4 Travel Booking and Negotiating Tips
With these 4 easy travel booking and negotiating tips you can learn how to quickly research your next trip, ask clarifying questions and negotiate to a price you feel comfortable with. I definitely experienced monkey business when booking my Pyramids of Giza excursion and I wish I would’ve taken these steps to avoid over paying.
Step 1:
Th first you can do to avoid you are over paying for something is to do your research. Have in mind what it is that you want to do and an idea of how much things cost. If you are purchasing an attraction from a stand or agency try to have an idea of how much you want to spend or what your budget is for each attraction. If you go in blindly they will charge you as much as they can.
Step 2:
Be crystal clear, when booking services make sure you are asking all the questions. What exactly is included in the price? is food included, if so what kind? do they accommodate dietary needs? For attractions, ask if transportation is included, if so is it to and from your stay? where is the pick up location? Ask everything to make sure you are getting your money’s worth and in the know.
Step 3:
When traveling abroad its important to confirm what type of payment is accepted, cash or cc. Sometimes there are fees associated with your form of payment, especially credit cards. Check the cancellation and refund policies if this is an excursion you are booking before hand.
When booking excursions there was often a processing fee for paying with my credit card on the agencies behalf, so keep that in mind. Note: Always pay in the country’s currency exchange rate.
Step 4:
Next you need to negotiate. It doesn’t need to be hard, you just have to keep in mind two things. The first thing is, its just a question and the second thing is you CAN always walkaway. Get over the idea of coming off cheap or not valuing services. The more you travel the more you’ll see how common it is and how normal it can be. Here are 3 simple ways you can ask for a lower price,
- I would love this option___ but can you do it for “X amount”?
- If I purchase multiple can you give “X amount of items” for “X price amount”?
- I’ll buy it for “X amount of money”.
Happy Saving!
