Lessons learned for future travel?
Apr 24, 2020, 5:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: NY & Sydney (currently NY)
Programs: AA
Posts: 8
Lessons learned for future travel?
Hi all, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum (but I couldn't find a more appropriate one), or if this has already been discussed in a single thread here or elsewhere, but I was looking to hear what other people have learned from their experiences over the past few months and what they'll do differently going forward. Below are mine, for travel that's entirely personal and international -- curious to hear yours! Thanks (btw: cross-posted on TripAdvisor & FT)
- I'll only book directly with airlines, definitely no more OTAs (I've previously used Orbitz/Expedia and never had issues, but I've also never had to deal with cancelling/changing flights with them). I've only had to deal with AA & Qantas for my upcoming flight cancellations/changes and it's been very easy with both.
- I'll think twice before automatically choosing the cheapest/non-refundable fare.
- Not sure I would use a travel agent anymore, given the risk if they go bust. I've only used one once, flight-only, for an upcoming flight in July which will probably get cancelled, but I'm not sure the agent will survive through July (please correct me if my thinking on this is wrong, but I'm reading so many reports on TripAdvisor of people's agents shutting down shop and the airlines won't deal with them b/c it was booked through a 3rd party).
- I pretty much fly OneWorld and I'll make sure my flights are booked with the AA or QF airline code so that if I have to cancel/change, it'll be easier to deal with (ex: I had 2 flights booked from SYD > South America in March and in June, both had a SYD > SCL Santiago Chile leg on the same QF plane, but one was booked with the QF flight # and the other booked with the Latam flight # -- Qantas was easy to deal with for cancellations/credits as we have status, Latam not so much).
- I always use Hotels.com to book hotels and they have been great, even at refunding the non-refundable rooms, so I might still book non-refundable rooms through them but will be way more cautious (I just got my $7k refund, but it took the full 30 days). If I were booking direct or through anyone else, I'd probably only book a refundable room. I'll probably no longer consider AirBnb as an option.
- Travel insurance: I'm not sure I'll actually pay for this anymore, given the difficulties people seem to have with getting paid on claims. I have the CSR card so I'll probably just rely on that & also make sure I have some form of medical/evacuation-related insurance, just in case.
- I'll book everything related to the same trip on just 1 credit card (in the past, I've put initial & final deposits on different cards, or flight and hotels on different ones -- but this may not matter as much).
- I probably won't book things SO far in advance anymore; I'm usually a type A planner and due to other trips earlier this year, I still hadn't booked anything other than flight & hotel (by mid-March) for trips in April and in May -- and I was very stressed for not having done it months ago, but it turned out to be a blessing because there was so much less to cancel/follow-up on.
- I'll only book directly with airlines, definitely no more OTAs (I've previously used Orbitz/Expedia and never had issues, but I've also never had to deal with cancelling/changing flights with them). I've only had to deal with AA & Qantas for my upcoming flight cancellations/changes and it's been very easy with both.
- I'll think twice before automatically choosing the cheapest/non-refundable fare.
- Not sure I would use a travel agent anymore, given the risk if they go bust. I've only used one once, flight-only, for an upcoming flight in July which will probably get cancelled, but I'm not sure the agent will survive through July (please correct me if my thinking on this is wrong, but I'm reading so many reports on TripAdvisor of people's agents shutting down shop and the airlines won't deal with them b/c it was booked through a 3rd party).
- I pretty much fly OneWorld and I'll make sure my flights are booked with the AA or QF airline code so that if I have to cancel/change, it'll be easier to deal with (ex: I had 2 flights booked from SYD > South America in March and in June, both had a SYD > SCL Santiago Chile leg on the same QF plane, but one was booked with the QF flight # and the other booked with the Latam flight # -- Qantas was easy to deal with for cancellations/credits as we have status, Latam not so much).
- I always use Hotels.com to book hotels and they have been great, even at refunding the non-refundable rooms, so I might still book non-refundable rooms through them but will be way more cautious (I just got my $7k refund, but it took the full 30 days). If I were booking direct or through anyone else, I'd probably only book a refundable room. I'll probably no longer consider AirBnb as an option.
- Travel insurance: I'm not sure I'll actually pay for this anymore, given the difficulties people seem to have with getting paid on claims. I have the CSR card so I'll probably just rely on that & also make sure I have some form of medical/evacuation-related insurance, just in case.
