Getting to a new destination is full of excitement. But the steps involved to get you there aren’t always the easiest. Whether you’re dealing with airlines or trying to find the best deals on hotels, booking travel is complicated.
Image by Автошкола ТЕХНИКА
Instead of having twenty tabs open on your browser to find the right rental car, here are some tips to help you simplify your travel booking process.
If You’re Booking for Yourself
Booking a trip for yourself may look a little different than planning a trip out for friends or co-workers. If you’re booking a trip for yourself, here are some tips that will help you simplify the process.
Pick Your Dates and Stick to Them
When you’re booking travel, it’s important to book early and stick to your dates. If you decide to change them down the road, you may have to cough up exchange fees.
Try picking the dates of your destination based on the activities you have scheduled. If you are traveling for business, try flying to your destination a day before. You’ll have a time buffer for any delayed flights. Or extra time to explore a new destination.
Try Booking Bundles
Many travel tools can help you book your flights, hotels, and car rentals all in one place. Booking your travel in a bundle will help guarantee that your car rental will be ready at the airport and your hotel key will be waiting for you at the front desk.
Bundling your travel booking can help cut down on wasted time between landing and getting to your destination. If you decide to book your travel through an agency or travel site it should also help you avoid any overbooking.
Plan Activities Early
Although it can be fun to get to a new place and see where the wind takes you, that can cost you a pretty penny. If you know that there are shows, attractions, or places you want to visit that have ticket prices, you should book those in advance.
Some museums or attractions may require you to schedule time as well. If you are more of a go-with-the-flow traveler, try booking one or two activities in advance just to avoid scheduling conflicts or too much free time.
If You’re Booking Travel for Others
If you are responsible for booking travel in your workplace, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some tips that can help make booking travel much easier for you and your co-workers.
Figure out the Priorities
Each person that you are booking travel for is going to have different priorities for their trip. Someone in upper management will have different needs than someone in administration. You can create itineraries for each person to make it easier to plan out the travel and answer questions before they need to be asked.
Let People Book Their Own Travel
While this may feel counter-intuitive, many people prefer to book their own corporate travel. You’ll need to have a booking system in place that you can send out to workers.
This avoids workers constantly contacting the office manager for approvals as everything in the booking system will fit in the company’s policy. Having a flexible booking system can allow people to choose any extra travel that they need such as rental cars. They can also pick their preferred airlines.
Try a Travel Management Tool
Now that business travel is back in full swing, it may be hard to get back into it yourself. This is when travel management tools will come in handy. There are many tools to choose from, so you can find the right one that fits the unique needs of your office.
These are the tools that you can send out to workers to book their own travel. They will also help create expense reports or request travel approvals when necessary.
Conclusion
Booking travel doesn’t have to be a pain. With these tips and tools, you can easily book your travel and feel confident when going on your trip. Whether you’re going on a vacation or running to a business meeting. Booking travel can be simple when you know where to start and how to follow through.
