Confused With All the Travel Information on the Internet?

By Elaine M Sklom  |   Submitted On January 01, 2016

 

There is so much information available on the internet right now regarding travel. There are online travel sites for cruises, hotels, air, trains and any other type of travel. But what is the correct product for you? Is the location of the hotel where you want to be? Is the type of room or cabin the right fit for you? Is that cruise line the one you should be booking? Not all products are created equal nor are the products right for everyone. How do you tell? Contact a travel professional.

Do travel agents exist?

There have been multiple articles, and even the President of the United States, has said travel agents don't exist or are going away. In a way they are right. Travel agents in the past were just someone who booked a trip for someone who called or came in to the storefront office of a travel agency. Storefront travel agencies are few and far between now a days as most of the "travel agents" have gone home to work. Even the term "travel agent" is going away because what they do now is different than what they did before.

Travel Professionals/Travel Counselors

Travel Agents are now more a counselor and an adviser so they are now called Travel Professionals or Travel Counselor. Even the travel industry is trying to get away from using the term "travel agent". They no longer just book a trip for someone, they know more than what is available to the traveling client. The travel professionals now are constantly learning, constantly traveling, receiving input from other travel professionals about where they have traveled and are a resource for what is required to travel now a days.
When you use an online travel agency like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. you aren't able to have someone protect your back. They book the travel for you and then you are pretty much on your own. Say your flight gets cancelled, who is going to book a replacement flight? You are, not them. If you use a travel professional that travel professional will do it. If something goes wrong on your trip, if the room you booked is not like what you thought it would be, who is going to make it right? A travel professional will also check constantly for price drops before final payment and whether a new promotion offered would be more beneficial than what was booked with a deposit. All these things can be addressed before final payment.
A travel professional works with you from the time you first talk to them until you are home safe and sound and any and all problems have been solved or addressed.

It Costs More to Use a Travel Professional

This is not always true. True, some travel professionals charge fees but not all of them do. This is because some vendors, like airlines and some hotels, don't pay commission or some of the vendors have decreased the amount of commissions paid to the travel professional. In order to make ends meet, some travel professionals charge fees. I charge $50 per person for airline reservations domestically and $100 for airline reservations internationally. I will also charge a fee sometimes for hotels for the same reason or if I am putting the various sections of the trip together myself. If I book a cruise or a tour, I don't charge a fee as the vendor pays me a commission. Remember, whether you use a travel professional or not the commission is still being paid as it is automatically included in the price from the vendor. So, why not use a travel professional and avoid the hassle and save your time?
The rules for traveling are constantly changing and it is the travel professional who is able to keep their clients on track with them.

Examples: Passports

For instance, did you know that come January, 2016 you may need a passport to travel by air domestically? This is due to a law called the REAL ID Act. This requires all travelers to have a REAL ID compliant identification that includes all of these fields: full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, unique identifying number, a principal residence address and a front-facing photograph of the applicant. Unfortunately there are still a handful of states that are non-compliant. Do you know which states are compliant and which aren't?

Your travel professional does. By the way, outright non-compliant states/territories are American Samoa, Louisiana and New Hampshire. The states of Minnesota and New York offer an optional Enhanced ID at a cost, so because it is optional, a large percentage of residents don't have one. Some states have applied for additional extensions, but it is unclear if those will be granted. Currently, only four states (Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York) and American Samoa are technically non-compliant.

Also, we still don't know if January 1, 2016 will be the date of the requirement or will it be later? Because of this law, the passport processing time for all will be affected. All the passports issued in 2006 to meet the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that went into effect in 2007 are now expiring, causing a slew of renewals. So, because of those renewals coupled with the possible REAL ID enforcement, passport waits are expected to further increase. As of October 11, the current wait has already increased a week to four to six weeks for standard passports and three weeks for expedited. Expedited in person could be up to eight days based on travel need.

Ultimately the REAL ID Act will require all state-issued drivers' licenses to include "machine-readable technology" or chips to help keep us safe and secure while traveling. For more information on the REAL ID Act go to http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.
Also, passports are recommended for cruises just like they are required to fly outside of the United States. The reason being is if you do need to fly back to the United States from a foreign port you have a passport to do so. Just because you are on a cruise leaving a United States port, technically you are traveling internationally just as soon as you step on the ship as most ships are registered outside of the United States!

