Here is something that comes up a lot:

My agent says the flight is full! However when I go to the airlines website there is availability?

Well the airlines have something in place called Flight Optimisation. This means they need to get the flights filled with the best paying tickets. So they release a certain number of cheaper seats depending on the demand on the flight. Then the fares are arranged accordingly, if you need a ticket that is not changeable depending on availability will be cheaper than a ticket that is fully changeable, an example of this would be a Full Y Class economy ticket.

This is how flights are divided up by price from the highest paying ticket to the lowest paying ticket. In essence it is supply and demand and a little bit of luck. Here is what I mean:

 F9 A9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 K9 L0 U0 T0  (This is an extract from Amadeus)

So using the above as an example the seats to the right are cheaper than the left, as you go left you go up to the F which is First class. As you can see from the line above there are seats available from F – K (9 seats). However the cheapest return ticket would be in T class and as you go up the row (to the left) so does the price.

With this being said it can happen that you purchase a ticket today for a flight in 6 months time and someone at the last minute found a cheaper ticket. This could be due to the fact a group has cancelled or there has been a lot of cancellations. The airline would *open* up the flight and the lower classes would be come available. This can be rare and in peak season you generally find the opposite where only full Y class is available.

Well this really sounds simple you lay out what you want to take on the bed and see what you missing, add the missing bits, throw it in a suitcase and off you go….

Yup it is that simple however here are some things to consider when packing for your holiday:

• What is the average temperature where I am going?
• Can it rain while I am there?
• Do I need to wear long pants to dinner?
• Do I need a suit for any functions or occasions?
• Have I packed the sun cream?

Be sure to check with your agent or tour operator if you need to dress up for dinner and if so how? This can be really embarrassing arriving at an awesome holiday destination to find that the dress code in the evenings is smart casual!

While you are packing be very aware on what your suitcase limitations are, here is an example you are a fam,ily (2 adults and an infant) generally you can take 50 Kilos (20 for each adult and 10 for the infant). So you pack one large suitcase and a small suitcase. The large suitcase weighs in at 35 Kilos and the small at 10 KG so you are within limits right? Wrong! Airlines have stopped accepting suitcases over the weight of 32 Kilos, so keep this in mind when packing. Some airlines have a maximum weight of 23 kilos per bag.

Ask the questions and prepare well for your trip!

Yes as we all know we must check all the documents that we receive in Travel and this is nothing new. What is new is that airlines are starting to not board you if your name is spelt incorrectly in the system. So when you get your quote from your travel agent check that your name is spelt correct and I mean your whole name not just your last name. Here is an example: a person buys a ticket and his name is Stephen, however when he made his booking he gave the agent his name as Steve. This is incorrect and does not match the passport so he can be denied boarding. Not funny when you could have picked it up on your first quote.

So be sure to check, this also means if you name is Sophia however in your passport it is actually Linda, check check and check again. You may leave fine however you could encounter problems on your return and this will not be funny when you need to get home in a hurray. Be sure to check the spelling of your name before you pay for your ticket. Once you have paid for your ticket name changes are not permitted and in some cases you would need to buy a new ticket!

So be aware of your details from the very first quote you receive and notify your agent if anything is untoward.

Ever seen the glass in the pub that says: Tipping is not a city in China? Well I have run a search on Google maps and guess what? The glass was right. Tipping is not a city in China. So should you tip?  How much and when?

Over the past vacation I mulled this over and really did not come to a monumental decision on the matter, so my profound statement is to do what you feel happy with after all it is your money and you are free to tip when and how you see fit. The amount? Well this is really up to you and what you can afford. I worked many years at a hostel in Greece and got as many tips in as many years. So if you cannot afford to and are not comfortable with tipping the do not.

That been said how ever, if you do not tip do not expect the same fast friendly service that you do receive when you do tip. Here is what I mean: Next time you at a bar and ordering your first drink, tip the bartender with the tab, when the bar fills up I assure you the bartender will *look* after you and keep his eye out for assisting you when you next need service in the hope of the next tip. There is nothing wrong with this it is human nature and is what happens.

Recently I had a quandary on what to do when on a beach vacation when the hotel was all inclusive. What does one do? Carry cash for every time you need to tip someone? Does that not detract from the carefree holiday and all inclusive enjoyment? The real dilemma came in near the end of the holiday when I realised that the *stations* and waiters were changed at each meal time. Would it not have been better for the resort to have the same waiters serving you the whole time so you can just tip them at the end?

Well I will share with you what I did to get out of my moral jam. When I realised this I tipped a few waiters that I felt had looked after us and were seen to be our *regulars*, boy did the level of service step up and I really did not think that was possible as it was so high already.

What are your thoughts? Drop us a comment below…

Ok so you are planning that ultimate travel package abroad. You do your home work and get the package booked and off you go. You have a great holiday with a few gripes and moans here and there however on the whole you enjoyed the holiday. Now when you were there you stayed on the left hand side of the town however when you get there you see that the right hand side of the road is really where you wanted to stay. (I am using this to illustrate a simple point I am sure you can add in your own example) You get home only to chat to your friends and family when you get home and they say yes of course you should have stayed on the right I would have told you that?

My point is tell everyone where you plan on going, for how long and why you are going, it is for work, pleasure or just to escape for a while. This may change the nature and positioning of your holiday depending on where you are going. You do not want to get back to hear ” Yes I would have told you that” or similar. It is no fun and makes an ultimate holiday a simple slap in the face. Do your homework before you go and speak to people that have been there or done it before. Just because your travel agent says so that you will agree when you return. Their point of view is just that, one persons point of view, get a few views before you make that final payment.

Speak to friends and family as often they have been, sure take what they say where it comes from and with a pinch of salt if you have to. Get a few views and see if the underlying left or right side of the road is the same, maybe it really is not and that was just your point of view? Maybe now is not the best time to travel. Do your home work and ask for advice often it is free!

Wow bag wrapping and the philphering at Johannesburg International has got world aclaim for all the wrong reasons. Can you belive that airlines are now making it compulsary to have your bags wrapped before you check in for your flight? Emirates released this today:

Please note that all passengers travelling ex JNB must have their baggage wrapped prior to passenger acceptance at check-in.

The baggage wrapping service is at the Emirates check-in counter’s and is free of charge. Once the baggage has been wrapped an Emirates sticker will be placed on the baggage for identification purposes.

Who will be next inline?

“Effective immediately”

The new buzz word of the travel industry. This is how the airlines are instituting new fuel surcharges. Here is an example of the lastest hike from one of the airlines:

1. For tickets sold in South Africa for travel on the following sectors:                         
LAX/SFO/LAS/TYO/SHA/SYD/MRU/JNB/CPT/HKG/BJS – LON and v.v  
Upper Class –                charge USD 261.00 per sector
Premium Economy –  charge USD 237.00 per sector
Economy –                      charge USD 213.00 per sector

This is “per sector” so lets put this in perspective: if you fly to New York via London the ticket will be a 4 sector flight ie JNB LON JFK LON JNB. This equates to US$852 or a rand value at todays rate of ZAR7000. This is just the fuel surcharge of the ticket, this excludes the “standard airport taxes”.