- I'll book everything related to the same trip on just 1 credit card (in the past, I've put initial & final deposits on different cards, or flight and hotels on different ones -- but this may not matter as much).
- I probably won't book things SO far in advance anymore; I'm usually a type A planner and due to other trips earlier this year, I still hadn't booked anything other than flight & hotel (by mid-March) for trips in April and in May -- and I was very stressed for not having done it months ago, but it turned out to be a blessing because there was so much less to cancel/follow-up on.
Apr 24, 2020, 8:58 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: Kettle Class
Posts: 796
I could have written this post! A topic near and dear to my heart right now.
I had definitely been lulled into a sense of complacency after years of international travel with very minor hiccups and even those ended up being resolved favorably. This coronavirus crisis has definitely made me think of "new rules" of international leisure travel that essentially mirror yours:
1) I too will only avoid booking air tickets with OTAs going forward, even the big name ones. Although I have to say Lufthansa has given me more trouble than Priceline on refunds, but still getting automated callbacks 3-4 DAYS after calling in to resolve flight cancellations is something I don't have patience to deal with again.
2) As a rule I always used to book refundable rates, but got tempted into making a couple of pricey prepaid non-refundable bookings for spring and early summer travel this year and even though hotels have been amenable about date changes, I think I am going to lose a considerable amount of money on these because it's unlikely these trips will happen.
3) I'm the poster child for booking complex, multi-carrier, multi-country trips 331 days in advance, and with many of those trips cancelled in April and May already, dealing with multiple airline carriers, hotels, rail providers, and tour operators has been a pain. I too will try to compromise on 'Type A' travel planning going forward. Once bitten, twice shy.
4) And finally, I will try not to fall victim to panic and not change or cancel plans too early either. I ended up paying some change and cancel fees on some partially refundable travel when the coronavirus impact starting getting severe and those flights ended up getting cancelled anyway, so I could have saved on those fees had I just waited it out instead of cancelling them voluntarily right when I decided to not travel.
Hearing the ordeal some folks had to go through to get on repatriation flights after borders started closing has also made me rethink some unusual and fairly remote solo travel I've planned for the wintertime. I am not sure I'll feel comfortable taking those trips as scheduled either, at least for 2020 and 2021. Returning to a familiar and favorite destination is far more likely for me for the foreseeable future, which I know the 2019 version of me would have scoffed at!
I had definitely been lulled into a sense of complacency after years of international travel with very minor hiccups and even those ended up being resolved favorably. This coronavirus crisis has definitely made me think of "new rules" of international leisure travel that essentially mirror yours:
1) I too will only avoid booking air tickets with OTAs going forward, even the big name ones. Although I have to say Lufthansa has given me more trouble than Priceline on refunds, but still getting automated callbacks 3-4 DAYS after calling in to resolve flight cancellations is something I don't have patience to deal with again.
2) As a rule I always used to book refundable rates, but got tempted into making a couple of pricey prepaid non-refundable bookings for spring and early summer travel this year and even though hotels have been amenable about date changes, I think I am going to lose a considerable amount of money on these because it's unlikely these trips will happen.
3) I'm the poster child for booking complex, multi-carrier, multi-country trips 331 days in advance, and with many of those trips cancelled in April and May already, dealing with multiple airline carriers, hotels, rail providers, and tour operators has been a pain. I too will try to compromise on 'Type A' travel planning going forward. Once bitten, twice shy.
4) And finally, I will try not to fall victim to panic and not change or cancel plans too early either. I ended up paying some change and cancel fees on some partially refundable travel when the coronavirus impact starting getting severe and those flights ended up getting cancelled anyway, so I could have saved on those fees had I just waited it out instead of cancelling them voluntarily right when I decided to not travel.
Hearing the ordeal some folks had to go through to get on repatriation flights after borders started closing has also made me rethink some unusual and fairly remote solo travel I've planned for the wintertime. I am not sure I'll feel comfortable taking those trips as scheduled either, at least for 2020 and 2021. Returning to a familiar and favorite destination is far more likely for me for the foreseeable future, which I know the 2019 version of me would have scoffed at!
