According to research conducted by Luxuryescapes.com, more than a quarter of Australians make mistakes when booking travel themselves online.
A recent survey of almost 10,000 Australians reveal that one in four (26 percent) have made a mistake when booking a holiday or flight online, which can make it a costly affair.
“Online travel is great because it allows consumers to save money and offers more freedom and flexibility. However, mistakes can easily happen and can sometimes end up costing you the money you’ve saved by booking online,” Adam Schwab, CEO of travel site LuxuryEscapes.com said.
Men more inclined to making mistakes than women.
The survey showed men were slightly more inclined (28 per cent) to make mistakes than women (25 per cent).
Over 250,000 Australians have booked with LuxuryEscapes.com, a travel site specialising in five star travel packages at insider packages, since the company launched in August 2013.
Although the travel site has a booking guarantee and offers full store credit if a customer makes an innocent mistake making a booking.
“The most common mistake Australians make when booking travel online is not reading the fine print. So take the time to do it to avoid any unexpected costs. Pay extra attention to validity periods, extra person surcharges, kids’ policies, transfers costs as well as cancellation and amendment policy,” Schwab said.
Other common mistakes include entering the wrong name into the booking form, confusing price per person with price per room and booking hotel dates that don’t match flight dates.
“If you’re travelling between different time zones, make sure to double check your arrival date with the airline before booking your hotel stay,” Schwab said.
Ask a friend to look over your booking to avoid a blunder.
“A good idea is to have your partner or friend read through all the travel details before booking and paying,” Schwab suggested.
The survey also showed the main reasons for booking travel online were to save money (40 per cent) and for the convenience (40 per cent), followed by the access to more options (16 per cent).