not experience any kind of change in flight services when traveling
with an airline operating under bankruptcy protection. However, should the courts
decide differently you could be left high and dry since ticket holders are considered
'unsecured creditors.' Normal cancellation policies are still enforced - but
if a bankrupt airline suspends, interrupts or discontinues a route, you're entitled
to a full refund. You can travel on that same ticket on other airline serving
that route, without additional charge, within 60 days of the disruption but
on a space available, first-come basis. Be sure to keep your passenger receipt
or get yourself a paper ticket. One will be required by any other carrier if
you must be reaccommodated.
What about future ticket purchases?
If you don't want to take chances, book away from any Chapter 11 airline -
which currently includes Aloha, ATA, Delta, Northwest, United, and USAirways.
Always purchase airline tickets with a credit card. Consumers have
a 60-day chargeback right should an airline cease to operate. This gets complicated:
The Fair Credit Billing Act requires that you make a chargeback request
in writing no later than 60 days after receiving your statement showing the
airline ticket charge. If you made a purchase more than 60 days in advance,
and your airline ceases to operate, you may have no claim to a credit. Also,
check with your credit card issuer to find out if they will permit these same
chargeback rights if you purchase a ticket on an airline which has filed for
bankruptcy - some issuers may not protect you should the airline
cease operations.
What about my SkyMiles or WorldPerk mileage?
Redeem them now for flights or consider donating them.
Review these FAQ pages from Northwest
Airlines or Delta.
Get help at the
Travel
Message Board
If you post a basic airfare inquiry about a specific city, it's likely that
your fellow Travel Message Board readers won't have the answer either. Spend
some time researching basic airfare questions at various web sites listed
above. If you are seeking recommendations on a hotel in a particular city,
it helps to define your low/high price point.
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