Hi all, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum (but I couldn't find a more appropriate one), or if this has already been discussed in a single thread here or elsewhere, but I was looking to hear what other people have learned from their experiences over the past few months and what they'll do differently going forward. Below are mine, for travel that's entirely personal and international -- curious to hear yours! Thanks (btw: cross-posted on TripAdvisor & FT)
- I'll only book directly with airlines, definitely no more OTAs (I've previously used Orbitz/Expedia and never had issues, but I've also never had to deal with cancelling/changing flights with them). I've only had to deal with AA & Qantas for my upcoming flight cancellations/changes and it's been very easy with both.
- I'll think twice before automatically choosing the cheapest/non-refundable fare.
- Not sure I would use a travel agent anymore, given the risk if they go bust. I've only used one once, flight-only, for an upcoming flight in July which will probably get cancelled, but I'm not sure the agent will survive through July (please correct me if my thinking on this is wrong, but I'm reading so many reports on TripAdvisor of people's agents shutting down shop and the airlines won't deal with them b/c it was booked through a 3rd party).
- I pretty much fly OneWorld and I'll make sure my flights are booked with the AA or QF airline code so that if I have to cancel/change, it'll be easier to deal with (ex: I had 2 flights booked from SYD > South America in March and in June, both had a SYD > SCL Santiago Chile leg on the same QF plane, but one was booked with the QF flight # and the other booked with the Latam flight # -- Qantas was easy to deal with for cancellations/credits as we have status, Latam not so much).
- I always use Hotels.com to book hotels and they have been great, even at refunding the non-refundable rooms, so I might still book non-refundable rooms through them but will be way more cautious (I just got my $7k refund, but it took the full 30 days). If I were booking direct or through anyone else, I'd probably only book a refundable room. I'll probably no longer consider AirBnb as an option.
- Travel insurance: I'm not sure I'll actually pay for this anymore, given the difficulties people seem to have with getting paid on claims. I have the CSR card so I'll probably just rely on that & also make sure I have some form of medical/evacuation-related insurance, just in case.
- I'll book everything related to the same trip on just 1 credit card (in the past, I've put initial & final deposits on different cards, or flight and hotels on different ones -- but this may not matter as much).
- I probably won't book things SO far in advance anymore; I'm usually a type A planner and due to other trips earlier this year, I still hadn't booked anything other than flight & hotel (by mid-March) for trips in April and in May -- and I was very stressed for not having done it months ago, but it turned out to be a blessing because there was so much less to cancel/follow-up on.
- I'll only book directly with airlines, definitely no more OTAs (I've previously used Orbitz/Expedia and never had issues, but I've also never had to deal with cancelling/changing flights with them). I've only had to deal with AA & Qantas for my upcoming flight cancellations/changes and it's been very easy with both.
- I'll think twice before automatically choosing the cheapest/non-refundable fare.
- Not sure I would use a travel agent anymore, given the risk if they go bust. I've only used one once, flight-only, for an upcoming flight in July which will probably get cancelled, but I'm not sure the agent will survive through July (please correct me if my thinking on this is wrong, but I'm reading so many reports on TripAdvisor of people's agents shutting down shop and the airlines won't deal with them b/c it was booked through a 3rd party).
- I pretty much fly OneWorld and I'll make sure my flights are booked with the AA or QF airline code so that if I have to cancel/change, it'll be easier to deal with (ex: I had 2 flights booked from SYD > South America in March and in June, both had a SYD > SCL Santiago Chile leg on the same QF plane, but one was booked with the QF flight # and the other booked with the Latam flight # -- Qantas was easy to deal with for cancellations/credits as we have status, Latam not so much).
- I always use Hotels.com to book hotels and they have been great, even at refunding the non-refundable rooms, so I might still book non-refundable rooms through them but will be way more cautious (I just got my $7k refund, but it took the full 30 days). If I were booking direct or through anyone else, I'd probably only book a refundable room. I'll probably no longer consider AirBnb as an option.
- Travel insurance: I'm not sure I'll actually pay for this anymore, given the difficulties people seem to have with getting paid on claims. I have the CSR card so I'll probably just rely on that & also make sure I have some form of medical/evacuation-related insurance, just in case.
- I'll book everything related to the same trip on just 1 credit card (in the past, I've put initial & final deposits on different cards, or flight and hotels on different ones -- but this may not matter as much).
- I probably won't book things SO far in advance anymore; I'm usually a type A planner and due to other trips earlier this year, I still hadn't booked anything other than flight & hotel (by mid-March) for trips in April and in May -- and I was very stressed for not having done it months ago, but it turned out to be a blessing because there was so much less to cancel/follow-up on.
