Top 5 Myths the Travel Industry Wants You to Believe

As avid travellers we’ve come across many travel myths that are often presented as guidelines or even rules to the new adventure seeker.  Where these myths started is anyone’s guess, and how they’ve continued to be presented as fact is slightly disturbing.

Are they based in old truths that have since evolved?

Were they started by the travel industry to keep you paying for things you don’t need?

Are they perpetuated by friends who are trying to be helpful without knowing any better?

To help expose these travel myths as the fraud they are, here are the Top 5 Myths the Travel Industry Wants You to Believe!

Travel Myths #1: The Best Rates are by Booking Directly

Have you ever been told that the absolute best way to ensure you get the lowest rate for a flight or hotel is by calling the airline or hotel directly?  That way you avoid those pesky markups from online booking engines and you can even get those “insider deals” from the manager on-call.

This is one of those travel myths that we’ve personally seen debunked a number of times. Though you may get a decent rate or an added discount by calling directly, you’re still only 1 person making 1 reservation.

Have you noticed that most places offer “group rates” that are generally only available when booking 10 or more reservations at once?

Have you also been part of a conference where there’s an “event rate” for the venue of choice?

How is it that these group or event rates are almost always lower than any rate you could receive on your own?  The answer lies with the power of buying in bulk.  If you can guarantee the sale of 10, 100, or even 1000 rooms, the venue is happy to drop the individual rate for each room.

Now imagine what would happen if you could tap into the power of bulk-purchasing tens of thousands of rooms each time you want just 1 room …

Travel Myths #2: VIP Perks are Reserved for Elite Status Only

From airlines to hotel chains to credit card perks, we all know that the best perks go to those with the highest status, right?

Well, the answer to that may not be as clear as you’ve been led to believe.  As far as the companies running those programs are concerned, the more points you are able to rack up the higher “status” they’ll bestow on you.

Did you know that many of these companies also have secret, invitation-only clubs reserved for those “special few” who meet their criteria?  Entry is generally based on spending a ton of money in a short time-frame, though official rules are not available to the general public.

What kinds of perks are we talking about here?  Elite status normally gives members exclusive access to airport lounges, ticket or room upgrades, automatic rebooking in case of cancellation, personal concierge, or occasional gifts like luggage tags, monogrammed bathrobes, or champagne flutes (champagne optional).

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always believed these elite members deserved those perks because they’re using those services more …. but what about the average traveller?  How can anyone who doesn’t travel for business ever gain access to those clubs?  And how can you take advantage of a seat-sale or other promotion offered by a competing airline or hotel chain?

The short answer is …. you can’t.  At least not through traditional channels.

Luckily, there are travel groups flipping this archaic model on it’s head and bringing VIP perks to the masses.  All done without locking you into specific airlines, hotels, travel dates, or destinations.

Travel Myths #3: There’s a “Magic Hour” for Booking Flights

I don’t know about you, but I often see people asking what the best time to book flights is to get the lowest price.  More often than not, there are people posting answers about some “magic time” to book.

It usually sounds something like 2:00 on a Tuesday, 28 days before you leave … blah blah blah.  I really hope you’re not falling for this.  I’ve even dedicated an entire blog post to this very subject in the past.

We’ve been there.  We’ve tested it.  We’ve got the t-shirt … well, maybe not the t-shirt part.

Flights are like anything else, they fall under the rules of basic economics: when demand increases price increases, and when demand decreases price decreases.

We’ve been able to find a travel group that allows you to get the absolute best price available without having to time the market.  How do they do it?  They provide price guarantees at the time of booking, and continue to monitor the price fluctuations of your flight package until you board the plane.  If the price drops, you get rebooked at the lower price.  Simple.

Exclusive Online Event Invitation

In this great video my wife and I provide even more tips on overcoming these (as well as 2 more) travel myths.  It’s time to take back the upper-hand from the travel industry!

Note that at the end of the video we reference an amazing live event that has since passed, but if you follow the link and register you’ll be among the first to get notified for the next event!

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travel myths

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Be sure to comment below and let me know what Travel Myths you’ve been able to bust!

P.S. If you’d LOVE to start Your Own Blog with “Just 3 Clicks”, check THIS out!

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Resources

Here is a list of the resources mentioned in this post:

Check Into Freedom – a community dedicated to helping the average traveller take the adventures they dream about on their current budget and vacation schedule

Freedom Lifestyle – let’s work together to create an online income that travels with you

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