How to avoid the most common travel booking mistakes everyone makes
Whether you’re booking a holiday, a work trip, or simply a trip interstate to visit family, we’ve all had that horrible feeling when we think we selected the wrong date for our flight or made a spelling mistake with our own names.
You may laugh, but these are some of the most common booking mistakes people make when arranging travel. In fact, the Skyscanner Australia study found that 70 per cent of us are concerned we’re going to get something wrong while we book our travel plans, and 55 per cent of us have actually gone ahead and chosen the wrong flight dates and times when we’ve booked online.
Here are the top 3 booking mistakes Australians make when arranging a holiday
Mistake #1 Booking the wrong flight
Getting the time and date wrong for a flight is a common issue, and people get it wrong when they fail to take into consideration the different time zones they may be flying through, or fail to notice that they gain or lose a day while they’re in the sky.
The best way to avoid this mistake is by setting yourself up with a calendar and taking careful note of the dates and times you arrive on each flight in local time.
Mistake #2 Misspelling names
When it comes to booking international flights it’s a hard and fast rule that you must always type in your name exactly as it appears on your passport. That means including any middle names, too. While some domestic Australian airlines may only charge a small name change fee, international airlines may insist that you need an entirely new ticket to rectify issues with your name – and that can cost the entire amount or more than the original flight.
Mistake #3 Booking your hotel for the wrong number of nights
It’s easy to make this mistake if you aren’t thinking clearly when you’re booking your hotel. The key ere is to remember that the final date is the date you have to leave. So, if you tell a hotel you’ll be staying from March 11 to 15, then you need to be up and out of your room - usually by 11am - on March 15 to check out.
Another easy mistake is booking a hotel for the day your leave your city of origin, only to realise you lose or gain a day during the long-haul flight. Double and triple check your local arrival dates and times on your plane tickets.
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