The biggest factor for buying a travel package has been the price. The second is the brand you are buying that package from. The third factor is the detail of the package. All packages look the same but as we know the catch is in the details. We the travel community are a close-knit community. If one company can sell a travel package at one cost the same can be given by several other companies. But how come everybody selling the same travel package at different prices. I will tell you how to buy a travel package by telling you how to read those details. You will realize the `value’ of the prize is low in these packages. The other person who quoted Rs.500 extra was giving you `high value’ of the price quoted.
The package cost revolves around this component. Most of the travel portals will play the cost on this one component. Now, how to buy a travel package – check the details of the hotel! The cost of the hotel for the travel industry revolves around the location of the hotel. If the hotel is in the city center, the cost is high. If it is outside the cost is always low. The worst thing a company can do is put you in suburbs. I mean literary outside the city. This option comes into play when it is high season. Everybody wants to sell so sell anything. The biggest of the brands get into this practice. There is a certain cost to a package no matter what somebody says that cost cannot come down.
If you want to compare a travel package price, it should have the same hotel. If not, at least have the same category hotel, 3, 4, or 5 stars. Yet again the location matters. This you can easily do by searching hotels around the same area on google maps.
This would include pickup and drop from the airport to the hotel. The other thing transfer covers are the tours/activity. Whether they are with a transfer or not. The second aspect on how to buy a travel package is – Shared (SIC – Seat in coach) or private transfer. Naturally, the shared transfer is cheaper, and private is expensive. The shared transfer means that you will be traveling with other passengers. The transfer in this would be a minivan. The van can accommodate 10 people, so you would be one of them. Not that this is bad but if you are with family, consider a private transfer.
If you are going with your family always opt for private transfer the cost remains the same.
You literary get played or the travel packages get designed on what you will do once you land. The cheaper packages will never have the tours which you should do. So, how to buy a travel package – check the tours you will do. The city tours should be avoided at all times. I feel the value is not there, you get to see nothing. I would recommend that don’t just buy a package do some research on what you want to see. The packages are not focused on the specialty of the country. There might be 5-10 places you should visit to know the culture and heritage of the country. But, the travel packages might not have any of them. The catch is, as soon as you choose different tours you will see the price go high. A good travel package should have at least two to three attractions which are famous in that country only.
Are you are visiting a location where you have to spend more? Like Coral island in Pattaya or a Water Park! You might just get a transfer and a ticket. But what about once you reach there? Do you have to buy a ticket for every attraction?
The flight time could add a day or minus a day to your travel package. Now, you bought a travel package with a flight, look out for the flight timing. If your flight is landing in the middle of the night, your hotel will charge you for that night. If you are not charged then you will not get that room in the middle of the night. You have to pay extra or be at the mercy of the hotel. Do note all hotel check-in time is 2:00 pm. If you arrive that early, your check-in time is still 2:00 pm. The cheapest package will in 99% scenario have the worst flight time.
The airlines charge a premium for the best flight timings. There are no scenarios where this flight ticket will be cheap. Now, what are the best flight times, early-morning arrival and late-night departure? You can read about flight timings here. So how to buy a travel package, look out for flight time and flight duration. The other thing that travel packages do is give you a flight with one or even two stops. Let say if you are going to Thailand the flight time is just four hours. But if you check your travel package the flight duration could be 10-11 hours. The particular flight might be going via Malaysia to Bangkok. Hence the low cost and one full day loss.
Do not compromise on flight time pay extra and get the best timing. Choose the best flight timing and with the lowest fly time.
You checked the detail you pressed buy, and then the waiting screen comes. The waiting screen tells you that it is checking for your rates. That is another bad practice followed by travel portals. The dynamic pricing rechecks once the purchase has been made. You might get an increase from hundred rupees to a thousand in a second. But you are not in a mood to redo the search, and you just go with the new rates. The other thing which comes into the picture is the convince charges which get added in the last screen. They might be as high a two thousand rupees. This is also disguised as a handling charge. So do check thoroughly before paying for any added cost.
Do not just buy the travel packages at face value. Reach the final page of payments and then decide.
Eccentric Blogger, Traveler and Consultant.
