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Welcome to Travel School
written by Sally Black
Do It Yourself Family Vacations
Here are some answers to FAQ for booking your own family vacation and getting more from your family travel dollars:
How do I find the best Vacation for my family?
Vacationkids.com works with a large number of different online travel companies and travel wholesalers. We
do this in order to give our families a wide variety of travel options. It has been our experience that
the companies listed here have online reservation systems that are easy for the general public to use. All are respected travel companies
and each has a different focus and expertise. There are many different travel companies that will offer the
same trips to the same destinations. In many cases, particularly during high season travel weeks like the
December holidays or spring break, you'll have to search several different companies in order to find availability
at a competitive price. Again, these are just a sample of the travel companies Vacationkids offers. Our Vacationkids travel agents also work with many other travel wholesalers that do not have reservation system open to the general public. This means you have to be a travel agent to access their prices and availability.
Should I use a Vacationkids family travel agent instead?
At Vacationkids we recognize that some people enjoy doing the large amount of research it takes to properly plan and
book the perfect vacation suitable for their family. Many of our parents realize the only time they have to devote to
vacation planning is not during normal business hours when our agency is open. During popular travel weeks, space sells
out so fast that you'll see flights and hotels disappear right before your eyes just as you're trying to confirm your trip.
If you wait to speak to one of our Vacationkids travel
agents, the vacation you're looking at might very well sell out completely. Other families might want a
repeat of last year's vacation and might know exactly what they want so booking a trip themselves may seem like a no
brainer. This is why Vacationkids provides our families with links to some of the best, well respected travel companies
in our industry.
We also like to remind our families that
the travel industry is constantly changing and evolving. Our vacationkids travel agent experts keep up to date on all the latest changes that may effect your family's vacation.
We pride ourselves in keeping current with the latest information
and knowledge. Often our expertise can save you time, money and big headaches. Many times, our agents have inside information and advice that
you won't see published on ANY internet web page. Our agents also can give you independent, non biased information regarding
different products and services like travel insurance, sightseeing and local tours as well as travel tips. The services of our Vacationkids family travel agent is FREE to families to buy their trips thru our agents! Our agents our paid commissions by hotels, airlines and travel companies. This is how they support their own families and make their livings.
In addition they offer their clients insider secrets and information that can make your vacation
more pleasure able, relaxed and fun.
Nobody ever likes to think about something going wrong before, during or after a long anticipated holiday but it does happen. This is where the services of a knowledgeable and trusted travel agent are indispensible. They will work hard on behalf of their clients to get troublesome situations fixed. Our vacationkids travel agents have long standing relationships with many of the movers and shakers in the travel industry. Often they can pick up the phone
and have a problem solved in the time it would take you to speak finally speak to a human being at a customer service call in number. Click here to request the services of one of our Vacationkids family expert Travel agents.
Which company should I use to book my family vacation?
This really depends on the type of vacation you want for your family. Again, each of Vacationkids travel Partners listed here has
a different area of expertise. Here is a general description of each company and what it has to offer...
APPLE VACATIONS
- For the past 35 years repeatedly winning awards for their Vacation packages and resort vacations to Mexico, The Caribbean, The Bahamas, Hawaii, Costa Rica,
Europe and Ski Vacations.
Travel Impressions
A subsidiary of American Express serving travelers since 1974 offers vacation packages in the US to Florida and the Orlando Theme parks,
Hawaii, New York, California, Las Vegas...as well as vacation packages to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and Europe. This is one
of a handful of travel companies that is allowed to sell authorized DISNEY vacations including theme park tickets and
hotel accommodations both inside and outside of the theme parks.
Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival Cruise Lines prides itself on being "The World's Most Popular Cruise Vacation. Carnival's fun ships offer a wide array of quality cruise vacations which present outstanding value for the money. Carnival Cruise ships offer Camp Carnival services for kids.
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Travelocity
- A full service online travel company featuring airline tickets, hotel reservations, cruises, vacation packages,
rail tickets, car rentals and attractions.
Celtic Tours - Offers escorted and independent tours to the UK, Ireland, Europe and the South Pacific.
Expedia- A full service online travel company featuring airline tickets, hotel reservations, cruises, vacation packages, rail tickets, car rentals and attractions.
Site 59- Offers discounts on very last minute vacation packages
How can I find the best price for our family vacation?
