Understanding the Real Costs

I have been posting travel tips trying to help consumers see that there are sometimes hidden fees or extra costs associated with so-called "great travel deals." I just posted a new video earlier today again explaining that there are most likely some asterisks associated with really good deals that you need to read and understand before you get into the booking process.

I came across a so-called deal today that is a great example of what I was discussing. Here is the headline for the special:

$107 & up -- Las Vegas 3-Night Packages w/Air, incl. Taxes^*

Notice the asterisk??

Now here is the fine print associated with that asterisk:

^* Terms/Conditions:
Offer based on a buy one (1) air/hotel package, get one (1) round-trip companion airfare for free. Minimum two (2) night, two (2) person air/hotel package required. Companion travel must be on same itinerary as regular fare passenger. Must be purchased by July 22, 2009 for travel completed by January 31, 2010. Offer not available Dec. 11–14, Dec. 30–31 and Jan. 1–2, 2010. Prices do not include PFC, segment tax or Sept. 11 security fee of up to $10.60 per segment. A convenience fee of $14 per passenger will apply when booked on allegiantair.com. A convenience fee of $14 per passenger, plus $10 per segment, will apply when purchased through Allegiant Air call centers. When purchased at the time of booking, a first checked bag fee of $15–$20 per bag, per segment. and second checked bag fee of $25 will apply per person, per segment. If purchased at flight check–in, a fee of $35 per checked bag, per person, per segment will apply for the first two bags checked. Additional higher fees will apply for three or more checked bags. A segment is one take–off and one landing. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply. Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets.

If you look through the fine print, you will see that additional costs will apply and several others that most likely will apply depending on how you book and how many bags you check on. The actual price could be as much as $100 more per person once you add in the extra fees that the headline does not tell you.

So...just be aware of these fees and it is always a good idea to use a professional and reputable travel agent (shameless plug..ha) to help you understand what a trip will cost well before you get to the point that any payment is made.

Travel Tip of the Week #3

Here is my latest edition of the "Travel Tip of the Week." I am hoping that these tips help shed some light or answer some questions that you might have about travel and the planning process. Most of these tips are based on questions that I receive from time to time and I find that there is some common misconceptions out there when it comes to prices and what is involved or included with certain pricing.

I would love to get your feedback. If you have a question that you would like answered or maybe you are curious about a certain aspect of travel or want to know how online bookings work, send me a message or leave a comment and I will try to include your question in an upcoming edition of my weekly travel tip video blog.

Thanks again for watching.

Travel Tip of the Week #2

Changes You Need to Know...

There are a few things that every traveler needs to know to make sure their trip/vacation is as stress free as possible. One of the more important regulations effects what you can and cannot pack in the way of liquids. Since I have had a few clients ask me about the details of this regulation, I thought I would paste the exact wording from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website.

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3.4 ounce bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3.4 oz. container size is a security measure.

Consolidate bottles into one bag and X-ray separately to speed screening.

Be prepared. Each time TSA searches a carry-on it slows down the line. Practicing 3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.

3-1-1 is for short trips. If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage.

Declare larger liquids. Medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.

Also be aware that soon you will be required to have the name on your airline tickets show any middle initial or middle name that may also appear on your Federally approved identification.

The forms of identification that are now considered acceptable for travel in and out of the U.S. are (as of June 2009):

• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS "Trusted Traveler" cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents)
• Permanent Resident Card
• Border Crossing Card
• DHS-designated enhanced driver's license
• Drivers Licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) that meets REAL ID benchmarks (All states are currently in compliance)
• A Native American Tribal Photo ID
• An airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan)
• A foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)

Non-US/Canadian citizens are not required to carry their passports if they have documents issued by the U.S. government such as Permanent Resident Cards. Those who do not should be carrying their passports while visiting the U.S.

If you have specific questions about any of the above or travel requirements in general, you can send me an e-mail or leave a comment/question on this post.

Monthly Quiz Offering

Do you like trivia? Are you good at finding info on the internet? If you answered yes...then you now have a chance at winning a $25 Visa Gift Card or a $25 Target Gift Card simply by answering a quiz question correctly and then being drawn at random from all of the correct entries. Here is all you have to do to be eligible besides answer the question correctly; become a follower of this blog. That is it. After you become a follower...just send your answer to my e-mail address, bryan@operationdestination.com and, if your answer was correct, you will be entered in the drawing.

The drawing will be held on July 21st. Here is this month's quiz question:

Name the movie that this quote is from: “She’s a pistol Cal, hope you can handle her.”

Again...just become a follower and send your answer to the e-mail address above. Good luck!

Travel Tip of the Week

Disney Dining Options Explained

Dining at Walt Disney World is really broken down into 2 categories; Table Service (TS) and Counter Service (CS).
There are CS venues in every park and resort. Your Disney resort will have a very nice CS area where you can get breakfast, lunch, dinner and a variety of snacks. CS meals are also not to be confused with fast food. You will have a variety of eating choices at your resort from pancakes and omelets in the morning to chicken, pizza, fish etc in the evenings. The CS venues are the most budget friendly places to eat at inside of Walt Disney World and will run anywhere from $10 to $15 per person for all 3 meals. Those prices are consistent to what you will see at the different CS restaurants inside the 4 parks as well. In each park, there will be a place to get a cold sandwich, chicken, hamburger, pizza, fish etc. Plenty of CS choices.

Epcot has the best CS choices out of all the 4 parks. They have a place called Sunshine Seasons which will have everything from grilled chicken or salmon to Asian stir fry and is all made there fresh everyday and is our favorite lunch spot. Then for dinner, you can walk around the World Showcase and eat a CS meal in Mexico and have some authentic Mexican food, have fish and chips in England, enjoy some Chinese food in China etc.

But if you prefer to have a couple nicer meals while you are there, we need to look into finding you a TS restaurant to try. TS venues will most likely require what Disney calls an Advance Dining Reservation or ADR as they are called. Resort guests have the ability to make their ADR’s 90 days in advance of their trip. The most popular venues like Cinderella’s Round Table and Chef Mickey fill up quickly and are usually full at the 90 day mark. You can figure that a TS meal for 4 will cost close to $100 plus tip. Some will be a little more than that depending on if you get dessert etc.

Some of our favorites TS options are:

Yak & Yeti (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
The Coral Reef (Epcot)
50’s Prime Time Café (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) *this will be one of the less expensive
Donald’s Safari Breakfast (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) *Character buffet breakfast

Last but not least...Disney will have snack vendors and areas. These are places where you can get the infamous Mickey Ice Cream Bar or the huge Turkey Leg that so many people rave about or just get a bottle of water or soda. You can expect to pay $3.00 for a bottle of water and just figure the same for soda. Our favorite snacks are the Dole Whips in the Magic Kingdom (in Adventureland) and the little French pastry shop in the back of France in Epcot (this is a must do).

This is meant to be a brief intro into the terms used at Disney for dining. Please add comments or suggestions of your own.