ghady
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 101
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Post by ghady on Mar 27, 2007 16:58:43 GMT -5
Hey,
I wanted to book rooms in hostels at hostelworld.com, but they ask us about our time of arrival....i dont necessarily know that, esp for the FIRST place cuz i still havent bought the plane ticket yet...should i wait till my travel agent calls me back with info, or should i just choose any time now and email them later about changing it if i have to? thanks
ghady
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Post by herrbert on Mar 27, 2007 17:35:42 GMT -5
Just send them an email after you booked, that you don't know how late you will arrive, at the moment, and that you will contact them, if needed. Or just fill in something that looks reasonable at this moment, if it changes ... send them an email then.
Most hostels don't really care how late you show up, but they only want to know if they should keep the room or not, if you haven't showed up, at 18.00/19.00
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Post by Eagle on Mar 27, 2007 17:41:56 GMT -5
ghady, you could indicate to the Hostel that your time if arrival has not yet been determined, or perhaps provide them with an estimated time and follow up with a confirmation at a later date?
When I arrange flights for major trips, I first decide what date I'll be travelling and what time I want to arrive. I then find a flight on the Net that fits that criteria (this also allows me to get some idea on the costs). Once that's all sorted, I ask my travel agent to book the flight(s) I've chosen. For shorter regional flights or connecting flights, I usually just book these directly on the Net with the airline, ensuring that there's adequate time for the connection to the longer flight.
Hope this helps. Good luck!!!
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ghady
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 101
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Post by ghady on Mar 27, 2007 17:51:27 GMT -5
Wait wait wait... You mean that a travel agent has to book all my clickair and easyjet flights?  what's the point of booking online if you have to have an agent do it for you? (can you tell i've never done this before?) Yea, I told my agent that all I want from her is a flight from beirut to berlin on the 8th of july, and one from rome to beirut on the 30th (because i assumed i'd be looking and paying for the budget flights myself, agent-free)...she said she'll call me back, but she hasn't.. ill badger her tomorrow.. |
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Post by WillTravel on Mar 27, 2007 18:45:21 GMT -5
A travel agent won't book the budget flights (or if she does, it's not part of her regular service).
If I might be coming in late, I always check that the hostel or hotel has a 24-hour desk. I then send an email that my arrival will be after 11 PM (or whatever).
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ghady
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 101
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Post by ghady on Mar 28, 2007 2:25:07 GMT -5
oh ok cool. thanks a lot!
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Post by world2002traveler on Mar 30, 2007 19:46:33 GMT -5
I've always booked all of my airline tickets online, and never used a travel agent for anything. I also have never made advance accomedations for rooms be it hostel, b&b's or hotels. I've never know ahead for sure how much time I would spend in one place. I have never not found a place to stay when I needed one. In my opinion booking puts too many restrictions on your freedom to make last minute choices, or destinations. WT  |
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Post by SantaKlaus on Apr 4, 2007 7:10:31 GMT -5
Small hostels often want to know when to expect you because they haven´t manned their reception all the time.
At the hostel I work at, we don´t care what arrival time people select when they book.
If you´re going to arrive at weird times like midnight, just drop them a line so they know. Otherwise I wouldn´t bother with it.
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Post by WillTravel on Apr 4, 2007 15:25:04 GMT -5
If you arrive late, even if you have prepaid, you sometimes find the hostel or hotel has given your room away. Some places even get antsy by 6 PM - so I provide an estimate with a lot of leeway.
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Post by Eagle on Apr 5, 2007 9:58:56 GMT -5
My travel agent will book regional flights for me (these could be considered "budget", I suppose), however there's now an extra "service charge" added on. I believe the airlines have discontinued the booking fees they used to pay to the travel agencies, so they have to charge for their time. It's just as easy for me to book the regional flights on the net. I've never requested her to book Euro budget flights, so not sure what the situation is there?
There are pros & cons for pre-booking accomodations as opposed to "winging it". While it does reduce spontaneity and flexibility to some extent, pre-booking provides several advantages:
(a) it allows the traveller to choose which area of a city and what "class" of accomodations they will be staying in (I'd rather not have to settle for a "fleabag" Hotel simply because it's the only thing available).
(b) it ensures that one doesn't have to waste either time or money finding a place to stay when they arrive in a new city. I've observed a number of cases where travellers spent hours looking for a place to stay, and in some cases never did find a bed as everything was booked solid (a good example from my last trip is two girls that arrived in Siena in the late afternoon and were unable to find anywhere to stay - they decided to get a large bottle of wine and sleep on the street -- that might be acceptable for younger travellers, but at my age that's NOT an option!).
Travel seems to have recovered from 9-11 to a large extent, so Europe is getting to be VERY busy these days (ie: accomodation could be in short supply at times).
Happy travels all!!!
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Apr 5, 2007 18:16:00 GMT -5
I usually give it 2-3 hours within arrival in the city. But if I feel that I'm going to be late than the indicated time, I'd call them or e-mail them to let them know. Most of them are really nice and reply back to you soon and say it's no problem. Be cautious if you're arriving late at night because there might be a chance they will give away your room.
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