Every single travel company had it's own contracts with airlines and hotels as well as their own cost for doing business. Different travel companies charge different prices for the same type of vacation. To find the best deals, you simply have to shop around. Keep in mind there is also a BIG difference between finding a great value and a cheap price. This is where having the services of one of our travel agent experts can help you immensely. It is important to remember that the travel industry is all about "supply and demand". This is why the most expensive times of the year to travel are usually during school breaks, especially during Spring break and the December holidays. This is because schools are closed and it is the best time for most families to travel. Depending on your destination, May and September are usually the best times to find good deals.
Why do the prices keep changing?
There are a few reasons to explain this phenomenon that upsets many DIY travel planners. First most people don't realize that
the airlines charge different prices for their seats on the same exact flights. You may be flying coach class from NY to Cancun but coach class may offer V, Z, F or X class tickets. All of these passengers will be sitting in the same part of the plane but this "alphabet soup" differentiates the pricing attached to the rules for each ticket regarding things like ticket changes, allowable changes, ticket refunds etc. Basically the more flexible the airline is with regarding your flight reservations, the more costly the ticket. The price you saw yesterday might have been for a particular "alphabet soup" class of coach ticket on that particular flight. If that category of seats sells out then the cost of your ticket may be higher. Flights between the same cities many be different at different times during the same day...again think supply and demand. There is a BIG difference between a non stop, connecting and a direct flight which is reflected in the cost of their tickets
Also, some travel companies will allow courtsey holds giving passengers a certain amount of time to make up their minds before a final purchase. Ideally this comes in handy for people making their reservations "ala carte" style...they can put their flight on hold, confirm their hotel space with peace of mind before finalizing their flights. This is another reason why travel inventory of flights and hotel rooms is constantly changing. For these and other reasons, you need to be decisive when shopping for travel, otherwise you can "miss the boat"...or should I say "miss the plane"!
Do I need to check anything before I confirm our family vacation?
It's just like you tell the kids...DO YOUR HOMEWORK! If you are not familiar with the destination or resort you want to visit then you need to take the time, do some research and make sure it is the right spot for your family. Be realistic with your expectations as you plan your activities. If you are traveling out of the United States, you are responsible to have the appropriate forms of identification and understand any travel requirements for the areas you plan to visit. Most travel information for US citizens can be found on
The US State Dept website. If you are not a US citizen then you will need to check with your area embassy or consulate.
Can I run into any problems booking my our own Family Vacation?
Yes! There are THREE major problems we see with average people making their own travel plans...
Failure to compare apples to apples Often people will get a price for a particular itinerary then go compare this price elsewhere. They get excited when they see a much lower price posted somewhere online. As they go to confirm this lower price they find out this lower price did not include things like airport/hotel transportation or certain taxes and fees. After doing the math
they sadly realize their bargain ended up costing them more money.
Failure to read small print Folks get excited at the thought of a vacation. They happily click away online...yes, yes, yes they want this trip. They simply accept all the terms and conditions without taking the time to read the small print on travel contacts. Later they find out it will cost them dearly to change the spelling of the typo of their child's name
OR they are upset to find out that they cannot change their mind about the date of their departure OR at the last minute they didn't realize passport rules had changed and they don't have the appropriate documents to travel. If you confirm a trip with one of the travel companies posted on our website, you will be agreeing to the terms and conditions of that companie. We here at Vacationkids cannot intercede. You will need to work thru any issues on your own directly with that travel company.
READ ALL FINE PRINT ON ANY CONTRACT VERY CAREFULLY SO THAT YOU ARE AN INFORMED CONSUMER!
Failure to purchase TRAVEL INSURANCE Again Vacations bring to mind happy thoughts. People don't want to think about illness, injury, weather problems, accidents or problems of any kind. Crazy scenarios like
power failures grounding planes or forgetting to make a kennel reservation for Fido only to find out at the last minute there is no one to care for the beloved family pet can ruin a long anticipated fun holiday. Something as minor as a child's earache at the last minute can ground your family's plans to travel. If you don't have coverage, you could be forfeiting the total cost of your trip.Most folks don't realize that many health insurance plans, HMO's and Medicare do NOT cover people outside of specific geographic areas so if your family is traveling out of the country you may not have any health coverage. Many countries will take your passports and NOT allow you to leave the country until any medical bills are Paid in full!
Some travel insurance plans are better than others so you need to read the small print, shop, compare and make sure your family and vacation investment is protected.
Again, for these an many other reasons, the services of our Vacationkids family travel agents are invaluable.
They can shop for you to help find you the best deals, help decipher all the fine print and give you insight that will insure that your vacation goes as planned. Again their services are free to their clients.
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