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Traveling and first requesting advice…
Question:
>One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel >cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts.
Up to there I agree with you. instead of >asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of >travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the >so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure >travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, >dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money >that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% >of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, >you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the >$10 off!
That rather depends. Travel agents have to make a living. They make it on commission. Anyway, I prefer to do my own research rather than rely on a person whom I do not know very well. Bucket shops are best. —
Response:
Guess I have a beef also. I often write long answers which I feel are too long to post on the newsgroup, so I want to send them by e-mail. Sometimes I spend nearly an hour writing an answer, only to find that the e-mail address given is invalid. So, If you ask a question on the newsgroup, please give a valid e-mail address (disguised with NOSPAM included if you wish, or written into the text in a fashion a computer search will not find, such as seaotter6 at aol dot com). Larry at Morro Bay, California
Response:
We appreciate your honesty and candor in admitting that you have a vested interest, being a travel consultant. As for the vague questions, I really think most people DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. Thus, the general question. If people knew exactly what they wanted out of a vacation, then this newsgroup would grow silent and travel consultants would probably go out of business, specially with the advent of online bookings. So if the ultra-vague questions irritate you, please humor them a bit. Not everyone is a savvy a traveler like you are. Besides, how can you be a good travel consultant if you show a lot of IMPATIENCE, if not INTOLERANCE, right off the bat. It seems to me that part of you job would be to find out what your clients really want so that they will be satisfied with what they book. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > This is a terrific newsgroup, lots of information, lots of people willing to > share experiences, make recommendations, give advice, but I HAVE A BEEF! > Most of the time, those who want to travel ask questions that are too vague: > what should I do in Paris? should I take the train or a car between A and > B? What is a good hotel in Rome? > How can anyone answer? Not everybody’s basic requirements are the same! > How about giving some indication, no matter what country a participant wants > to visit, as to: > 1) reasons for traveling: to bond with a group of friends, to visit > monuments and museums, go to the theatre, see nature at its most unusual > best, to eat local foods, etc. etc. > 2) budget: at least low, moderate, fancier, luxurious > 3) travel means: fast, leisurely, just to get from one place to the other? > to stop and go when the spirit moves? > how much luggage: an entire wardrobe or a backpack? > 4) experimenting: with food, with customs, with talking with local people > (is one multilingual or desperately Englishbound), willing to take chances > and feel silly and laugh trying to communicate? > 5) not experimenting: learn a lot about a country or region with a group of > people on an escorted tour and a superb multilingual guide? > Finally, I am of the stupid opinion that doing a little research to weed out > the no-nos helps: there are thousands of websites, too many almost, which > give superb info. Google.com is my search bible, it’s on my desktop, ready > at the click of my mouse… I am as precise as I know for a particular bit > of information, as vague as circumstances force me to be when I know > nothing, and then I refine my search. I am of the opinion that a good part > of the pleasure of traveling is researching a destination, it whets one’s > appetite! > One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel > cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts instead of > asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of > travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the > so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure > travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, > dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money > that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% > of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, > you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the > $10 off! > Boy, it feels good to sound off! I am an independent travel consultant, so > I am not exactly objective about all my opinions. Danielle
Response:
This is a terrific newsgroup, lots of information, lots of people willing to share experiences, make recommendations, give advice, but I HAVE A BEEF! Most of the time, those who want to travel ask questions that are too vague: what should I do in Paris? should I take the train or a car between A and B? What is a good hotel in Rome? How can anyone answer? Not everybody’s basic requirements are the same! How about giving some indication, no matter what country a participant wants to visit, as to: 1) reasons for traveling: to bond with a group of friends, to visit monuments and museums, go to the theatre, see nature at its most unusual best, to eat local foods, etc. etc. 2) budget: at least low, moderate, fancier, luxurious 3) travel means: fast, leisurely, just to get from one place to the other? to stop and go when the spirit moves? how much luggage: an entire wardrobe or a backpack? 4) experimenting: with food, with customs, with talking with local people (is one multilingual or desperately Englishbound), willing to take chances and feel silly and laugh trying to communicate? 5) not experimenting: learn a lot about a country or region with a group of people on an escorted tour and a superb multilingual guide? Finally, I am of the stupid opinion that doing a little research to weed out the no-nos helps: there are thousands of websites, too many almost, which give superb info. Google.com is my search bible, it’s on my desktop, ready at the click of my mouse… I am as precise as I know for a particular bit of information, as vague as circumstances force me to be when I know nothing, and then I refine my search. I am of the opinion that a good part of the pleasure of traveling is researching a destination, it whets one’s appetite! One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts instead of asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the $10 off! Boy, it feels good to sound off! I am an independent travel consultant, so I am not exactly objective about all my opinions. Danielle
Response:
This is a terrific newsgroup, lots of information, lots of people willing to share experiences, make recommendations, give advice, but I HAVE A BEEF! Most of the time, those who want to travel ask questions that are too vague: what should I do in Paris? should I take the train or a car between A and B? What is a good hotel in Rome? How can anyone answer? Not everybody’s basic requirements are the same! How about giving some indication, no matter what country a participant wants to visit, as to: 1) reasons for traveling: to bond with a group of friends, to visit monuments and museums, go to the theatre, see nature at its most unusual best, to eat local foods, etc. etc. 2) budget: at least low, moderate, fancier, luxurious 3) travel means: fast, leisurely, just to get from one place to the other? to stop and go when the spirit moves? how much luggage: an entire wardrobe or a backpack? 4) experimenting: with food, with customs, with talking with local people (is one multilingual or desperately Englishbound), willing to take chances and feel silly and laugh trying to communicate? 5) not experimenting: learn a lot about a country or region with a group of people on an escorted tour and a superb multilingual guide? Finally, I am of the stupid opinion that doing a little research to weed out the no-nos helps: there are thousands of websites, too many almost, which give superb info. Google.com is my search bible, it’s on my desktop, ready at the click of my mouse… I am as precise as I know for a particular bit of information, as vague as circumstances force me to be when I know nothing, and then I refine my search. I am of the opinion that a good part of the pleasure of traveling is researching a destination, it whets one’s appetite! One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts instead of asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the $10 off! Boy, it feels good to sound off! I am an independent travel consultant, so I am not exactly objective about all my opinions. Danielle
Response:
>One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel >cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts.
