As this is being published, I will be sunning myself by a pool in Bali, drinking a cold refreshing cocktail and embracing my ‘relaxation time’. However, it’s not always an easy road to travel when booking your perfect holiday, what with…
- Finding the right destination…
- Searching the multitude of accommodation offers
- and even finding the time to actual go on holiday! or maybe that should have been #1?
Personally, I prefer to book the holiday and the itinerary myself, as opposed to going through an agent. With a background of Travel and Tourism, and as a Personal Concierge, I have the experience to know when and where to find the best deals; which saves me a lot of time, stress and money!
Many people go through an agent, so as to avoid booking their own itinerary due mainly to the mine-field of ‘compare’ sites – links that lead from one site to another and another – before long, they have forgotten what the original deal was, their mind is boggled and have been left feeling completely overwhelmed and nothing booked!
So rather than comparethemine-field.com – I want to share my favourite sites – which are not only some of the cheapest and easiest, but more importantly they have never failed to make me smile!
Long Haul Flights:
www.lastminute.com – I recently took a flight back to the UK – Last Minute were actually cheaper than booking with the airline directly.
Short Haul Flights:
- airasia.com – I’ve experienced many fantastic flights with this airline – their booking system is clear and easy.
- tigerair.com – again, fantastic flights and customer service.
Remember that booking ‘cheaper’ flights (the likes of Air Asia and Tiger) are ‘charter’ flights and therefore are not guaranteed to leave on time. Airlines such as Qantas, Virgin, Singapore (scheduled flights) have priority slots for take-off – this does not make the airline any less superior – You get what you pay for.
Hotels:
- trivago.com.au – I remember when this site was first established in 2004 – to this day they are strong competitors in the market.
- hotelscombined.com.au – just as competitive as the above, so make sure you cross reference.
- hostelbookers.com – Yes, I said hostel! Don’t be put off – you will be surprised by the amount of hotels, villas and apartments for a ridiculously low price. There is also the option of part payment at the time of confirmation…with no booking fees!
Don’t forget to check www.tripadvisor.com for customer reviews about your destination/accommodation – but remember that everyone else’s taste and expectations of an establishment may differ from yours!
Finally, the key to booking the perfect holiday is to remain calm, patient and do your research.
But if you are really don’t have the time or the thought still knocks you sideways call upon your Personal Concierge at ne: Solutions to assist you. Before you know it, you will be stress free and at the departure gate.
Happy Vacationing!
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By Carly Hopgood.