What To Do When You See A Flight Deal
So it’s Thursday night and you’re chilling on the couch watching Netflix. You get a text from a friend about an AMAZING flight deal. So what do you do? You’re thinking about buying a ticket, but you’re hesitating.
What should you do?
Step one when you see a flight deal: BOOK THAT FLIGHT! Do not pass go, do not sit and think, BOOK THAT FLIGHT.
This is the critical part. Error fares and flight deals do not last long, so buying the flight quickly, even if you don't have all your trip details worked out, is essential.
Important Note: If you are in the US you when you purchase the ticket, US laws give you a 24-hour window to cancel that ticket with no penalty (even if the ticket is non-refundable). If you are in another location, you'll have to play by the existing rules. Most US carriers will still give you the 24 hour grace period if you purchase your ticket outside of the United States. The ticket cancellation rules should be available to you right before you press the button to buy the ticket if you're not sure, speed read those rules to find the info you need.
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So now that you know you scored the flight deal, the second step is to take the next 24 hours to figure out whether you actually can make this trip, and whether you actually want to take the trip or cancel the ticket.
Some preliminary points - Tickets purchased on error fares are frequently canceled by the airlines. Do not call the airline to ask about whether the fare is correct or anything about your ticket that you could find out online. This may bring the error to their attention, and they might cancel your ticket (and everybody else who got that fare as well).
And because cancellations happen, do not book anything else related to this vacation for at least a week after you book your tickets to give the airline time to see if they are going to cancel these tickets. Of course, this doesn't apply to sale prices and only error fares. It is still worth buying an error fare if you see one because many airlines honor those fares.
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Let's get down to business.
Is this a safe country for you to travel to? I usually just assume it is, but if I have even 1% doubt, I check out any security warnings.
Can you get that time off of work? When you purchased your ticket, you should have given this a little bit of thought. Even if your flight date is way out ahead, try to choose dates you have a chance of getting off. Now that you've purchased your tickets, it's time to request those days, put them on the calendar, or whatever you have to do.
Do you need a visa to get into the country, and if you do, is it more time-consuming, complicated, or expensive than you want to deal with? Let's not even play, some countries have really straight forward application processes or visa on arrival systems that you barely notice. And some visa applications want to know your great-great grandmother's blood type. Figure that out now. How much will your application cost and how long will it take to get it processed. If you don't have enough time for the usual method, can you expedite your visa application and how much additional will that cost you?
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Can you get the type of housing you want at a price you're comfortable with? Figure out at least 2 types of accommodations you are comfortable with and price out those options. There is no point in getting a cheap ticket if you can't find anywhere you want to lay your head. So if hostels are your things, check them out and also look at a shared space on Airbnb. If you don't sleep in anything less than a 5-star hotel, start there, but maybe you can also rent a 5 start Airbnb?
Do visitor accounts from the area give you any information that makes you change your mind? Google for and read a couple of visitor accounts of this location. Anything that gives you more information about whether this is a place you want to visit or not will be beneficial.
Buy insurance for the trip. Look at the plans that World Nomad and Allianz offer, or better yet consider an annual travel insurance place.
Enroll in the Smart Travelers Enrollment Program. I don't always do this, but in the current climate where things can and do go wrong everywhere, all the time, it is a good idea to enroll in the US Governments STEP program, so the local embassy knows how to find you if anything goes wrong.
So now you have all the information you need? So, are you gonna keep the ticket, and where are you going? Let me know in the comments.
