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| May 02, 2007 4:27 am |
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re: re: re: My elder daughter is travelling to the USA in June - inputs needed |
| Shobha(usha) gowri
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Dear Rahulji
I was amazed at the questions you asked-if only more people asked these questions more often,there would be less problems to solve.
As an international traveller myself let me see how much I know!!
a.. Is it easier to find travel deals on the internet or through agents or direct airlines?
***go to a good travel agent-if she is in Bangalore I can give you a reference to my travel agent from whom I buy tickets
but the itinerary is mine-only then can the travel agent get you great deals
b.. On the internet, should one be looking at aggregator sites (searching multi-airline) or individual airline sites?
***I would use the internet to see what I want to do at the place of visit,how much land travel can cost,cost of museums etc
c.. Is it better to deal with large, medium or small travel agents?
***well...all are good and all are a .....depends-if it is a large one small business dont mean a thing-you will get less time and attention
good to ask for referrals
d.. Is it better to deal with an agent in the city one is based in/connected with (Delhi, Bangalore, Nagpur) - which of these may be better?
*** where you are situated so as to make multiple visits
e.. Does it make a significant difference if tickets are booked a) in India b) in USA c) in Gulf?
***yes it does-India is cheaper any day
f.. Does membership of any student/youth forum make a significant difference to the ticket price?
not unless they are in a group-but rare
g.. Does the price of fares always go up as the date comes closer, or can there be fluctuations back and forth?
***hugely-esp in the home carriers at the travel destination-
ask for blocking your ticket-so you are not paying hugely hicked up fares
h.. What deadline should be imposed for buying tickets?
***depends on your travel agent
i.. Are there likely to be significant cost benefits in asking the international airline to patch through domestic travel at India and/or USA end?
***Indian end-if you are working this on your own then look at the small airlines-no frills-but well the cost diff are enormous and they are safe
When we went ot China people told us that Dragon airlines was not good-believe me I havent seen a service of that kind in recent years
And did I get to eat the bestest vegetarian meal ever!!!
j.. Can close links within travel agents, airlines, airport managers etc. lead to significantly better deals in terms of employee discounts?
***yes
These questions are for international travel only:
a.. Is a round the world ticket cheaper than a 2-way ticket in the same direction?
***anyday and always
return tickets from the US cost a fortune and non availability is a real prob
b.. Even if not, since Montana is in the far West, would returning via SE Asia be cheaper/faster (miles are less!)?
*** depends on your carrier
and it is bec you have some great low cost airlines and great connections
See the hub of the airline -decide
c.. If one is in the international lounge for a few hours layover is a transit visa needed in any 3rd country?
no-unless you are planning to break journey and leave the airport
also depends on the country
Hong Kong is visa as you arrive so last minute change of mind and plan possible
others you have to decide ahead
.. Are there likely to be major cost differences in using any of the global transhipment hubs in Gulf, CIS, West Europe or S.E. Asia?
yes
e.. If so, are there major qualitative reasons for not using any of them, especially the CIS ones?
in the mind-yes
miss the TV,food etc
f.. If the cost from various embarkation points in India is roughly similar, what should be the preferred airport?
your travel t this point
So if I pick a flight out of Bombay then Ihave to pay extra for that flight
These questions are for travel in the USA only:
a.. How much cost difference in the global fares will make it worth it to use Washington's other 2 international airports rather than Baltimore?
***always arrive at a known airport-facilities,connections are always better except in some rare cases of internal travel
b.. If either of them are to be used, are there any safe, fast and reasonably priced airport shuttles, trains etc. to come closer to Baltimore?
***decide that here with your travel agent
abroad and if this her first time travel then I suggest she has every bit of it mapped well
I remember arriving Chicago the first time and standing flabbergasted-the sheer size was overwhelming and the gates and shuttles made me sit down and calm myself
though the availability of information,the detailing of everything you need to know is so remarkable that even if you have to do something you havent planned for ,all it will take is to use your head
c.. In general, is it better to try for a patch-through from the global carrier, or to buy and use VUSA coupons?
d.. In this case, since all routes from Washington to Bozeman have at least 1 stopover and sometimes two, does this change the answer?
***no-ask her to check student passes-there are huge discounts everywhere and check if an Indian student ID can be used-ask your travel agent to check this out
e.. There is a 4 hour Greyhound bus ride from Missoula, Montana to Bozeman. What total economic saving would make it better to use flight to Missoula and then bus, rather than fly straight into Bozeman? Some smaller airports are there too within 1-1.5 hours drive.
***not much and how much time does she have at her disposa
Can this land travel be booked from here?is it available all times at short ntoice?
f.. By writing to the seminar organisers in the USA, what possibilities of group travel can be checked out to reduce travel costs?
***meaning?from India?ask for addresses and once you know who is travelling, you can make plans and ask the tavel agent to treat it like one
But haivng said that for the little diff in money, I for one would like to know who is coming but work my own plans.
plans have been wrecked and people squabble-so I wd like to make my own mistakes and suffer the consequences
It was truly a pleasure answering these questions
Private Reply to Shobha(usha) gowri (new win) |
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