Apr 24, 2020, 10:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan; Formerly SEA
Programs: AS MVPG | oneworld Sapphire
Posts: 578
Hi all, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum (but I couldn't find a more appropriate one), or if this has already been discussed in a single thread here or elsewhere, but I was looking to hear what other people have learned from their experiences over the past few months and what they'll do differently going forward. Below are mine, for travel that's entirely personal and international -- curious to hear yours!....
This one, though: "I'll probably no longer consider AirBnb as an option."
Why is that? Not that I disagree. I just haven't thought that one through yet.
Apr 24, 2020, 11:40 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: New Zealand (when I'm home!)
Programs: Air NZ Elite
Posts: 1,218
Not paying for travel insurance would be a huge mistake. Last year I had my appendix out in Canada. I live in New Zealand. You better believe I was grateful to have insurance. Travel insurance has paid for itself in spades. Pandemic exceptions have existed in insurance policies since forever, everyone should have known that pandemics were never covered. That doesn't mean that its not good, just because it has had one exception.
Apr 24, 2020, 11:47 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan; Formerly SEA
Programs: AS MVPG | oneworld Sapphire
Posts: 578
Not paying for travel insurance would be a huge mistake. Last year I had my appendix out in Canada. I live in New Zealand. You better believe I was grateful to have insurance. Travel insurance has paid for itself in spades. Pandemic exceptions have existed in insurance policies since forever, everyone should have known that pandemics were never covered. That doesn't mean that its not good, just because it has had one exception.
If/when/ever I fly internationally again, coverage for medical emergencies is definitely on the table. Point very well taken, for my part.
Apr 25, 2020, 3:52 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: my heart is on the shores of the north Italian lakes
Programs: LX Senator Lifetime, Relais&Chateaux Club5C, ex ! "Amanjunkie", ex LHW LC, hate chain hotels
Posts: 2,515
1. Never booked an air ticket other than directly with the airline doing the flight. Of course being elite of a specific airline gives you even better service (call center, changes.....)
2. Never had and never will have travel insurance, it is a scam with many ec^exclusions and hassles. A comprehensive international health/accident insurance is essential tough.
2. Never had and never will have travel insurance, it is a scam with many ec^exclusions and hassles. A comprehensive international health/accident insurance is essential tough.
Apr 25, 2020, 4:29 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Philippines
Programs: CebGo 5J, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Alaska 100K
Posts: 4,696
- I will not book with OTA's ever again
- I will never book a non-refundable hotel room ever again
- I will not renew my Priority Pass lounge membership - happy to sit at a quiet gate.
- I will no longer fly Qantas because of their voucher vs refund stance.
- I will move most of my hotel stays to the Choice Hotel group as they are great value compared to Hiltons etc
- I will no longer be loyal to airlines for a FF mile.
- I will never book a non-refundable hotel room ever again
- I will not renew my Priority Pass lounge membership - happy to sit at a quiet gate.
- I will no longer fly Qantas because of their voucher vs refund stance.
- I will move most of my hotel stays to the Choice Hotel group as they are great value compared to Hiltons etc
- I will no longer be loyal to airlines for a FF mile.
Apr 25, 2020, 4:55 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Haze gray and underway
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, HH Diamond, Marriott 'clink clink' Titanium
Posts: 1,784
For me there will be few changes.
I book flights and hotels directly - taking advantage of having ‘status’.
Planning ahead? Most of my travel is customer driven, last minute and what isn’t is booked fully refundable.
I book flights and hotels directly - taking advantage of having ‘status’.
Planning ahead? Most of my travel is customer driven, last minute and what isn’t is booked fully refundable.
Apr 25, 2020, 5:06 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: New Zealand (when I'm home!)
Programs: Air NZ Elite
Posts: 1,218
I will definitely echo buying flights direct from the airline. Its a lesson I had already learned, but I have been occasionally tempted towards third party websites. This is once again a slap in the face to NOT do that.
I will also continue to trend my flights towards big airlines with a proven track record and history. No WOW Air flights for me. I had a huge series of flights booked, all with National carriers. It was decidedly more expensive but I had been burned and managed to avoid the temptation. I am really glad I did.
