6 Tips for Booking Travel Reservations

Making reservations online for hotels, flights, car rentals, and experiences is the easiest way to book a trip. Whatever your destination or adventure is, there is a website and maybe even a mobile app to book it through. Although we find it convenient to book trips this way, sometimes mistakes can be made. Before you authorize any payments, there are some things you should pay attention to before you finalize anything. Here are 6 travel tips for booking reservations without worry. So, wherever you ramble to next, these tips will get you there.

1. Compare Similar Options

     Whether you are booking a flight, hotel, car rental or an activity, you’ll want to find the best price. We like to search what we’re looking for on travel sites like Kayak. Pricing is the first thing we look at, then we check what’s included. Once we find one that best fits our needs, we compare it to the website of the booking provider (e.g. Delta Airlines). Usually we find that these prices are the same, but sometimes you can find deals or promo codes to use. Double check the booking you chose to make sure you aren’t mixing up any details with other options you viewed.

2. Check the Cancellation Policy

Make sure you know the cancellation policy of the website and the booking provider. Some sites allow canceling up to 24 hours in advance with a full refund. Others may offer no cancellation at all. Try to find an option that allows you to cancel your reservation. If canceling isn’t allowed, sometimes calling the company to explain the situation helps. They might be able to offer at least a partial refund or allow changes to your booking. We’ve gotten very lucky trying this before and received a full refund. It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot. Tips like this help make booking travel reservations stress free.

3. Call or Email for More Details

     Most of the time there is enough information about a reservation, but sometimes we’re left with questions. When you have concerns that aren’t answered in the description, call or email the business to get more details. They’re always happy to provide information to a potential customer. Answering those questions and having the extra details will make deciding easier.

4. Know the Currency

     If you want to travel internationally, you’ll need to know the currency of your destination. Most travel websites bill you in your currency, but internationally based businesses might charge you in their nation’s currency. Be aware that hotels tend to charge you at check-in, which can be months from when you booked the reservation. Therefore, the exchange rate may have fluctuated by the time you get charged. Keeping a currency converter app on your phone gives you quick access to the latest exchange rates.

5. Use Credit, Not Debit

     The most important reason we pay with credit cards is that it keeps our bank account safe. If our credit card information gets stolen, we can dispute fraudulent charges and freeze or cancel that card without worrying. Our bank account won’t be touched. A favorite benefit of ours with using a credit card is the ability to earn rewards. Accruing points/miles that we can apply towards future trips saves us money later on. When booking through an international business’ site, you may want to use a card that has no foreign transaction fees. The charge will likely originate from the country they are located in. Some credit cards also offer rental car coverage as part of their benefits. Find a travel rewards credit card that works for you.

6. Print and Save a PDF of Your Reservation

     Having two forms of your reservation makes travel worry free. While saving a PDF on your phone is convenient, you can’t always be sure it’ll have power. Keeping a printed version on hand ensures you always have access to important information like addresses and confirmation numbers.

While it may take more time to finalize your plans using these tips, it is totally worth the effort. Try these out the next time you book a trip and let us know if they helped you. Also, we’d love to see any tips for booking travel reservations or questions you may have in the comments. Don’t forget to check out our other posts like our 10 day Costa Rica itinerary. Happy travels!