Questions to Ask When Booking a Trip

The questions

Open any question to see why it works.

1. 1

   What is included in this price, and what will I still have to pay on arrival?

   Resort fees, city taxes, transfers and tips sit outside the headline number more often than not. Ask for two figures: the amount charged today, and the amount you should expect to hand over on site. The second one is what breaks budgets.

2. 2

   Is this price per person or for the whole booking, and does it assume two people sharing?

   Package prices are almost always quoted per person sharing a room, so a solo traveler pays a single supplement that can approach half again. Have the seller restate the number as the total that will hit your card.

3. 3

   What are the exact dates and times, including the return?

   Late night departures and red-eye returns are how cheap packages stay cheap, and a seven night trip can lose two days to travel. Ask for flight numbers so you can look up the real schedule instead of counting nights.

4. 4

   What is the cancellation policy, and on what date does the deposit stop being refundable?

   Get the date, not the phrase. Most policies step down in stages, and the useful thing to put in your calendar is the last day you can walk away without losing money.

5. 5

   If I need to move the dates, what does that cost?

   Change fees and fare differences are two separate charges, and the fare difference is usually the larger one. A trip booked early at a low fare can be expensive to move, because the seats still for sale are priced high.

6. 6

   Who is this trip actually with: are you the operator, or are you reselling someone else's product?

   Agents, operators and booking sites carry different obligations when things go wrong. Knowing whose name is on the contract tells you who you chase for a refund if the hotel closes or the airline cancels.

7. 7

   Are my flights on one ticket, and what happens if a connection is missed?

   A package sold as one contract normally rebooks you. Separate tickets bought in the same checkout often do not, and the second airline is under no obligation to help. Ask for this in plain words before you pay.

8. 8

   What documents do I need, and how long does my passport have to be valid?

   Many countries want six months of remaining validity, and some require an advance travel authorization or proof of onward travel. The seller may never check, but the airline will check at the gate and can refuse boarding.

9. 9

   Is there anything about this destination at this time of year I should know?

   Wind season, rainy season, national holidays and local school breaks all move both price and experience. A seller willing to name a downside is more useful than one who calls every week of the year ideal.

10. 10

    How far is the hotel from the airport, and how do I get there?

    Transfer time is the detail brochures leave out. Ask for the drive in hours, and whether the transfer is private, shared with several other hotels, or something you arrange yourself in the arrivals hall.

11. 11

    What room category is this exactly, and where is it in the building?

    Entry-level rooms are entry-level for a reason: a car park view, a wall shared with the pool bar, or a separate annex. Ask for the category name to be written into the booking rather than a friendly description of it.

12. 12

    Is the hotel under renovation, or is any facility closed while I am there?

    Pools, spas and restaurants close for maintenance in shoulder season, and construction on the neighboring lot is not something a hotel volunteers. Ask directly and ask for the answer in writing, because it becomes your evidence later.

13. 13

    What meals are included, and at which restaurants?

    Half board and all-inclusive plans routinely exclude the a la carte restaurants, premium drinks and anything served at the beach. Ask what a normal dinner costs outside the plan so you can price the gap.

14. 14

    What insurance do you sell, and what does it not cover?

    Policies sold at checkout tend to be thin on medical evacuation and on cancellation for reasons other than illness. Read the exclusions rather than the summary, particularly around pre-existing conditions and anything adventurous.

15. 15

    If I booked the flights and the hotel separately, would it be cheaper, and what would I lose?

    Splitting the booking usually saves money and removes protections. That is a fair trade if you make it knowingly: booked separately, a missed connection or a hotel that will not refund becomes entirely your problem.

16. 16

    What is the deposit, when is the balance due, and how do I pay it?

    Paying the balance by credit card rather than bank transfer keeps a chargeback route open if the company fails before you travel. Some sellers add a card fee at balance time that was never mentioned at deposit.

17. 17

    Are there local taxes, tourist fees or deposits collected at check-in?

    City taxes, environmental fees and a card hold for incidentals are standard in many countries. The sums are small, but a hold on a debit card ties up real money for the length of the stay.

18. 18

    What happens if the price drops after I book?

    A few operators price match within a window and most do nothing at all. Asking tells you whether waiting is likely to help you, which is more useful than the small chance of a credit.

19. 19

    Who do I call at two in the morning in the destination if something goes wrong?

    You want a phone number that reaches a person in the destination time zone, not an email address monitored on weekdays. A seller with no local representation cannot help you at the moment you need helping.

20. 20

    What do people complain about most on this trip?

    An honest answer names something concrete: a ninety minute transfer, thin walls, seaweed on the beach in August. A seller who says nobody ever complains has either not sold it often or has decided not to tell you.