Example: Visas

A travel professional would be able to help you determine if visas are required to travel to where you want to go. If they don't know for sure, they know where to send you for that information and get confirmation that you do or don't need one for the type of travel you are taking. For instance, for most cruises if you leave an U.S. port and return to the same U.S. port you probably don't need a visa to visit the ports. This is called a "closed loop" trip. But, again, most of the cruises. Always double check to see if one is needed.

Example: Travel Insurance

Again, not all travel insurance is created equal. Should you purchase travel insurance? Absolutely!!! I recommend to my clients not to purchase travel insurance, for the most part, from the supplier of the cruise or product. The reason being the coverage is not as comprehensive as third party policies. Travel insurance is not only purchased for travel delays, luggage lost/damage or cancellation protection. Some health insurance companies do not cover you when traveling outside of the United States. Medicare does not. Travel insurance will act as your primary health insurance during your travel, from the time you leave to the time you return to your home. Also, it provides emergency evacuation for health reasons and protects you for other items. Always read the policy and information provided by the issuer of the travel insurance to see what is covered. Your travel professional will know which is a good travel insurance issuer.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at:
elaine@cruiserstravel.net or 941-979-9798.
Contact us to help you have that great vacation.
Happy traveling!
Elaine Sklom
Cruiser's Travel LLC

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Elaine_M_Sklom/1634461

Travel Medical Insurance for Worry-Free Trips

Do you like to travel? Busy and tight schedules can get you all exhausted and burned out. You will certainly need time to relax and unwind. You can book for pleasure trips or holiday trips to take a rest. Some people also travel for other reasons, as with business trips. Whether you’re on a holiday or business trip, you will surely need travel medical insurance.

What then is a travel medical insurance? This is only a temporary insurance policy. It covers your vacation travel or business trip. The travel medical insurance can be used independently or it can also be used together with your existing policy.

Usually, travel agencies offer this kind of policies. However, the policy can cost you huge money. But if you can go directly to the insurance provider, you can save a lot of money which you can use in your travels. The best way is to search the internet for the different websites of the popular and reputable insurance companies. You can get online quotes which you can compare with each other.

Insurance policies are costly but travel medical insurance is mostly cheap. Vacation is all about having fun and you can enjoy your vacation travel more if you’re insured. You’ll never know when accidents strike or if you’re going to get sick. If you do have a travel medical insurance, you can save a lot of money from paying medical bills. Insurance policies are worth it and it is a good investment.

Medical plans follow certain guidelines in their coverage. Of course, you can use the plans in different countries but it all depends in the circumstances. Like for instance, you get sick on board a ship. Some plans will not cover the bills in full but only in half. But if you have a travel medical insurance, the full amount can be covered and you get to enjoy other benefits as well.

Travel medical insurance can be obtained without securing medical examinations, so the policies are available to almost every traveler. However, pre-existing conditions are not covered but if ever you get sick or meet an accident while traveling, you can deal with the situation with ease.

Now, trips are far more enjoyable with the help of travel medical insurance. If you definitely need travel insurance, it’s high time you get one. But if you don’t need one because your medical plan covers your entire trip, you don’t have to incur additional expenses. However, do not assume that your existing policy covers your travel. Nothing would hurt if you consult your provider first; just to make sure.

Bad things can happen – it can happen to you or to a loved one. So before anything bad happens, don’t book a travel if you haven’t purchased travel medical insurance yet.

Travel medical insurance is not hard to find. In fact, you can find the offices of insurance providers in your local area. If you can’t find the local offices or if you’re too busy, make use of the internet. This is the fastest and easiest ways to obtain several quotes in minutes.

Make sure that you stick with the reputable and experienced insurance providers. After all, you’re going to pay for the policies and you need to ensure that you’re protected especially in an unfamiliar territory. Secure travel medical insurance now before it’s too late.

Exciting Guided Tours: Visit the Ancient City of Beijing

More and more guided tours of this city in China have been established and China itself has become one of the fastest growing tourist locations in the world. 

For the US, the borders of China are open and tourists are welcome to get visas for travel in this country.

Because Chinese is such a difficult language to learn, signing up for one of the many guided tours of the country is the best option.  Otherwise, the complications of travel and language barriers make it difficult for a couple or family to really see the country in the best way possible.

Most guided tours of China include several cities as well as intra-China flights from city to city. 
This is preferable to driving as this is a very large country. 
Otherwise, you can just pick a city and spend your time there.  For example, a tour could involve
the city of Beijing (formerly “Peking”) where the Olympic preparations are being made. 
From this city, you can visit the infamous Tiananmen Square, where many protesters were killed in 1989. 

