Archive for Travel Experiences
Is Cheap Travel Possible?
Posted by: | CommentsHi Friends,
Majority of us love travel to as many countries as possible, but is often limited by funds. Is cheap travel possible?
Yes, I definitely think so. Cheap travel is very possible if:-
Paris Summer Sale (30 June to 3 August 2010)
Posted by: | CommentsHi Friends,
If you are planning to visit Europe, you may be delighted to find out the Summer sale hits Paris this summer! Unleash that fashion sense in you and take advantage of the shopping opportunity of this annual event.
Branded Handbags To Buy In Europe!
Posted by: | CommentsHi Friends,
With the falling Euro dollars (EUR), it is no wonder why many travelers heading Europe are excited of the shopping opportunities.
Here is a list of branded handbags that you won’t want to miss to buy in Europe:-
Why Don’t Tour Agencies Show All Inclusive Pricing?
Posted by: | CommentsHi Friends,
You are excited about the advertised travel deals published by the tour agencies! You rushed down to Natas Fair 2010 to book your dream holiday. To your dismay, you realized that the prices is not all inclusive. What happened?
Is the above scenario familiar? I guess we all have our fair share of the story.
Most tour agencies in Singapore are still showing prices exclusive of airport taxes and surcharges. Usually there is a fine print at the bottom of their travel brochures stating the range of the airport taxes and surcharges.
Have you wondered why can’t tour agencies simply provide all inclusive prices?
Anyway, travelers are still going to decide which tour agency to book their dream holiday with after considering the itinerary and of course the total cost ( tour packages + airport taxes + surcharges during holiday season + compulsory tips + expected disbursement for meals not cover in the packages).
For some time, I have been thinking of this and my conclusion is tour agencies are not doing it because majority is not doing it. Reflecting a all-inclusive packages prices is going to make the tour packages appear more expensive and may cause the consumer to check out the “cheaper” package instead.
The tour agencies may have their difficult points. Image,if you see tour agency ABC charging $700 for 7N to Taiwan and tour agency ZZZ charging $1000 (all inclusive pricing) for the same 7N to Taiwan, who will you call up first?
I may get more excited over tour agency ABC’s travel deals first and contact them to check out the details. Won’t you do it too?
So having know that tour agencies prices are usually not all inclusive, it is the job of travelers to ensure we check around for the pricing. Add all the costs up, study the itinerary and the number of meals provided to decide which tour agency is truly “value for money”.
Of course, don’t forget the non-quantitative factors like good reputation, good tour leader (e.g. someone whom have lead a tour you have previously enjoyed) and a suitable itinerary.
If we are willing to spend the money, we must feel happy after going for the tour. If not, why spend the money on travel? We can use the money to shop in Singapore too!
Cheers,
Karen
What I have Learnt About Booking Of Hotel?
Posted by: | CommentsHi Friends,
Today I am sharing what I have learnt about booking of hotel.
In July, I initially planned a trip to Hong Kong at this December year end. After some research, I booked the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel on 31 December 2009. The hotel rate is HK$2530 per room per night. The hotel room was charged to my credit card as a “reservation” guarantee for S$482.52 (exchange rate of 0.1907)
During the Natas Fair, I decided to change my travel iternary from Hong Kong to Korea. Thus, I proceeded to cancel my hotel reservation at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
The customer service officer from Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is very helpful and facilitated on the cancellation. Within one month, the same amount HK$2530 is refunded back to my credit card. However, the rate refunded in S$ is only S$461.01 (exchange rate of 0.1822)
Lesson learnt? Well, I incurred a loss of S$21.51 which is even more expensive of paying S$4.8 booking fee to online hotel booking system like Asiaweb Direct.
Thus, if you can’t decide whether to have the hotel or not, better think twice because the exchange differences charged and refund to credit card is usually less favourable to consumers.
Hope this lesson I learnt is useful to you too!
Cheers,
Karen Lim
