While cheaptravel options, including cheap airplane tickets, cheap fares, cheapdeals, discount hotel rooms, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages helpmake travel affordable, common travel myths frequently either impede travel orresult in people underestimating the true costs of their trips.
Often your travel dreams can come true which means turningsome negative myths on their head such as yes, you can afford a bucket-listtrip to almost anywhere. Other times, itmeans clarifying what all-inclusive offers really include.
The follow are common/wrong travel myths, according toRobert Firpo-Cappiello:
Travelis too expensive. While it is true thatthe most popular European capitals, such as London, are home to very expensivehotel rates, a little smart research, package tours (where very cheap airfareand hotel rates are bundled into the package), and taking advantage ofluxurious freebies and bargains that can be found almost anywhere, often makesuch trips affordable.
Managingrewards points is a headache. You shouldmake a point of maximizing, within reason, the number of points you have withany given airline or hotel chain. Beaware that your points/miles are likely to be devalued by travel operators overtime. It is important to find a way touse miles for things such as seat upgrades on long flights or hotel rooms thatcost a lot more than you would normally be willing to spend. Be patient, and keep an eye out for the bestvalue.
Lodgingis too expensive for big families. Whilethis is often true of hotel stays, vacation rentals for large families canprove quite affordable. Instead oftrying to fit a large family comfortably in one hotel room, you are likely tosave big by renting an apartment or home where you can do some of your owncooking and enjoy more space.
All-inclusiveactually means all-inclusive. Thethought of not having to constantly reach for your wallet while vacationing isenticing. Whether taking a cruise, orstaying at a resort, in many cases, top-shelf drinks, certain restaurants, andother experiences may cost extra. Rememberfinding out before you buy is always nicer than finding out when you arereading your bill.
Youcant control flight delays and other travel snafus. While it is true that you cannot control theweather or mechanical failure or human error that may derail your flight plans,you can seriously improve your ability to deal with delays and cancellationswhen you understand the best procedures, and magic words that unlock kindnessin strangers, and most importantly, what your rights are.
The following is an air travelers take-control cheat sheetto dealing with airline delays and/or cancellations:
Beprepared the days before you fly by checking weather forecasts for yourdeparting airport, any connecting stops, and your destination. Keep a list of hotels at each of thoseairports.
Stayinformed by checking on your flight immediately before departing for theairport. Use TripAdvisors GateGuru appto check weather conditions and flight schedules before you get to the airport.
Benice in dealing with airline personnel if your flight is cancelled. Ask to be booked on the next availableflight. If no flights are available,politely ask for a hotel and meal voucher. If your cancellation is due to weather, the airline is not obligated togive you anything, but might if you ask nicely.
Be alittle nosy and find out whether the delay is due solely to weather or perhapsa combination of weather and other factors. If there are mechanical problems, repeat your polite request for hoteland meal vouchers.
Whenall else fails and you are stuck checking into a hotel while you wait forweather conditions to change, ask the hotel if they offer a distressedtraveler rate.
Beinsurance-savvy. If you are booking apackage tour or cruise, you can often purchase an affordable policy that allowsyou to cancel for any reason at any time. If you are headed to the Caribbean during hurricane season, suchpolicies are adviseable.
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