2022-23 TRAVEL TIPS
(Spend less - get MORE value!)
By: Amyn Ghulamali
The way the global economy is these days Travel & Tourism has been pushed aside so people can survive the rising costs of inflation.
People are now travelling only if required or not at all as what they feel is true. It is ridiculously expensive in more ways than one!
Despite these societal reservations one can easily have a fantastic Travel & Tourism experience that is also economical as well if you follow my advice below!
RESPECT TIME - In the Travel & Tourism industry, be it corporate, medical, educational, cultural, luxury or whatever kind of travel you wish to do you should always keep timings / dates and preplanning your first priority for the best rates! JOURNEY MIND MAP - Many people try to do everything or cram too many wishes hopes, dreams & desires into a weekend getaway that drives everyone insane and leaves them exhausted!Before you decide upon a destination, first grab a pen and a piece of paper (going old school is the best). Write down the reason you are going - then your destination and finally your budget.
Ensure you map out your entire journey on paper - go online and work out your options! Then revisit this document 3 - 4 times with your edits and make your changes BEFORE you finally write it down on your computer.
Once documented ensure you do NOT deviate from your plan. (Changes to any itinerary once in execution is frightfully expensive later)
WHERE TO BOOK YOUR AIRLINE TICKETS? – Everyone establishes a business to make money! Even the online portals do charge money and operate on a profit basis. I find it less hassle free to take the time and go to one of the best local travel agencies in your own country and do your airline bookings from there. I suggest this because most travel agents also provide tourist / medical visa assistance special insurance services and remove the hassle for you for a nominal fee.
Even the online portals will do the same – only that should you need support you will have to wait for a computer to respond when it does as they remove most of the human element involved.
Further to that when you book with a large or the best travel agency ensure that they can and will provide you with real time 24 hours 7 days a week client support incase you require it on any messenger of your choice.
My last and most important reason for telling you to bear the pain and go to a local travel agent is that all IATA approved travel agents globally have a direct link with the airline country head office and get your seat customized and add on many more benefits and if you have a good relationship with your travel agent it is possible to get a better rate for your travel and hidden seat availability. All airlines authorize their country managers to extend discounts etc. if requested and justified by the local travel agents.
HOW TO BOOK YOUR STAYS? - Today people book online from any of the various travel portals thinking that modern day travel life is so easy & hassle free!Myself being a tour and travel operator I have also used many online portals and I realized over the years that when a person travels blunders do occur. I find that when booking via an online portal and one is travelling there are many further complications if the traveler is just your average ‘Joe’ that is not very tech savvy!
Normally customer support is not instant and if you have an international fight then you have an immense number of issues with real time answers.
My suggestion is to book your stay and tour directly with a well known or trusted Travel and Tour operator in that country!
I will use myself and my own company as an example! At Ghulamalis Consulting here in Thailand ( www.ghulamalis.com ) when we quote a tour or holiday price to our direct international passengers for 5 star all inclusive deal at US $ 43 a day (with NO hidden charges) EVERYONE asks us ‘What’s the catch?’
Well, here’s the explanation! Your tourism rates for Thailand (example only) in your own country will be inflated between 55% to 65% more than our rates because there are multiple vendors involved who slap on their own commissions (Hey nobody works for free – Not even me!)
Now when you book your Holiday with us being local we make our profit but pass on a real rate to you. Further to that we assist you locally and have a complete support network to handle all your needs immediately thus giving you a further piece of mind that you will NOT get any hidden surprises as far as costs go!
PLANNING TRAVEL FUNDS THAT YOU WILL CARRY? – Even if you step outside the door of your home in your own native country – you spend money! Be it filling fuel in your vehicle or paying for a taxi – you still spend money!When one travels there are many instances that sometimes surprise charges hit you! Many countries like Thailand are tourist countries however everyone is there to make money and if you do not have a local bank account then you will pay a heavy fee to use an ATM to withdraw money or do any transactions.
These charges will be an addition to the existing bank charges that your own bank will charge you locally. An honest real example is that Thai ATM’s charge Thai Baht 220/- per international transaction. Wait it gets better… then you get charged all kinds of taxes in your own native country and some might even ask you for an explanation of your expenses if you are a tax payer!
Do bear in mind that the Travel & Tourism industry has changed immensely and now the BIG brands also prefer to deal in cash mostly. In Thailand cash or a local card is preferred BUT how much can or will you carry?
First check with your own government as to what amount of currency will it allow you to travel with. Unless you are travelling to more than one country please buy the local currency for the country you wish to visit.
Go to your local currency exchange and get the foreign funds locally in cash. (you will get a better rate locally)
What I do or my company Ghulamalis Consulting does is that after we have checked our passengers in. We take them with ALL their physical cash and go to the bank. Here we endorse and support our passengers with the local government so that they can get a local Thai pre-paid and secured debit card.
This way our passengers do NOT pay additional bank charges everywhere and are more secure because all their cash is with them all the time but safe!
In reality there is no point in buying US Dollars as you will lose in the end when you locally keep exchanging the dollars for your frequent requirements.
Remember, in any country you travel to for a holiday your safety and financial security should be the most important thing for you so you should ensure that!
There is a lot more advice I or my team can provide on how you can have an extremely economical 5 star holiday without stress and we would be happy to answer your questions. All you need to do is connect with us – our contact information is provided here in this blog!
Thank you for reading this post and I hope you found it helpful in some way to plan your upcoming holidays in 2022-23. If you need help (again) simply ask us! We do not charge for our consultations!
Have a great journey and wishing you all the best for this Holiday Season and the year ahead to come!
Stay Blessed in every way!
Hoping to hear from you soon & let’s be professional friends – (Do check out my linked in Profile & see my endorsements & professional recommendations) I really hope we can do something wonderful together to appreciate each other’s professional lives! - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amynaghulamali/If you found any value in my blog – Please share it with your network!
If you would like advice or a direct FREE consultation please contact me here via e-mail - amyn@ghulamalis.com or on WhatsApp - +66 9444 20133
