When traveling on a budget, one of the most often asked questions is whether it is best to travel independently, reserving your own airfare, hotel stay and sightseeing reservations, or choose a package tour where everything is set up for you in advance.
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. It is largely dependent on the location you have selected and dates of travel. For instance, travel to European destinations are often less costly to book on your own, especially when the airlines are running specials of European airfares in the off-season.
On the other hand, travel to many exotic locations, like Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, and India, are often much less expensive when booked through a vacation package company or travel agent. That is because these tour operators often have special deals with the national airlines of these companies, and with very nice resort hotels, to provide considerable discounts in exchange for a steady flow of business.
For instance, with a little bit of shopping, you can book a vacation package from New York to Egypt for a grand total of $1,100, including airfare, an excellent hotel, daily breakfast, airport transfers, and daily sightseeing tours, including guided tours of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. This is far less than you would have paid if you had booked this trip independently.
Similar deals exist for other locations, notably India, China, and Taiwan. So be sure to check on the availability of these package deals when shopping for a budget travel deal.
Of course, some great deals can be had on your own as well, and this is often a great way to go, especially if you are a solo traveler. Solo travelers often have difficulty getting those great deals on package deals, since the required single supplement can often ruin the deal.
It is also important to find out exactly what is, and what is not included, in any package you are considering. Many package deals have optional excursions built in, and these extras can add considerable cost. Be sure to ask for a detailed daily itinerary to determine if you will be left on your own if you fail to take these optional. Also ask for a detailed list of these optional excursions, including full descriptions and prices, and then carefully compare the total price to what you could find on your own.
If you are traveling on your own, be sure to start shopping early, especially if you are traveling by air. The important thing to remember is that airlines allocate only so many seats for those advertised low fares, and if you fail to act quickly, you may be out of luck. It is important to book the airfare, and the hotel, as early as possible to ensure the lowest possible prices.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to choose a vacation package deal or independent travel is up to each individual traveler. It is important to carefully compare package prices with those for independent travel to the same location. It is also important to consider your own personal travel style. Some people are more comfortable with a packaged tour, particularly to an unfamiliar location, while others relish the freedom from schedules that independent travel provides.
Fond of traveling? Always on the go? If you’re the quintessential jet setter, then you definitely should go for this – travel reward credit cards. It’s the brand-new, ultimate solution to the ultimate globetrotter who always needs to be on the go. But what really are travel reward credit cards and how ‘beneficial’ are they for the cardholder?
Getting to Know Your Travel Credit Card
Travel reward credit cards give airline mile rewards to cardholders for availing the card. The cardholder accumulates points depending on the dollar amount of his purchases with the credit card. Once the number of points has been reached, the cardholder is entitled to an airline travel or any such related reward. There are actually three categories or types of travel reward credit cards, the airline miles earning card, the travel point card, and the hybrid card, a combination of the first two types. Airline mile earning cards earn 1 mile for every dollar spent while a travel point card earns 1 point for every dollar spent. The points can then be redeemed at the credit card’s travel agency. The hybrid card earns 1 point for each dollar spent and can be exchanged for airline miles or used as travel points.
The jet-setter or the frequent flyer should consider an airline mile card or a hybrid card. With an airline mile credit card or a hybrid card, one can avail of free trips in first class even faster. Cards like Aerogold Visa and Royal Bank British Airways Platinum Visa can convert those economy trips to first class. On the other hand, for those who are not frequent flyers, the ideal choice to go for is the travel point card, or even the hybrid card. While these cards may not give free trips in a year, it can, however, provide discounts on your travel needs. As they offer points for every dollar spent which are redeemable as cash equivalent discounts through the credit card company’s travel agency or reward center. Most cards offer $50 off for every 5000 points redeemed. These discounts can come in handy when the times come for that much-awaited trip or vacation.
Depending on the type of card, the reward may also cover purchase of gas, auto rentals, hotel accommodations and even purchase in shops and boutiques.
They also provide cash advances when you’re on the road. There’s also travel insurance that would include worldwide emergencies like medical evacuation, lost luggage, and emergency expatriation.
Travel Reward Credit Card SOS
The important thing with travel reward credit cards is you determine the frequency of your travels as well as your own spending habits. Before choosing which credit card to go for, assess the possible uses of these travel reward credit cards. Then, look for cards that offer the biggest savings on the types of purchases that you most probably will be making. If you’re not the only one traveling, travel reward credit cards offering airline or car rental perks are good to go because it benefits, not only you, but your travel companion as well. Know also the schedule and value of the travel rewards these credit cards offer.
Of course, don’t forget to read the terms and conditions, like the airline miles you gain for every dollar spent, or the airline miles you need to accumulate before qualifying for a free airline ticket or other rewards. And lastly, they come with an annual fee, so check to make sure that you know the charges to your account.
