Booking holiday accommodation online

With the introduction of low cost airlines, and the rapid growthof internet users, booking the perfect holiday has become easierfor the inexperienced internet user. Gone are the days, wherethe only people surfing the net are techie's - welcome to theinternet age, where people of all ages are now using theinternet to go about their normal life.“You look forward to your holiday all year and you want to bookit easily, and save money,” says Darren, a holiday rentalspecialist who runs, Worldwide Holiday Homes. “If youautomatically think ‘travel agent,’ you’re missing out on theinternet world. Just ask the thousands of people who reservevillas, apartments and cottages through our companies website.Booking your holiday online means you can look for the bestdeals, and search in the comfort of your own home.”Darren says the rise of the Internet has made it easier and moreconvenient to seek out and reserve a holiday home, why stay inan overcrowded hotel, when you get have the privacy that a villaholiday brings. No more shared swimming pools, instead relax inprivacy within your own pool. If you’re nervous about dealingone-on-one with a holiday home owner, don’t be. Darren says thatsome of the nervousness is brought on by the travel agents, whoadvise against booking a private holiday rental, as thecompanies offering rentals are not ABTA bonded. Providing youget adequate travel insurance, and are cautious and follow somesimple booking instructions, you can minimi...

...ze the risk: - Speak to the owner of the property, you can learn a lot abouta person, and you'll probably feel much comfortable thancommunicating through email - which can be impersonal. - Each property owner will have their own way of processing abooking but, as a guideline, you should expect to pay a depositto secure the booking of between 10% - 50% of the total rental.This is normally paid either by cheque or by bank transfer andthe owner should confirm the booking and receipt of your paymentby letter or by e-mail. - Check the cancellation terms with the owner at the time ofbooking - deposits are often non-refundable and they may have asliding scale of charges for last minute cancellations after thebalance has been paid. We recommend that you ask for any termsand conditions in writing. Make sure that you have the addressand directions to the property. These are normally sent to youon payment of the balance. Some owners will send you a key inadvance, some may live on site and be there to welcome you,whilst others may have a local representative or neighbour whowill meet you. - Make sure that you have the telephone number of the owner ortheir representative so that you can call to let them know ifyour arrival time is delayed. If you encounter an owner who isunwilling to talk to you on the phone, beware. You simply cannotsend money to someone you’ve never spoken to. Go with your gutfeeling. Take out adequate travel insurance, we would recommendthat y...

...you speak to a travel insurance specialist, and explain thetype of holiday you are going to book - that way your going toget the right advice, and the right level of insurance -remember that you'll pay a deposit, if for any reason your ill,or your flight is cancelled or delayed, you'll need insurance tobe able to claim the deposit back. - Don't be embarrassed to ask for testimonials from otherholidaymakers, or email address / telephone number of otherholidaymakers who have book the accommodation. Have a search onthe internet, and see if you can "dig" up any bad feedback orreviews about the owners or property rental. “To many this may sound time consuming,” says Darren, “Mostowners, respond within 24 hours, once you have confirmation ofthe booking and paid the deposit, then you book your flight, andtravel insurance - by leaving the travel agent out of theprocess, you will save money, and you have the opportunity toresearch the location and accommodation, before booking,compared to booking with an agent who, let's be honest is tryingto get you to book quickly, for commission.”Darren says that many travel agents are now realising thepotential of the internet, our website alone, is a completebooking portal, you search for accommodation, contact the owner,and then through our travel shop you can book your flights, carhire and travel insurance. Next time your looking to book yourholiday - have a search on the internet, you'll be surprisedwhat you can find.