I will also continue to trend my flights towards big airlines with a proven track record and history. No WOW Air flights for me. I had a huge series of flights booked, all with National carriers. It was decidedly more expensive but I had been burned and managed to avoid the temptation. I am really glad I did.
Apr 25, 2020, 5:57 am
#10
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,352
Apr 25, 2020, 6:30 am
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
#1 , #2 , and #3 : Spend a bit of time reading COC, fare rules, and the like. People spend $10K on a ticket and are upset when it turns out that they can't do what they want.
#4 : Solid and comprehensive travel insurance. Unless your credit card really does provide what you need, spring for an annual policy which does more than pay for a hotel when you misconnect. Think about being stuck overseas, getting injured or sick and then not being able to travel for 30 days. Hotel bills mount.
#5 . Don't be lulled into believing that what people here call OTA's are TA's. There are real TA's who provide real service. They typically charge a fee. If you need competent and compex advice (some do), pay for it and use someone local who comes highly recommended by people you know and trust and who has an incentive to be your advocate when things go wrong. There may be cheaper tickets to be had, but as many people find, the cheapest ticket may not be the least expensive journey.
#4 : Solid and comprehensive travel insurance. Unless your credit card really does provide what you need, spring for an annual policy which does more than pay for a hotel when you misconnect. Think about being stuck overseas, getting injured or sick and then not being able to travel for 30 days. Hotel bills mount.
#5 . Don't be lulled into believing that what people here call OTA's are TA's. There are real TA's who provide real service. They typically charge a fee. If you need competent and compex advice (some do), pay for it and use someone local who comes highly recommended by people you know and trust and who has an incentive to be your advocate when things go wrong. There may be cheaper tickets to be had, but as many people find, the cheapest ticket may not be the least expensive journey.
Apr 25, 2020, 6:50 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 6,227
1) Some airlines have earned my travel loyalty through this process, some airlines have destroyed any loyalty in this process. In the future, I will remain a free agent, but will definitely prefer some airlines. And I know which hotel chain will keep my loyalty.
2) Avoid prepaying whenever possible. I prepaid for a hotel transfer in Greece and they are being shady with my money.
3) Avoid hotels with a one night deposit up front as they suddenly have 'administration fees' when you need to cancel.
4) Still get travel insurance and look for an annual policy in a few years when I start traveling a lot more.
5) I have always avoided pre-paid hotel rates as I change my hotel plans often (and sometimes the rate drops as you get closer to the travel date).
6) I will still plan big fun trips in advance because I find the planning a lot of fun.
7) I will travel more because I realize I miss it a lot.
2) Avoid prepaying whenever possible. I prepaid for a hotel transfer in Greece and they are being shady with my money.
3) Avoid hotels with a one night deposit up front as they suddenly have 'administration fees' when you need to cancel.
4) Still get travel insurance and look for an annual policy in a few years when I start traveling a lot more.
5) I have always avoided pre-paid hotel rates as I change my hotel plans often (and sometimes the rate drops as you get closer to the travel date).
6) I will still plan big fun trips in advance because I find the planning a lot of fun.
7) I will travel more because I realize I miss it a lot.
Apr 25, 2020, 10:50 am
#13
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,642
One thing I have seen related to "OTAs" is that I will likely not consider using Chase or even Amex points for bookings, since it hands your support over to an OTA. Thus for me the valuation of Chase points (for example) is really tied to airline or hotel transfer value. Chase is still valuable when transferred to Hyatt, but the blogosphere's valuation of points based on the $1.25 or $1.5 per dollar redemption through their travel site takes a plunge.
Apr 25, 2020, 11:09 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: NYC
Programs: AA - EXP
Posts: 233
All great valid points above.
My biggest lesson is going to be to stop to smell the roses. Countless trips I condensed into the shortest possible time away. While my reasons for doing so (getting back to my girlfriend, apartment, cat, friends life etc) do still hold validity I doubt I'll ever do a weekend in London again without baking extra time to be a flaneur.
Can't wait to be globe-trotting again one day. I won't take it for granted.
My biggest lesson is going to be to stop to smell the roses. Countless trips I condensed into the shortest possible time away. While my reasons for doing so (getting back to my girlfriend, apartment, cat, friends life etc) do still hold validity I doubt I'll ever do a weekend in London again without baking extra time to be a flaneur.
Can't wait to be globe-trotting again one day. I won't take it for granted.
Last edited by mosfet; Apr 25, 2020 at 1:36 pm