2.3. Key advice about Internet travel reservations and purchasing
by Edward Hasbrouck
Don’t assume that tickets or other travel services will be cheaper on the
Internet. Always compare prices from online and offline sources. Online robotic
reservations and ticketing have more advantages in convenience and self-control
than in price. There are travel deals on the Internet, but it takes work to find
them.
There is no magic URL. Different sites, sources, and tactics may be best for
different trips. No one Web site site consistently has the best prices, even for
similar trips.
Don’t expect Internet travel robots to do your work for you, or find you the best
price. They are designed to get as much of your money as possible, not to help
you pay less.
Not all Web sites or online travel agencies have the same information or access
to the same prices. Use sites that offer real alternatives and have access to
different types of prices.
Don’t waste time “comparing” prices from sites that all have the same offerings.
Web sites that look different may rely on the same data, or may even be different
virtual doorways into the same online travel agency.
The better you understand your own travel preferences, the better the chances
that you will find what you want. Do you really want the cheapest ticket even if
it’s for a 3-stop flight at 3 a.m.?
Compare apples and apples. What matters is the bottom-line price for confirmed
reservations, when you are ready to click on “buy”. Most advertised prices are
substantially less than what you’ll really have to pay; many advertised prices
aren’t available at all; and many Web sites are just online ads.
Read all the rules. Understand what you are buying, and from whom, before you
buy. Some tickets are totally nonrefundable and nonchangeable. If you might
have to change your plans, it might be worth paying more for a changeable
ticket.
Some of the best travel deals you can find online may be with travel agencies
you have to e-mail or phone for prices and reservations. Online travel agencies
aren’t all just robots.
Avoid e-tickets as much as possible. Insist on paper tickets whenever they are
available, even if they cost a few dollars extra.
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"Don't believe anything just because you read it on the Internet. Anyone can say anything on the Internet, and they do.
The Internet is the most effective medium in history for the rapid global propagation of rumor, myth, and false information."
(From The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace, 2001)
This page published or republished here 1 January 2001; most recently modified 6 October 2020. Copyright © 1991-2024 Edward Hasbrouck, except as noted.
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