Up to there I agree with you. instead of >asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of >travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the >so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure >travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, >dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money >that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% >of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, >you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the >$10 off!
That rather depends. Travel agents have to make a living. They make it on commission. Anyway, I prefer to do my own research rather than rely on a person whom I do not know very well. Bucket shops are best. —
Response:
Guess I have a beef also. I often write long answers which I feel are too long to post on the newsgroup, so I want to send them by e-mail. Sometimes I spend nearly an hour writing an answer, only to find that the e-mail address given is invalid. So, If you ask a question on the newsgroup, please give a valid e-mail address (disguised with NOSPAM included if you wish, or written into the text in a fashion a computer search will not find, such as seaotter6 at aol dot com). Larry at Morro Bay, California
Response:
We appreciate your honesty and candor in admitting that you have a vested interest, being a travel consultant. As for the vague questions, I really think most people DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. Thus, the general question. If people knew exactly what they wanted out of a vacation, then this newsgroup would grow silent and travel consultants would probably go out of business, specially with the advent of online bookings. So if the ultra-vague questions irritate you, please humor them a bit. Not everyone is a savvy a traveler like you are. Besides, how can you be a good travel consultant if you show a lot of IMPATIENCE, if not INTOLERANCE, right off the bat. It seems to me that part of you job would be to find out what your clients really want so that they will be satisfied with what they book. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > This is a terrific newsgroup, lots of information, lots of people willing to > share experiences, make recommendations, give advice, but I HAVE A BEEF! > Most of the time, those who want to travel ask questions that are too vague: > what should I do in Paris? should I take the train or a car between A and > B? What is a good hotel in Rome? > How can anyone answer? Not everybody’s basic requirements are the same! > How about giving some indication, no matter what country a participant wants > to visit, as to: > 1) reasons for traveling: to bond with a group of friends, to visit > monuments and museums, go to the theatre, see nature at its most unusual > best, to eat local foods, etc. etc. > 2) budget: at least low, moderate, fancier, luxurious > 3) travel means: fast, leisurely, just to get from one place to the other? > to stop and go when the spirit moves? > how much luggage: an entire wardrobe or a backpack? > 4) experimenting: with food, with customs, with talking with local people > (is one multilingual or desperately Englishbound), willing to take chances > and feel silly and laugh trying to communicate? > 5) not experimenting: learn a lot about a country or region with a group of > people on an escorted tour and a superb multilingual guide? > Finally, I am of the stupid opinion that doing a little research to weed out > the no-nos helps: there are thousands of websites, too many almost, which > give superb info. Google.com is my search bible, it’s on my desktop, ready > at the click of my mouse… I am as precise as I know for a particular bit > of information, as vague as circumstances force me to be when I know > nothing, and then I refine my search. I am of the opinion that a good part > of the pleasure of traveling is researching a destination, it whets one’s > appetite! > One of the other problems is that potential travelers always want to travel > cheaply, and they waste all their time looking for discounts instead of > asking a professional travel agent to do it for them. Ninety percent of > travel agents can get the same fares and hotel prices as anything like the > so-called discount places; sure, from time to time airlines try to lure > travelers away from agencies by selling tickets directly on the web, > dropping an additional $10 off a $500 fare (a whopping 2%); they earn money > that way, because if the travel agent booked the fare, he/she would get 5% > of the fare; the airline thus saves 3%, but by booking through an airline, > you cannot find out that another airline has an even lower fare without the > $10 off! > Boy, it feels good to sound off! I am an independent travel consultant, so > I am not exactly objective about all my opinions. Danielle