7 Things to Check Before Booking a Tour Through a Travel Agency
When booking a tour, review the License, cancellation policy, specific hotel name, total cost (including all fees), reviews, guide qualifications, and emergency plan. In minutes, you can tell whether a tour package is safe to book with these seven checks.
When you book a tour package, you're thrilled until the night before when something goes wrong in the middle of the trip, but then it's too late to ask any questions or get your money back.
A good travel agency will clearly answer all seven of these questions before you pay anything, and not after you have signed and paid. This is what you should examine, and what is most important is the order in which it is examined.
1. Was the Travel Agency Licensed?
The first thing to verify is the license, which confirms the agency is registered and legally authorized to sell travel packages. Request the trade license number and verify that it matches the company name listed on the invoice.
The trade license number is prominently displayed online or on the office wall.
The business name on the license is a 100% match with the invoice.
Accreditation from IATA if flight tickets are included in the package.
If the tour includes a pilgrimage, then authorization for Hajj and Umrah is required.
2. What is the Cancellation Policy?
The cancellation policy provides you with a figure on the amount of money you will receive if the plans change, and a fair one will refund you most of your money if you cancel with adequate notice. Request it in writing prior to making any deposit.
Typically 15-30 days prior to your trip, you will have the opportunity to get a full refund.
A partial refund will be issued if you cancel close to the trip date.
Whether or not any special "medical emergencies" treatment will be given for refunds.
How many days will it take after a refund is made to receive the actual refund?
3. Is the name of the Hotel and the rating of the star confirmed?
When you are searching for a hotel, confirmation is important because some terms are misleading, such as "similar standard hotel," which may actually refer to a lower-quality room than you expected. Don't accept any estimate of the hotel's star rating when making a booking.
Hotel's name from booking confirmation.
The star rating is compared with the hotel's website.
Distance to the airport or main attraction is clearly marked
This is done by specifying the room type, including double, twin, or triple sharing.
4. Is this the Total Price of all Fees?
Be aware that the headline price may not include all taxes, service fees, and visa fees, so you'll want to consider the total price. Before comparing it to other quotes, request the agency to explain each line item.
This is the base tour price, excluding taxes and service charges.
Explain how you will show evidence of processing a visa.
Describe the process of how you are going to demonstrate visa processing.
Meals and airport transfers will be provided and detailed.
Airport transfer and meal charges will be clearly specified.
Any add-ons that are optional and not included in the main bundle are not included in the package.
5. What do the Latest Customer Reviews really mean?
The reviews from the past 3 months give a good idea of how a travel agency is doing now, and not years ago. Look for reviews that include details about the trip, as generic 5-star reviews have little impact.
A review that must have been performed within the past three months.
Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the names of the hotel, dates, and tour guides have been omitted from the text.
A combination of ratings, as all five-star ratings can read as fake.
Feedback from the agency on any negative reviews
6. Do the Tour Guides Have the Qualifications?
An experienced tour guide needs to be fluent in the local language of the destination and familiar with the route so that he/she could deal with the delay if there is one. How many years has the specified guide been going this exact route?
Guide speaks the language of the destination country
Years of experience on that specific tour route
Backup guide named in case of illness or emergency
Group size the guide is responsible for managing
7. If An Emergency Occurs On The Trip, What Should Be Done?
A good travel agency provides you with an emergency number for use during your trip If you have any questions, pose them before you pay, not after it goes wrong.
An international phone number that operates outside of the country.
A local contact person who is at the location.
Standard travel insurance coverage or as add-on coverage is provided or offered.
A clear plan for missed flights, or medical problems outside of the U.S.
When you book via a reliable travel agency, these 7 checks are already completed prior to you even ask. A business that will last doesn't hide its license, accurate prices or its plan for emergencies when the trip goes south.