Now, it is a peaceful meeting place where visitors can see MaoTse Tung’s entombed body and an official museum.

Almost all guided tours of Beijing also include a walking tour of the Forbidden City—a place where ancient emperors
lived and ruled the country.  Although it has been burned down and rebuilt several times, the tourist definitely gets an idea of how the ancient royalty lived and several of the large statues and the garden are still standing. 

The Summer Palace in Beijing is on a lake nearby and includes the longest covered walkway in the world. Bring your most comfortable shoes as there is a great deal of walking involved.

Guided tours around Beijing also commonly include a visit to a portion of the Great Wall of China. 
On the bus ride out to the wall, the visitor can see bits and pieces of the wall snaking along the tops of the mountain.
At the visitor center, the tourist can take a cable car up to the base of the wall, where a short walk takes you to the wall itself.  Good walking shoes are vital here as well because the wall isn’t flat when one walks on it and is instead very irregular and slanted in places.

Other places to see on guided tours of Beijing are what the Chinese call the “hutongs”. 
These are very narrow alley-like passageways that can, in part, be traveled through using Chinese pedicabs—bicycles attached to surreys for two riders to sit on and enjoy the scenery.  The lucky tourist will get to visit a school inside one of the hutong areas where very small children are taught from as young as two years of age.  Private homes in the hutongs can be visited as well so the tourist can see how genuine Chinese people live.  Because you are on a guided tour, you will have the advantage of an interpreter. 

None of the guided tours of Beijing are complete without a trip to the shopping areas. 
The infamous “Silk Alley” contains a plethora of what otherwise would be street vendors—all trying
to get your attention and all hoping you don’t know how to bargain.  Bargaining in Beijing is essential so bring your money and an extra suitcase to pack your well-loved souvenirs in.

Orlando Vacation Resorts - A Relaxing Summer Getaway

Orlando Vacation Resorts - A Relaxing Summer Getaway

If you’ve ever wanted to get away for a summer vacation without going out of the country, maybe it’s the right time to consider Orlando, Florida. With lots of options, Orlando vacation results are guaranteed to make you unwind all that stress from your body.

Beach fun in resorts

Granting that the main purpose of your vacation is to have some fun in the water, resorts in Orlando, Florida would be perfect. Aside from having the water nearby, you can check out tourist attractions in or near the city as well for some alternative fun. You definitely won’t get bored while staying in Orlando. You can choose to stay in some of the finest establishments in the state, and all offer accommodations suited to your vacation budget. You can go for affordable, won’t-break-the-bank types of resorts, or go for full-blown luxury resorts that offer a little slice of heaven.

The Villas of Grand Cypress

Avid golfers will love the idea of staying at the Villas of Grand Cypress. Aside from hotel accommodations in complete luxury, this golf resort offers 45 holes worth of golf courses. Designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus, the site is a must-see for golfers on vacations. Aside from that, the Grand Cypress also has an equestrian center to let guests experience the joys of horseback riding in the resort.

Numerous other activities are also available, like jogging and fitness clubs on the resort grounds itself. There is even a golf academy for those who want to learn golfing during their stay at the Grand Cypress.

The Marriott Orlando World Center

200 Acres of Resort Grounds in the Marriott Orlando World Center are perfect for anybody on vacation or attending conventions and wanting to mix their business trip with pleasure. There is also a golf course on site, and a spa to help relax during your time out. This resort is slanted more toward convention purposes, featuring 214,000 square feet for meetings and conventions.

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando

Ultimate luxury immediately comes to mind when the Ritz-Carlton is mentioned. In this case, the Orlando Hotel shares 500 acres of resort with the JW Marriott, featuring tournament-level golf courses on site, spa services for guests, and in the rooms, panoramic views of the entire resort. You’ll never be far away from your needed internet connection as well, since the whole hotel is wired via wireless LAN. The hotel is also in close proximity to Disney World and SeaWorld, just ten and two miles, respectively.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Whether its golfing, tennis, swimming or sailing, you can take your pick at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Also available are horseback rides throughout the entire grounds, so you can have fun in the outdoors, riding a horse to experience the fast travel on an animal built for speed. Also relaxing is the spa service here, where you can unwind and let go of all the stress built up in your body.

Whether it’s staying purely at the resort, or checking out the local attractions in Orlando, you can be sure to have a good time when staying at vacation resorts here. Resorts are located strategically near tourist attractions so that you can be sure that everything you want to see in Orlando, Florida is within reach. For your summer, Orlando Vacation Resorts are a sure bet for your summer getaway trip.