When To Book Travel Online
Christopher Elliot recently published a list of 7 trips you should never book online. His list online booking scenarios to avoid included:
- Cruises
- Round the world trips
- International travel
- Exotic holidays
- Special events
An Online Booking Nightmare
He cites the case of a honeymoon couple’s online booking nightmare as a reason and suggests the use of travel agents instead.
I disagree, because I don’t think it’s an all or nothing scenario. I’ve been booking online for years to destinations including Europe, the Caribbean and of course, the US.
When Should You Book Online?
Here are the times when I would book online without reference to a travel agent:
- if I’m already familiar with my destination and know exactly where I want to go
- for flights, accommodation, car hire and airport parking where I know what to expect
Destination Research
In other cases, I would do some research on travel forums and other resources before making a final decision, but I would still probably book online. These include:
- visits to places I might not know but which are on the beaten track
- trips with complicated requirements
Since I haven’t taken a round the world trip or a cruise (though they are both on my list), I’d probably look for specialist help on this. I’d visit or talk to a travel agent to get informed, do my usual research on the web and then decide whether I really need to book through a specialist.
If you are not a technophobe or too busy to do your own research (two scenarios in which I agree with Chris that professional help is best), I think you can almost always book online.
Should you book a honeymoon online? I’m not sure. There were no specialist agents who knew the area where I honeymooned (Carriacou, in the Caribbean), so my husband organised it himself via email – and it was great!
Photo by Jason Pratt - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonpratt/
Tags: Airport Parking, off airport parking, online booking, travel, Travel Tips
